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Dutch Darts Masters 2025 | Day One Preview and Order of Play

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Dutch Darts Masters 2025 Day Two Preview and Order of Play | Final eight do battle in Den Bosch

Jermaine Wattimena stuns Luke Humphries at the Dutch Darts Masters as Van Barneveld dumps out Dobey

Jamie Shaw in Dutch Darts Masters 25 Jan 2025
Wattimena dispatches Humphries (Photo by Kelly Deckers/PDC)

Jermaine Wattimena subjected Luke Humphries to a First Round exit at the Dutch Darts Masters, as Raymond van Barneveld raised the roof with a last-leg win over Chris Dobey.

The opening night of the World Series event in Den Bosch saw four Dutch stars progress to the quarter-finals on home soil.

European Championship finalist Wattimena continued his terrific run of form as he recovered from 2-0 down to close out a 6-3 win over the world number one.

Humphries got off to a commanding start, but paid the price for missed doubles in the third leg as Wattimena halved the deficit.

The Dutchman then produced with a brace of 12-darters as checkouts of 153 and 111 catapulted him ahead, with a 78 finish and a 13-darter moving him to the brink of victory.

Humphries stopped the rot in leg eight, but missed tops to continue his fightback before a last-dart double 12 for Wattimena completed a memorable triumph.

Meanwhile, Van Barneveld produced a spectacular 144 checkout in the deciding leg to dump out Premier League star Dobey.

Dobey opened up a 3-1 lead and also landed a 138 checkout as he moved 4-3 in front, but Van Barneveld kept himself in the contest as a 14-darter forced a decider which he claimed in dramatic fashion to thrill the partisan Den Bosch crowd.

“I’m so over the moon with this win,” said Van Barneveld. “I had to keep putting Chris under pressure but he kept taking his moments.

“In the last leg I started well and I’m really happy that the 144 went in. I’m looking forward to tomorrow night now.”

Michael van Gerwen and Luke Littler will resume their rivalry in Saturday’s quarter-finals after safely navigating their way through the opening round.

Van Gerwen defeated Littler to win last year’s event at De Maaspoort, while the teenager took victory in the World Championship final a fortnight ago in their most recent meeting.

Van Gerwen, returning from a family holiday in Thailand, stormed to a 6-1 demolition of a struggling Dirk van Duijvenbode..

The duo shared the opening two legs, but Van Duijvenbode had no answer from there on in as Van Gerwen reeled off the next five without reply.

“It’s a tough draw but I’m happy with this,” said Van Gerwen. “I felt comfortable and I did the right things at the right moment to put him under pressure.

“There’s more build on but I’m fine. I felt really relaxed and in patches I played really well. Tomorrow’s going to be a really important night.”

Newly-crowned World Champion Littler held off a stern test from Dimitri Van den Bergh before eventually prevailing 6-4 in his first outing since turning 18 on Tuesday.

Van den Bergh responded to Littler’s stunning 134 checkout in leg two by clinching four of the next five to go 4-3 ahead.

Littler, though, hit back with a 102 finish to draw level, broke throw by punishing the Belgian’s miss on double 16, before landing two 180s as he sealed victory in leg ten, ending with a 101 average.

Kevin Doets followed up an impressive run to the Last 16 of the recent World Championship by thrashing Nathan Aspinall 6-1, converting six doubles from ten attempts.

The Dutchman became the first home favourite to progress as he clinically saw off Aspinall – who took leg three but saw his opponent finish a key 138 en route to victory.

Doets now meets Gerwyn Price in the Last Eight, after the Welshman reeled off four straight legs to seal a 6-2 success over Danny Noppert, averaging 101.85 in a strong display.

Last week’s Bahrain Darts Masters runner-up shared the opening four legs with the Dutch ace, but a crucial 124 checkout broke Noppert’s resistance, before legs of 14 and 13 darts sealed the deal.

Stephen Bunting made a promising start to his quest for back-to-back World Series titles as he overcame World Youth Champion Gian van Veen 6-5 in a high quality contest which saw both players average in excess of 102.

Bunting had opened up a 5-2 lead, only for Van Veen to reel off three in a row to force a decider, but The Masters champion landed a nerveless 70 finish to clinch victory with 66 per cent on the doubles.

“I’m glad that I hit that winning double at the end – I knew it was now or never and it needed to go in,” admitted Bunting.

“I felt like it was a great game throughout – he’s got a massive future ahead of him. He’s up there with one of the best players in the world and I’m thankful to be through that game.

“I’m on the crest of a wave at the moment and I hope it can continue. I won’t take anything for granted and I’ll be ready for tomorrow.”

Rob Cross bounced back from his shock First Round exit in Bahrain by overcoming a stern test from World Series debutant Richard Veenstra.

The Dutchman produced crucial finishes of 84, 97 and 110 as he moved 3-2 in front, but Cross claimed four straight legs to safely advance to Saturday’s quarter-finals.

Dutch Darts Masters 2025 Day One Results

Friday January 24

First Round

Rob Cross 6-3 Richard Veenstra
Nathan Aspinall 1-6 Kevin Doets
Stephen Bunting 6-5 Gian van Veen
Chris Dobey 5-6 Raymond van Barneveld
Gerwyn Price 6-2 Danny Noppert
Luke Humphries 3-6 Jermaine Wattimena
Michael van Gerwen 6-1 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Luke Littler 6-4 Dimitri Van den Bergh