PDC European Championship-October 25th-28th 2018- Dortmund

[ssjsa]

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN will begin his bid to win a fifth straight Unibet European Championship title against Paul Nicholson, after the field and draw for the 32-player event was confirmed.

This year's European Championship will be held from October 25-28 as the tournament returns to Germany, with Dortmund's Westfalenhalle hosting the world's top stars.

With the leading 32 players from the European Tour Order of Merit qualifying for the European Championship, the weekend's European Darts Trophy saw a tense conclusion to the battle to claim Dortmund spots.

Runs to the quarter-finals for Jelle Klaasen and semi-finals for Richard North were enough to see them move into the top 32, at the expense of Andy Boulton and Darius Labanauskas.

Kyle Anderson, Cristo Reyes and Paul Nicholson - who did not qualify to compete in the European Darts Trophy - all faced a nervous wait over the weekend before their qualification was confirmed.

Reigning European Champion Michael van Gerwen, who has won the past four titles in a brilliant unbeaten run since 2014, will be the top seed as he bids to scoop the £100,000 top prize once again.

The Dutchman claimed an amazing eighth European Tour title of 2018 on Sunday night, meaning that he took home £207,000 across the 13 tournaments this year.

Van Gerwen's first round opponent in Dortmund will be Nicholson, the former Players Championship Finals winner who has qualified for his first European Championship since 2013.

Number two seed Mensur Suljovic, the Danish Darts Open winner and the 2016 European Championship finalist, will play Spanish ace Reyes.

Germany's Max Hopp, who claimed his maiden European Tour win this year, will take on Ireland's William O'Connor, while Austrian Darts Open champion Jonny Clayton meets James Wilson.

Gerwyn Price, another maiden winner on the European Tour in 2018, plays 2017 European Championship semi-finalist Kyle Anderson, while Dutch Darts Championship winer Ian White meets debutant North.

James Wade, who lost in a second European Tour final of the year on Sunday, plays emerging German Martin Schindler, and Joe Cullen takes on Klaasen.

Premier League finalist Michael Smith takes on emerging Irish ace Steve Lennon, while world number two Peter Wright plays quick-fire Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena.

World Champion Rob Cross - last year's beaten finalist - will face a first round tie with European Championship debutant Danny Noppert, while a tasty encounter will see Adrian Lewis meet Dave Chisnall.

World number five Daryl Gurney meets Ricky Evans, Darren Webster plays Stephen Bunting, while Steve West takes on Mervyn King.

The Unibet European Championship will be held from October 25-28 at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, and screened live on ITV4 and through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners.

For tickets, please visit the PDC Europe website.

2018 Unibet European Championship
Draw Bracket
(1) Michael van Gerwen v (32) Paul Nicholson
(16) Steve West v (17) Mervyn King
(8) Simon Whitlock v (25) Steve Beaton
(9) Peter Wright v (24) Jermaine Wattimena
(5) Joe Cullen v (28) Jelle Klaasen
(12) Michael Smith v (21) Steve Lennon
(4) Ian White v (29) Richard North
(13) Rob Cross v (20) Danny Noppert
(2) Mensur Suljovic v (31) Cristo Reyes
(15) Darren Webster v (18) Stephen Bunting
(7) Max Hopp v (26) William O'Connor
(10) Jonny Clayton v (23) James Wilson
(6) James Wade v (27) Martin Schindler
(11) Daryl Gurney v (22) Ricky Evans
(3) Gerwyn Price v (30) Kyle Anderson
(14) Adrian Lewis v (19) Dave Chisnall

The schedule of play will be confirmed in due course.

Session Schedule:
Thursday October 25 (8pm local time, 7pm UK time)
First Round x8

Friday October 26
Afternoon Session (1.45pm local time, 12.45pm UK time)
First Round x8

Evening Session (8pm local time, 7pm UK time)
Second Round x4

Saturday October 28 (8pm local time, 7pm UK time)
Second Round x4

Sunday October 29
Afternoon Session (1.45pm local time, 12.45pm UK time)
Quarter-Finals

Evening Session (8pm local time, 7pm UK time)
Semi-Finals
Final

Format
First Round - Best of 11 legs
Second Round - Best of 19 legs
Quarter-Finals - Best of 19 legs
Semi-Finals - Best of 21 legs
Final - Best of 21 legs

Prize Fund
Winner £100,000
Runner-Up £40,000
Semi-Finalists £20,000
Quarter-Finalists £15,000
Second Round Losers £10,000
First Round Losers £5,000
Total £400,000
Nine-Darter Bonus £15,000

[ssjsa]

Adie vs Chizzy match of the 1st Round, but also like the look of Webster vs Bunting, Cross vs Noppert and Wade vs Schindler.

[The Jolly Man]

Lewis V Chisnall definitely pick of the first round. They both just have to turn up

[SAFC]

Some very decent looking matches and close matches

Whitlock v Beaton
Cullen v Klaasen
Cross v Noppert
Webster v Bunting
Gurney v Evans
Price v K Anderson
Lewis v Chisnall

All look like good match ups

[masticman]

Y is Gary Anderson not playing in this ?

[daveshep1508]

Y is Gary Anderson not playing in this ?

He did not play in european comps, so gained no points......

[trotter]

Y is Gary Anderson not playing in this ?

He did not play in european comps, so gained no points......

Imagine if all the top players had that attitude ...

[masticman]

Y is Gary Anderson not playing in this ?

He did not play in european comps, so gained no points......

Ah right thx. Take it rvb was the same

[ChrisW]

Y is Gary Anderson not playing in this ?

He did not play in european comps, so gained no points......

Ah right thx. Take it rvb was the same

Yes. I don't think he tried once to qualify this season.

[ssjsa]

THE schedule of play for the Unibet European Championship has been confirmed ahead of the Dortmund tournament from October 25-28.

The £400,000 event is a culmination of the year's 13 European Tour events, which provides the 32 qualifiers for the European Championship based on the final Order of Merit.

Top seed Michael van Gerwen, the reigning European Champion, headlines the opening night on Thursday October 25 as he opens his challenge to claim a fifth successive title against Paul Nicholson.

Thursday's opening night also features World Champion Rob Cross up against Danny Noppert, world number two Peter Wright taking on Jermaine Wattimena and former winner Simon Whitlock against Steve Beaton.

Friday afternoon sees the first round conclude with the eight ties from the bottom half of the draw, which includes the tasty match-up between Dave Chisnall and Adrian Lewis.

German duo Max Hopp and Martin Schindler play William O'Connor and James Wade respectively, while former European Championship finalist Mensur Suljovic takes on Cristo Reyes.

The second round begins on Friday night as the winners of Thursday's matches return to the stage, with Saturday's evening session concluding the quarter-final line-up.

The Unibet European Championship then concludes on Sunday October 28, with the quarter-finals in the afternoon session followed by the semi-finals and final in the evening session.

The Unibet European Championship will be held from October 25-28 at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, and screened live on ITV4 and through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners.

For tickets, please visit the PDC Europe website.

Unibet European Championship
Schedule of Play
Thursday October 25 (2000 local time, 1900 UK time)
First Round x8
Steve West v Mervyn King
Ian White v Richard North
Simon Whitlock v Steve Beaton
Michael Smith v Steve Lennon
Joe Cullen v Jelle Klaasen
Michael van Gerwen v Paul Nicholson
Rob Cross v Danny Noppert
Peter Wright v Jermaine Wattimena

Friday October 26
Afternoon Session (1345 local time, 1245 UK time)
First Round x8
Jonny Clayton v James Wilson
Darren Webster v Stephen Bunting
Gerwyn Price v Kyle Anderson
Mensur Suljovic v Cristo Reyes
Daryl Gurney v Ricky Evans
Max Hopp v William O'Connor
James Wade v Martin Schindler
Adrian Lewis v Dave Chisnall

Evening Session (2000 local time, 1900 UK time)
Second Round x4
Cullen/Klaasen v Smith/Lennon
Whitlock/Beaton v Wright/Wattimena
White/North v Cross/Noppert
Van Gerwen/Nicholson v West/King

Saturday October 28 (2000 local time, 1900 UK time)
Second Round x4
Price/Anderson v Lewis/Chisnall
Suljovic/Reyes v Webster/Bunting
Wade/Schindler v Gurney/Evans
Hopp/O'Connor v Clayton/Wilson

Sunday October 29
Afternoon Session (1345 local time, 1245 UK time)
Quarter-Finals

Evening Session (2000 local time, 1900 UK time)
Semi-Finals
Final

Draw Bracket
(1) Michael van Gerwen v (32) Paul Nicholson
(16) Steve West v (17) Mervyn King
(8) Simon Whitlock v (25) Steve Beaton
(9) Peter Wright v (24) Jermaine Wattimena
(5) Joe Cullen v (28) Jelle Klaasen
(12) Michael Smith v (21) Steve Lennon
(4) Ian White v (29) Richard North
(13) Rob Cross v (20) Danny Noppert
(2) Mensur Suljovic v (31) Cristo Reyes
(15) Darren Webster v (18) Stephen Bunting
(7) Max Hopp v (26) William O'Connor
(10) Jonny Clayton v (23) James Wilson
(6) James Wade v (27) Martin Schindler
(11) Daryl Gurney v (22) Ricky Evans
(3) Gerwyn Price v (30) Kyle Anderson
(14) Adrian Lewis v (19) Dave Chisnall

Format
First Round - Best of 11 legs
Second Round - Best of 19 legs
Quarter-Finals - Best of 19 legs
Semi-Finals - Best of 21 legs
Final - Best of 21 legs

Prize Fund
Winner £100,000
Runner-Up £40,000
Semi-Finalists £20,000
Quarter-Finalists £15,000
Second Round Losers £10,000
First Round Losers £5,000
Total £400,000
Nine-Darter Bonus £15,000

[26scored]

Y is Gary Anderson not playing in this ?

He did not play in european comps, so gained no points......

Ah right thx. Take it rvb was the same

Yes. I don't think he tried once to qualify this season.

He actually played 3 qualifiers earlier in the year, got through none of them.

[billy brooks]

Yeh I went to Munich this year for the Euro tour and barney missed out on qualifying almost sure Jonny Clayton beat him in final match to get there.

From a betting point of view i strongly fancy 3 (not the greatest of prices)

Gurney (R Evans)
Cullen (J Klassen)
White (R North)

[ChrisW]

Y is Gary Anderson not playing in this ?

He did not play in european comps, so gained no points......

Ah right thx. Take it rvb was the same

Yes. I don't think he tried once to qualify this season.

He actually played 3 qualifiers earlier in the year, got through none of them.

I forgot he entered those. I was more thinking he had never tried the host nation or European qualifier route.

[SAFC]

Yeh I went to Munich this year for the Euro tour and barney missed out on qualifying almost sure Jonny Clayton beat him in final match to get there.

From a betting point of view i strongly fancy 3 (not the greatest of prices)

Gurney (R Evans)
Cullen (J Klassen)
White (R North)

I fancy Klaasen to beat Cullen Joe has struggled recently and Jelle has found a little bit of form and beat Joe in the midweek pc's

[ssjsa]

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN is hoping to make it five Unibet European Championship titles in a row at this weekend's highly-anticipated Dortmund event.

Van Gerwen first claimed glory in Europe in 2014 and went on to repeat the feat at the following three stagings of the tournament, posting incredible final-winning averages of 107, 108 and 111.

This weekend's £400,000 event, which begins on Thursday, is a culmination of the year's 13 European Tour events, of which the Dutchman has won eight, with the 32 qualifiers earning their places based on the final European Tour Order of Merit.

Top seed Van Gerwen headlines the opening night with a first round clash against Paul Nicholson, and the world number one is feeling confident of making it five European crowns in a row.

“To win this tournament five years in a row would be incredible and it is something that I am really determined to do," said Van Gerwen.

“Nobody ever did that before so it would be something really special to me and it adds a little bit of extra motivation but of course I can only stay focused for one game at a time.

“I’m looking forward to the game against Paul Nicholson. He is someone I know well and he has being doing well again this year which is great to see – you have to perform to qualify for this tournament.

“But I think I will have too much for him if I am anywhere near my best. If I play like I can I will have too much for anybody.

“The European Championship is like the finals for the whole European Tour and I have been very dominant on that so I want to make sure it is my name on the trophy at end of it."

The second round begins on Friday night as the winners of Thursday's matches return to the stage, with Saturday's evening session concluding the quarter-final line-up.

The Unibet European Championship then concludes on Sunday October 28, with the quarter-finals in the afternoon session followed by the semi-finals and final in the evening session.

The Unibet European Championship will be held from October 25-28 at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, and screened live on ITV4 and through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners.

For tickets, please visit the PDC Europe website.

Unibet European Championship
Schedule of Play
Thursday October 25 (2000 local time, 1900 UK time)
First Round x8
Steve West v Mervyn King
Ian White v Richard North
Simon Whitlock v Steve Beaton
Michael Smith v Steve Lennon
Joe Cullen v Jelle Klaasen
Michael van Gerwen v Paul Nicholson
Rob Cross v Danny Noppert
Peter Wright v Jermaine Wattimena

Friday October 26
Afternoon Session (1345 local time, 1245 UK time)
First Round x8
Jonny Clayton v James Wilson
Darren Webster v Stephen Bunting
Gerwyn Price v Kyle Anderson
Mensur Suljovic v Cristo Reyes
Daryl Gurney v Ricky Evans
Max Hopp v William O'Connor
James Wade v Martin Schindler
Adrian Lewis v Dave Chisnall

Evening Session (2000 local time, 1900 UK time)
Second Round x4
Cullen/Klaasen v Smith/Lennon
Whitlock/Beaton v Wright/Wattimena
White/North v Cross/Noppert
Van Gerwen/Nicholson v West/King

Saturday October 27 (2000 local time, 1900 UK time)
Second Round x4
Price/Anderson v Lewis/Chisnall
Suljovic/Reyes v Webster/Bunting
Wade/Schindler v Gurney/Evans
Hopp/O'Connor v Clayton/Wilson

Sunday October 28
Afternoon Session (1345 local time, 1245 UK time)
Quarter-Finals

Evening Session (2000 local time, 1900 UK time)
Semi-Finals
Final

Draw Bracket
(1) Michael van Gerwen v (32) Paul Nicholson
(16) Steve West v (17) Mervyn King
(8) Simon Whitlock v (25) Steve Beaton
(9) Peter Wright v (24) Jermaine Wattimena
(5) Joe Cullen v (28) Jelle Klaasen
(12) Michael Smith v (21) Steve Lennon
(4) Ian White v (29) Richard North
(13) Rob Cross v (20) Danny Noppert
(2) Mensur Suljovic v (31) Cristo Reyes
(15) Darren Webster v (18) Stephen Bunting
(7) Max Hopp v (26) William O'Connor
(10) Jonny Clayton v (23) James Wilson
(6) James Wade v (27) Martin Schindler
(11) Daryl Gurney v (22) Ricky Evans
(3) Gerwyn Price v (30) Kyle Anderson
(14) Adrian Lewis v (19) Dave Chisnall

Format
First Round - Best of 11 legs
Second Round - Best of 19 legs
Quarter-Finals - Best of 19 legs
Semi-Finals - Best of 21 legs
Final - Best of 21 legs

Prize Fund
Winner £100,000
Runner-Up £40,000
Semi-Finalists £20,000
Quarter-Finalists £15,000
Second Round Losers £10,000
First Round Losers £5,000
Total £400,000
Nine-Darter Bonus £15,000

[ssjsa]

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN will be hoping to land a fifth successive Unibet European Championship title, with Dortmund's Westfalenhalle hosting the top 32 stars of the European Tour - live on ITV4.

This year's European Championship will be held from October 25-28 as the tournament returns to Germany, with the leading 32 players from the European Tour Order of Merit bidding for the £100,000 top prize.

The £400,000 event is a culmination of the year's 13 European Tour events, which provides the 32 qualifiers for the European Championship based on the final Order of Merit.

Top seed Michael van Gerwen, the reigning European Champion, headlines the opening night on Thursday October 25 against Paul Nicholson as he begins his quest for a fifth successive title.

Van Gerwen first claimed glory in Europe in 2014 and went on to repeat the feat at the following three stagings of the tournament, posting incredible final-winning averages of 107, 108 and 111, and the world number one is feeling confident of making it five European crowns in a row.

“To win this tournament five years in a row would be incredible and it is something that I am really determined to do," said Van Gerwen, who won eight European Tour events in 2018.

“Nobody ever did that before so it would be something really special to me and it adds a little bit of extra motivation but of course I can only stay focused for one game at a time.

“I’m looking forward to the game against Paul Nicholson. He is someone I know well and he has being doing well again this year which is great to see – you have to perform to qualify for this tournament.

“But I think I will have too much for him if I am anywhere near my best. If I play like I can I will have too much for anybody.

“The European Championship is like the finals for the whole European Tour and I have been very dominant on that so I want to make sure it is my name on the trophy at end of it."

Former Players Championship Finals winner Nicholson is relishing his chance to face Van Gerwen as he returns to the tournament for the first time in five years.

His reward, though, is a tie against top seed Michael van Gerwen, the reigning European Champion and a winner of eight of the 13 European Tour events held during 2018.

Although Van Gerwen is a huge favourite going into that tie, and an odds-on favourite to claim the title, June's Gibraltar Darts Trophy semi-finalist Nicholson insists he is excited about the chance to lock horns with the sport's top star in Dortmund.

"Every time I get into the big tournaments it feels like Michael is waiting for me in the first round, but it's a great opportunity," said Nicholson.

"There's no pressure on me. I've got preparation time - ten days to get myself right and I'm really looking forward to the prospect of playing against Michael, especially when he's in this form. I really can't wait."

Thursday's opening night also features World Champion Rob Cross up against Danny Noppert, world number two Peter Wright taking on Jermaine Wattimena and former winner Simon Whitlock against Steve Beaton.

Friday afternoon sees the first round conclude with the eight ties from the bottom half of the draw, which includes the tasty match-up between Dave Chisnall and Adrian Lewis.

German duo Max Hopp and Martin Schindler play William O'Connor and James Wade respectively, while former European Championship finalist Mensur Suljovic takes on Cristo Reyes.

The second round begins on Friday night as the winners of Thursday's matches return to the stage, with Saturday's evening session concluding the quarter-final line-up.

The Unibet European Championship then concludes on Sunday October 28, with the quarter-finals in the afternoon session followed by the semi-finals and final in the evening session.

Held from October 25-28 at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, the tournament is screened live on ITV4 and through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners.

For tickets, please visit the PDC Europe website.

[BeppeBergomi]

Finally some darts for me although I must admit that it does feel strange watching a Tournament without seeing the proper World Number 2 in action

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

[ChrisW]

West is miles off with the doubles.

[ChrisW]

Thursday October 25 (2000 local time, 1900 UK time)
First Round x8
Steve West (94.15) 6 (11) 5 (92.53) Mervyn King
Ian White v Richard North
Simon Whitlock v Steve Beaton
Michael Smith v Steve Lennon
Joe Cullen v Jelle Klaasen
Michael van Gerwen v Paul Nicholson
Rob Cross v Danny Noppert
Peter Wright v Jermaine Wattimena

[BlueSpark]

Ian White turning it in already.
Utter garbage on the telly.