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Ricardo Pietreczko dethrones Ross Smith at the European Championship as Van Gerwen survives scare

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Peter Wright powers past Michael Smith at the European Championship as Price and Van Gerwen prevail

European Darts Championship 2023 | Day Three Preview and Order of Play

Jamie Shaw in European Championship 29 Oct 2023

Price and Aspinall collide (Photo by Michael Cooper/PDC)

The European Darts Championship reaches the Second Round stage on Saturday as a host of big names collide in Dortmund.

Three of the top eight seeds were sent packing in the opening round at the Westfalenhallen, however a number of decorated darters remain in the running as the format and stakes increase this weekend.

The Second Round ties are split across two unmissable sessions on Saturday, with the afternoon’s action featuring a clash between Premier League stars Gerwyn Price and Nathan Aspinall.

Price finished runner-up in the 2019 European Championship and is out to end a two-year wait for a televised ranking title, having lost out in the final of the World Grand Prix earlier this month.

The reigning World Cup winner opened up with a 6-1 rout of Keane Barry inside 12 minutes on opening night and has won his last four televised meetings with Aspinall.

Aspinall ended a four-year wait for a second major title at the World Matchplay in Blackpool this summer and was runner-up in last month’s World Series Finals, as well as the German Darts Grand Prix earlier in the campaign.

The Stockport star averaged 98.5 in an impressive 6-3 win over Ryan Searle in Round One and will be determined to stop the rot against The Iceman.

Meanwhile, world number one and reigning World Champion Michael Smith comes up against a resurgent Peter Wright.

Smith, runner-up here 12 months ago, claimed the German Grand Prix title earlier this year and recently reached the Semi-Finals of the World Grand Prix for the first time, having also claimed Bahrain Masters glory and a ProTour title this season.

He swept aside Raymond van Barneveld 6-1 with a 98.8 average on Thursday and now faces the man who notably defeated him in the 2022 World Championship final.

Wright has shown signs of a timely return to form in recent weeks, reaching the final of the German Championship and the Semi-Finals of the World Series of Darts Finals, and produced a terrific fightback from 4-1 down to seal a 6-5 victory over home favourite Gabriel Clemens with an 11-darter in the deciding leg.

The opening match of the afternoon sees two in-form contenders collide as Chris Dobey faces Stephen Bunting.

Masters champion Dobey reached the Semi-Finals here 12 months ago and is vying to reach a third consecutive major ranking Quarter-Final, having thrashed top seed Dave Chisnall 6-2 in his opener.

Bunting, runner-up in this season’s German Open, averaged 101.4 in a 6-1 demolition of Martin Schindler and is eyeing a first Quarter-Final in this event since his debut in 2014.

Rob Cross, the 2019 and 2021 European Champion, continues his quest for the hat-trick with a tie against world number eight Danny Noppert.

Cross, one of only three players to have lifted this trophy on more than one occasion, overcame former World Matchplay champion Dimitri van den Bergh 6-2 on Thursday with a 99 average to kick-start his defence of the £120,000 in prize money against his ranking from two years ago.

Noppert produced one of the stand-out performances of the opening round in the first match of the tournament as he whitewashed UK Open champion Andrew Gilding with a 106 average and 75 per cent on the doubles.

The evening session sees Michael van Gerwen resume his pursuit of a record fifth European Championship crown with a clash against man of the moment Ricardo Pietreczko.

Van Gerwen is locked level with Phil Taylor on four titles, having gone unbeaten in this event from 2014-2017, but his six-year drought is the longest of any major ranking tournament for the Dutch sensation.

He survived a huge scare from Madars Razma on Friday evening as the Latvian squandered two match darts to allow the Dutchman off the hook to close out a narrow 6-5 victory.

Pietreczko recently claimed the German Darts Championship title in Hildesheim, defeating MVG in the Semi-Finals, to secure a debut in this competition, and the home hero thrilled the Dortmund faithful by dethroning reigning champion Ross Smith with a 104.3 average.

Luke Humphries continues his bid for back-to-back major titles when he takes on Polish number one Krzysztof Ratajski.

Humphries landed his first major silverware in Leicester earlier this month and headed to Dortmund as the number two seed after claiming a fifth Euro Tour title in July and finishing runner-up in a further five Euro Tour events this term.

Ratajski, who claimed his second Euro Tour title last month, finally ended his wait for a win at the European Championship in his sixth appearance as he dispatched Joe Cullen 6-3, missing double 12 for a nine-darter along the way.

Emerging Dutch star Gian van Veen looks to extend his dream debut in Dortmund by overcoming two-time major winner Daryl Gurney.

Van Veen announced himself in sensational style on Friday, achieving the highest average (107.34) ever recorded by a debutant in this competition as he swept aside sixth seed Damon Heta 6-1.

The World Youth finalist will look to maintain that blistering form when he faces a resurgent Gurney – who knocked out Northern Ireland compatriot Josh Rock 6-2 with a 98.6 average and six from eight on the outer ring.

James Wade, the 2018 European Champion, takes on former Grand Slam champion Jose de Sousa.

Wade, who recently dropped out of the world’s top 16 for the first time in 17 years, suffered successive First Round exits at the World Matchplay and World Grand Prix but returned to winning ways on the big stage by defeating a struggling Dirk van Duijvenbode on Friday despite an average of just 80.

De Sousa famously landed a nine-darter in this event three years ago, but his form has taken a dip this season, with the Portuguese star dropping to 22nd in the Order of Merit following First Round defeats at the World Matchplay and World Grand Prix.

However, he was on hand to punish a fatal miscount from Jonny Clayton on his way to sealing a 6-4 victory on Friday night.

The action gets under way from 12pm BST, with Second Round matches to be contested over the best of 19 legs.

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European Darts Championship 2023 Day Three Schedule

All times BST (local time +1 hour)

Saturday October 28

Second Round

Afternoon Session (12pm-4pm)
Chris Dobey v Stephen Bunting
Rob Cross v Danny Noppert
Gerwyn Price v Nathan Aspinall
Michael Smith v Peter Wright

Evening Session (6pm-10pm)
Gian van Veen v Daryl Gurney
James Wade v Jose de Sousa
Luke Humphries v Krzysztof Ratajski
Michael van Gerwen v Ricardo Pietreczko

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European Darts Championship 2023 | Day Three Preview and Order of Play

European Darts Championship 2023 Day Three Schedule

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