There was no problem for Clayton in a packed room in Leeuwarden. The Ferret grabbed a double break and ran out to 4-1. But then Van Peer started his comeback. He won leg after leg, and when the Welshman missed a match dart at 5-4, he was allowed to Bionic aiming for 54. He took a sip of water, then tossed the finish line with two darts. Van Peer then started the decisive leg very solidly and distanced himself from Clayton, who came alongside again at the end. Again the darts player who was struck down by ‘darteritis’ in the past waited a long time, but again he did not fail. A big party then erupted in the WTC Expo in Leeuwarden.
,,This feels absolutely great”, Van Peer reacted frantically afterwards. ,,I lost to him twice recently, so three times had to be a charm. This is so special, I can’t describe it. I’m not used to this, he does. It feels fantastic to play in front of a home crowd and winning is even better.”
Noppert took five legs in a row against Razma: from 1-1 to 6-1. The Dutchman scored an average of more than 96, compared to less than ninety from Razma. Noppert’s finish percentage was also better: 42.86 percent against 25 percent.
Tomorrow afternoon, Noppert will face the Englishman Nathan Aspinall for a place in the quarterfinals. Noppert reached the final of the Dutch Darts Championship last year. The Freeze then had to acknowledge his superior in Michael Smith, who later also crowned world champion.
Damon Heta made himself popular with the audience in Leeuwarden. The 35-year-old Australian had put on an orange vest especially for the turnout. A plastic orange cap adorned his head. Heta also adapted his turnout number to Left right from Snollebollekes.
Opponent Steve Beaton appreciated the action, just like the fans. Heta won 6-4 against Beaton and will meet Van Peer or Jonny Clayton in the eighth finals.
Afternoon session
Josh Rock – Graham Hall 6-2
Dave Chisnall – Martin Lukeman 6-4
Andrew Gilding – Ian White 6-4
Rob Cross – Keane Barry 3-6
Danny Noppert -Madars Razma 6-1
Joe Cullen – Stephen Bunting 5-6
Damon Heta – Steve Beaton 6-4
Martin Schindler – Roman Benecky 6-4
Evening session
Nathan Aspinall – Daryl Gurney 6-4
Johnny Clayton – Berry van Peer 5-6
Michael Smith – Jim Williams
Ryan Searle – Dimitri Van den Bergh
Michael van Gerwen -Gabriel Clemens
Peter Wright – Krzysztof Ratajski
Luke Humphries – Ross Smith
Dirk van Duivenbode – Dylan Slevin