RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD returned to Euro Tour action with a hard fought 6-3 victory over Scott Dale, as the HappyBet European Darts Grand Prix kicked off in Germany.
After qualifying for the event the previous evening, the five-time Champion of the World averaged almost 100 and needed a couple of moments of class to overcome his opponent.
With the scores locked at 2-2 van Barneveld took out 160 with Dale waiting to break.
At 3-3 the Dutchman then took control of the game winning the final three legs to confirm the victory.
van Barneveld will need at least a run to the final of this competition if he is to give himself a chance of qualifying for the Unibet European Championship in October.
Brendan Dolan needed a last leg decider to overcome Christian Kist in the opening match of Friday’s evening session.
Kist came out firing taking a 2-0 lead before Dolan won three legs in a row to take the initiative.
The pair then held throw taking the match to a deciding leg, where Kist missed four match darts allowing Dolan to move in and book his place in round two.
Tony West marked his return to the Euro Tour after a three-year absence beating Jeffrey de Graaf 6-2 in Sindelfingen.
The pair traded ton-plus finishes in the opening two legs before West strung together five legs in a row.
Both struggled with doubles but West eventually came through averaging 76.20.
Jonny Clayton then dispatched of Gabriel Clemens, beating the Host Nation Qualifier 6-1.
Clayton was Ruthless on the doubles, hitting 75% of his attempts on his way to the second round.
German, Martin Schindler was the next through to the second round beating Andy Boulton 6-4.
The young man from Berlin averaged almost 90 on his way to victory.
Cristo Reyes averaged 93.90 and hit 60% of his attempts at doubles as he beat Robert Marijanovic 6-3.
The Spaniard had to work hard to beat Marijanovic, who hit three out of four double attempts himself, but Reyes’ heavier scoring proved the decisive factor.
The penultimate game of the night saw Jermaine Wattimena overcome Fabian Herz and a noisy German crowd with a 6-3 win, sealing his place in round two.
The Dutchman looked comfortable in the first part of the match, racing in to a 4-1 lead.
Herz showed some staying power in reducing the deficit to just one leg, but Wattimena, who averaged 89.53 was too strong in the end.
James Wilson punished Devon Petersen for missed double attempts in his 6-3 victory over the South African.
The final match of the HappyBet European Darts Grand Prix looked like going all the way at 4-3, but Petersen missed four attempts at doubles allowing Wilson to break the throw.
The 44 year-old then finished in style as he landed a 120 checkout to seal the victory.
Earlier in the day Mick Mcgowan produced the performance of the opening session of the HappyBet European Darts Grand Prix with a superb 6-3 win over Ronny Huybrechts.
The game began in excellent style with Huybrechts taking out 143 in the opening leg before McGowan followed up with a 13 dart hold.
The pair then traded breaks in the third, fourth and fifth leg before McGowan took the initiative and closed out the match averaging 98.32.
Nathan Aspinall kicked off the tournament by beating Jay Foreman 6-4 in the opening match of the tournament.
Aspinall broke with the scores level at 4-4 before going on to hold his throw to win the match.
The Englishman averaged 90 and hit three maximums on his way to the second round.
Mark Frost booked his place in the second round beating Mark Owen 6-5.
After a nervy start where both missed double attempts it was Frost who held his nerve in the decider taking out 96 on tops.
Joe Murnan then produced an impressive performance to book a second round clash with Terry Jenkins.
‘Shaggy’ averaged 92.83 and hit 60% of his double attempts as he defeated Host Nation Qualifier Dragutin Horvat 6-2.
Alan Tabern marked his return to the Euro Tour in style beating debutant Scott Taylor 6-2.
The crucial moment of the match came in the sixth leg when Tabern missed the bull for a 170 finish, before Taylor then missed the same target for a 167. This allowed Tabern to break the throw and move 4-2 ahead.
The 49 year-old won the next two legs finishing the match with an 87 average, hitting four maximums in the process.
Darren Webster made up for his 6-0 defeat at the hands of Kyle Anderson last weekend, by beating German qualifier Robert Allenstein by the same margin at the HappyBet European Darts Grand Prix.
Webster gave his opponent very little opportunity to make an impact only allowing Allenstein two shots at a double.
The Englishman hit 66% of his double attempts and averaged almost 96 as he set up a second round encounter with Michael van Gerwen.
Home favourite and current World Youth Champion Max Hopp closed out the evening session with a comfortable 6-2 win over an out of sorts James Hubbard.
Hubbard could only manage an average of 75 compared to the German’s 89.
Hope faces Gerwyn Price in round two.
The HappyBet European Darts Grand Prix continues tomorrow when the seeded players will join the action.
Online coverage of the PDC European Tour will be available through www.LIVEPDC.TV for all subscribers worldwide.
Live coverage with faster streams is also available at the following betting websites:
www.bet365.com - Worldwide
www.betfair.com - UK, Ireland, Spain & Denmark
www.tempobet700.com - Worldwide
www.fonbet.com/en/ - Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia
www.unibet.com - Worldwide
www.happybet.com - Germany
www.williamhill.com - Worldwide
Live Scores will be available at the new-look PDC Live Scores website, http://live.dartsdata.com .
HappyBet European Darts Trophy
Friday September 16
First Round
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm local time, 12pm-4pm BST)
Nathan Aspinall 6-4 Jay Foreman
Robert Owen 5-6 Mark Frost
Joe Murnan 6-2 Dragutin Horvat
Alan Tabern 6-2 Scott Taylor
Robert Allenstein 0-6 Darren Webster
Mick McGowan 6-3 Ronny Huybrechts
James Hubbard 2-6 Max Hopp
Evening Session (7pm-11pm local time, 6pm-10pm BST)
Christian Kist 5-6 Brendan Dolan
Tony West 6-2 Jeffrey de Graaf
Gabriel Clemens 1-6 Jonny Clayton
Raymond van Barneveld 6-3 Scott Dale
Andy Boulton 4-6 Martin Schindler
Cristo Reyes 6-3 Robert Marijanovic
Jermaine Wattimena 6-3 Fabian Herz
Devon Petersen 3-6 James Wilson
All games are the best of 11 legs.
Match Stats
After qualifying for the event the previous evening, the five-time Champion of the World averaged almost 100 and needed a couple of moments of class to overcome his opponent.
With the scores locked at 2-2 van Barneveld took out 160 with Dale waiting to break.
At 3-3 the Dutchman then took control of the game winning the final three legs to confirm the victory.
van Barneveld will need at least a run to the final of this competition if he is to give himself a chance of qualifying for the Unibet European Championship in October.
Brendan Dolan needed a last leg decider to overcome Christian Kist in the opening match of Friday’s evening session.
Kist came out firing taking a 2-0 lead before Dolan won three legs in a row to take the initiative.
The pair then held throw taking the match to a deciding leg, where Kist missed four match darts allowing Dolan to move in and book his place in round two.
Tony West marked his return to the Euro Tour after a three-year absence beating Jeffrey de Graaf 6-2 in Sindelfingen.
The pair traded ton-plus finishes in the opening two legs before West strung together five legs in a row.
Both struggled with doubles but West eventually came through averaging 76.20.
Jonny Clayton then dispatched of Gabriel Clemens, beating the Host Nation Qualifier 6-1.
Clayton was Ruthless on the doubles, hitting 75% of his attempts on his way to the second round.
German, Martin Schindler was the next through to the second round beating Andy Boulton 6-4.
The young man from Berlin averaged almost 90 on his way to victory.
Cristo Reyes averaged 93.90 and hit 60% of his attempts at doubles as he beat Robert Marijanovic 6-3.
The Spaniard had to work hard to beat Marijanovic, who hit three out of four double attempts himself, but Reyes’ heavier scoring proved the decisive factor.
The penultimate game of the night saw Jermaine Wattimena overcome Fabian Herz and a noisy German crowd with a 6-3 win, sealing his place in round two.
The Dutchman looked comfortable in the first part of the match, racing in to a 4-1 lead.
Herz showed some staying power in reducing the deficit to just one leg, but Wattimena, who averaged 89.53 was too strong in the end.
James Wilson punished Devon Petersen for missed double attempts in his 6-3 victory over the South African.
The final match of the HappyBet European Darts Grand Prix looked like going all the way at 4-3, but Petersen missed four attempts at doubles allowing Wilson to break the throw.
The 44 year-old then finished in style as he landed a 120 checkout to seal the victory.
Earlier in the day Mick Mcgowan produced the performance of the opening session of the HappyBet European Darts Grand Prix with a superb 6-3 win over Ronny Huybrechts.
The game began in excellent style with Huybrechts taking out 143 in the opening leg before McGowan followed up with a 13 dart hold.
The pair then traded breaks in the third, fourth and fifth leg before McGowan took the initiative and closed out the match averaging 98.32.
Nathan Aspinall kicked off the tournament by beating Jay Foreman 6-4 in the opening match of the tournament.
Aspinall broke with the scores level at 4-4 before going on to hold his throw to win the match.
The Englishman averaged 90 and hit three maximums on his way to the second round.
Mark Frost booked his place in the second round beating Mark Owen 6-5.
After a nervy start where both missed double attempts it was Frost who held his nerve in the decider taking out 96 on tops.
Joe Murnan then produced an impressive performance to book a second round clash with Terry Jenkins.
‘Shaggy’ averaged 92.83 and hit 60% of his double attempts as he defeated Host Nation Qualifier Dragutin Horvat 6-2.
Alan Tabern marked his return to the Euro Tour in style beating debutant Scott Taylor 6-2.
The crucial moment of the match came in the sixth leg when Tabern missed the bull for a 170 finish, before Taylor then missed the same target for a 167. This allowed Tabern to break the throw and move 4-2 ahead.
The 49 year-old won the next two legs finishing the match with an 87 average, hitting four maximums in the process.
Darren Webster made up for his 6-0 defeat at the hands of Kyle Anderson last weekend, by beating German qualifier Robert Allenstein by the same margin at the HappyBet European Darts Grand Prix.
Webster gave his opponent very little opportunity to make an impact only allowing Allenstein two shots at a double.
The Englishman hit 66% of his double attempts and averaged almost 96 as he set up a second round encounter with Michael van Gerwen.
Home favourite and current World Youth Champion Max Hopp closed out the evening session with a comfortable 6-2 win over an out of sorts James Hubbard.
Hubbard could only manage an average of 75 compared to the German’s 89.
Hope faces Gerwyn Price in round two.
The HappyBet European Darts Grand Prix continues tomorrow when the seeded players will join the action.
Online coverage of the PDC European Tour will be available through www.LIVEPDC.TV for all subscribers worldwide.
Live coverage with faster streams is also available at the following betting websites:
www.bet365.com - Worldwide
www.betfair.com - UK, Ireland, Spain & Denmark
www.tempobet700.com - Worldwide
www.fonbet.com/en/ - Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia
www.unibet.com - Worldwide
www.happybet.com - Germany
www.williamhill.com - Worldwide
Live Scores will be available at the new-look PDC Live Scores website, http://live.dartsdata.com .
HappyBet European Darts Trophy
Friday September 16
First Round
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm local time, 12pm-4pm BST)
Nathan Aspinall 6-4 Jay Foreman
Robert Owen 5-6 Mark Frost
Joe Murnan 6-2 Dragutin Horvat
Alan Tabern 6-2 Scott Taylor
Robert Allenstein 0-6 Darren Webster
Mick McGowan 6-3 Ronny Huybrechts
James Hubbard 2-6 Max Hopp
Evening Session (7pm-11pm local time, 6pm-10pm BST)
Christian Kist 5-6 Brendan Dolan
Tony West 6-2 Jeffrey de Graaf
Gabriel Clemens 1-6 Jonny Clayton
Raymond van Barneveld 6-3 Scott Dale
Andy Boulton 4-6 Martin Schindler
Cristo Reyes 6-3 Robert Marijanovic
Jermaine Wattimena 6-3 Fabian Herz
Devon Petersen 3-6 James Wilson
All games are the best of 11 legs.
Match Stats
| Average | 180s | Finishing | Average | 180s | Finishing | |||
| 90.23 | 3 | 6/13 46.15% | Nathan Aspinal | 6-4 | Jay Foreman | 85.80 | 2 | 4/11 36.36% |
| 79.20 | 1 | 5/21 23.81 | Robert Owen | 5-6 | Mark Frost | 78.75 | 1 | 6/24 25% |
| 92.83 | 1 | 6/10 60% | Joe Murnan | 6-2 | Dragutin Horvat | 83.60 | 1 | 2/9 22.22% |
| 87.38 | 4 | 6/25 24% | Alan Tabern | 6-2 | Scott Taylor | 80.55 | 0 | 2/15 13.33% |
| 89.94 | 0 | 0/2 0% | Robert Allenstein | 0-6 | Darren Webster | 95.94 | 1 | 6/9 66.67% |
| 98.62 | 4 | 6/17 35.29% | Mick McGowan | 6-3 | Ronny Huybrechts | 88.29 | 0 | 3/6 50% |
| 75.22 | 3 | 2/3 66.67% | James Hubbard | 2-6 | Max Hopp | 88.66 | 4 | 6/14 42.86% |
| 80.02 | 0 | 5/15 33.33% | Christian Kist | 5-6 | Brendan Dolan | 88.30 | 0 | 6/22 22.27% |
| 76.20 | 2 | 6/33 18.18 | Tony West | 6-2 | Jeffrey de Graaf | 73.47 | 1 | 2/17 11.76 |
| 81.06 | 0 | 1/3 33.33% | Gabriel Clemens | 1-6 | Jonny Clayton | 89.87 | 0 | 6/8 75.00% |
| 99.73 | 4 | 6/16 37.50% | Raymond van Barneveld | 6-3 | Scott Dale | 89.05 | 1 | 3/9 33.33% |
| 85.81 | 1 | 4/10 40.00% | Andy Boulton | 4-6 | Martin Schindler | 89.38 | 2 | 6/16 37.50% |
| 93.90 | 1 | 6/10 60.00% | Cristo Reyes | 6-3 | Robert Marijanovic | 82.98 | 2 | 3/4 75.00% |
| 89.53 | 1 | 6/10 60.00% | Jermaine Wattimena | 6-3 | Fabian Herz | 86.85 | 0 | 3/6 50.00% |
| 89.78 | 1 | 3/14 21.43% | Devon Petersen | 3-6 | James Wilson | 89.23 | 2 | 6/14 42.86% |