Gabriel Clemens dispatches Dave Chisnall at the German Darts Championship as Kurz stuns Clayton
Gabriel Clemens delighted his home crowd by defeating top seed Dave Chisnall in Round Two of the German Darts Championship in Hildesheim on Saturday.
Day Two of the season’s final European Tour event three Germans deliver superb performances to delight the partisan crowd at Halle 39.
Clemens claimed six of the last seven legs to coast past Chisnall 6-2, defying a 140 checkout from this year’s three-time Euro Tour event winner to progress with an average of 101.
Meanwhile, Ricardo Pietreczko recorded a personal-best average of 107 to account for his compatriot Martin Schindler, firing in four 180s and converting checkouts of 103 and 102 to wrap up a 6-2 success.
Host Nation Qualifier Nico Kurz also raised the roof with a memorable 6-5 victory over Jonny Clayton, taking out 119, 116 and a brace of 81 finishes to prevail – sealing victory with a 12-darter on the bull in the deciding leg.
There were eight seeded casualties on a dramatic day of action, though Luke Humphries endured no such trouble in his first appearance since his World Grand Prix triumph last Sunday.
The 28-year-old maintained his blistering form to breeze past Boris Krcmar, firing in a trio of 12-darters and averaging 106 to preserve his hopes of topping the European Tour Order of Merit.
Reigning champion Michael van Gerwen also tasted victory on Saturday evening, launching his bid for a fourth German Championship title with a hard-fought 6-3 win over Steve Lennon.
The Dutch superstar will now face Joe Cullen in a repeat of last year’s Premier League final, after Cullen ran out a 6-4 winner against Arron Monk – who landed a spectacular 161 checkout in defeat.
World Champion Michael Smith survived a huge scare in his clash against Alan Soutar, racing 4-0 ahead before dodging a match dart to deny the spirited Scot in a last-leg thriller.
Smith’s next assignment will see him face sixth seed Rob Cross – who also won through a deciding-leg tussle against Gian van Veen, reeling off 11, 13 and 14-dart legs in the latter stages to triumph.
James Wade defied a 102 average from World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall to move through to Round Three, and his reward is a mouth-watering showdown against Humphries.
Peter Wright landed a brace of 116 finishes to secure a commanding 6-2 win over Chris Dobey – who now faces an anxious wait in his bid for European Championship qualification.
Masters champion Dobey can still be overhauled by Kurz, Jules van Dongen and George Killington, who are all through to the Last 16 of a European Tour event for the first time.
Killington produced one of the best performances of his career to whitewash Dirk van Duijvenbode, averaging 103 to follow up his win over nine-dart star Scott Waites in Friday’s first round.
Van Dongen continued his resurgence by averaging almost 102 in sweeping aside world number nine Danny Noppert – who posted a ton-plus average of his own in defeat.
Martin Lukeman can also seal a European Championship spot at Dobey’s expense, and he preserved his hopes of qualification with victory over Ryan Searle.
Lukeman hit six 180s to record a 6-4 success against Searle, punishing a profligate display from the Somerset star to set up a meeting with second seed Damon Heta for a place in the Last Eight.
Australian number one Heta landed two ton-plus finishes to deny a spirited Darryl Pilgrim, producing a four-leg burst midway through the match to continue his bid for a second European Tour title.
Stephen Bunting maintained his blistering form to account for fifth seed Josh Rock, landing a 126 checkout on the bull to complete a 6-3 win over the World Youth Champion with a 101 average.
European Champion Ross Smith – a late replacement for Gerwyn Price this weekend – capitalised on his stroke of fortune to run out a 6-3 winner against 2019 champion Daryl Gurney with a 102 average.
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German Darts Championship 2023 Day Two Results
Saturday October 14
Second Round
Afternoon Session
Rob Cross 6-5 Gian van Veen
Ryan Searle 4-6 Martin Lukeman
Danny Noppert 2-6 Jules van Dongen
Damon Heta 6-4 Darryl Pilgrim
Dirk van Duijvenbode 0-6 George Killington
Josh Rock 3-6 Stephen Bunting
Jonny Clayton 5-6 Nico Kurz
Ross Smith 6-3 Daryl Gurney
Evening Session
Joe Cullen 6-4 Arron Monk
Gabriel Clemens 6-2 Dave Chisnall
James Wade 6-4 Nathan Aspinall
Ricardo Pietreczko 6-2 Martin Schindler
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Steve Lennon
Peter Wright 6-2 Chris Dobey
Luke Humphries 6-2 Boris Krcmar
Michael Smith 6-5 Alan Soutar
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