Dutch Darts Championship 2026: Van Veen averages 120.24

Gian van Veen averaged 120.24 in a 6-0 win over Sebastian Bialecki at the Dutch Darts Championship in Maastricht on Saturday 17 October 2024, a European Tour record. The previous best was Dave Chisnall’s 118.66 at the German Darts Championship in September 2018, according to Dartsnews and Sky Sports. Darts World Magazine reported that the match took nine minutes and 47 seconds.

These are the latest Dutch Darts Championship results, and all 16 round-two matches are now complete. Van Veen plays Brendan Dolan in round three at noon on Sunday 18 October, and the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final follow from 6pm.

How the 120.24 average was built

Dartsnews reported that Van Veen opened with a 12-dart hold, finished with a 77 checkout, which was the highest checkout of the match. He then broke throw with another 12-dart leg. Two 13-dart legs put him 4-0 ahead, and an 11-dart leg, the best of the match, took him to the brink of the win.

He completed the whitewash with a 14-dart leg against the throw. Dartsnews reported that Bialecki did not have a dart at a double in the match. Bialecki averaged 82.54, according to the Dartsnews scoreboard.

The 120.24 is below the television record of 123.40 held by Michael van Gerwen, as noted by Dartsnews. Darts World Magazine reported that Van Veen is the defending European Championship title holder. That tournament takes place in Dortmund from 22 to 25 October 2024.

What Van Veen said after the match

Van Veen told Dartsnews he knew he was playing well but had not been aware of the record. “The average is nice, and it feels fantastic to have that record because Chizzy has been such a fantastic player on the European Tour for many, many years,” he said. “But it’s another win, and that’s what matters. Tomorrow, if I average 90 and still win the game, I’m still happy.”

He also spoke about the reaction of the crowd after he hit a 60 in the final leg while on a 126 average. “Even the crowd were booing me, and that doesn’t happen very often when you play in the Netherlands as a Dutchman,” he said. “But, you know, I loved it up here today.”

Asked about Van Gerwen’s 123.40 television record, he said: “I’ll let Michael have that one. I love Michael, so he can have that one for now.” He added that he felt no pressure in front of the Dutch crowd, saying he had “grown so much as a player”.

Dutch Darts Championship results: round two, Saturday 17 October

The table below shows all 16 second-round results, with three-dart averages from the Dartsnews scoreboard. The afternoon session started at 12pm UK time and the evening session at 6pm.

Winner	Score	Loser	Averages
Martin Schindler	6-4	Karel Sedlacek	92.24 – 96.39
Wessel Nijman	6-3	Jeffrey de Graaf	88.24 – 87.21
Luke Woodhouse	6-1	Andrew Gilding	87.18 – 80.34
Ross Smith	6-2	Ryan Joyce	101.55 – 80.95
Danny Noppert	6-4	Dave Chisnall	100.84 – 95.50
Ryan Searle	6-5	Dirk van Duijvenbode	97.96 – 96.42
Brendan Dolan	6-4	Heine Uuldriks	93.46 – 88.31
Niels Zonneveld	6-5	Krzysztof Ratajski	96.77 – 88.61
Gerwyn Price	6-3	Scott Williams	97.14 – 86.01
Jermaine Wattimena	6-2	Jimmy van Schie	90.09 – 88.31
Stephen Bunting	6-2	Cameron Menzies	92.70 – 80.72
Gian van Veen	6-0	Sebastian Bialecki	120.24 – 82.54
William O’Connor	6-5	Michael van Gerwen	101.83 – 99.27
Damon Heta	6-1	Jonny Clayton	103.57 – 98.39
Nathan Aspinall	6-1	Michael Smith	102.45 – 91.06
Cristo Reyes	6-2	Chris Dobey	110.26 – 99.49

Other Saturday results and European Championship places

Michael van Gerwen lost 6-5 to William O’Connor, who Sky Sports said hit checkouts of 136, 131 and 121 in the match. Sky Sports reported that Van Gerwen had lost his opening match at four European Tour events earlier in the 2024 season, at the European Darts Trophy, German Darts Grand Prix, Flanders Darts Trophy and Swiss Darts Trophy.

The top 32 players on the European Tour Order of Merit qualify for the European Championship in Dortmund. Sky Sports and Darts World Magazine reported that Schindler secured his place by beating Sedlacek, and that Bunting did the same with a 6-2 win over Cameron Menzies, in which he hit six of ten doubles and moved above Kim Huybrechts. Dolan is the only player who can still push Sedlacek out of the qualifying places.

Zonneveld beat Krzysztof Ratajski in a deciding leg, hitting seven maximums for the second match in a row. Heta, who averaged 103.57, beat Jonny Clayton 6-1, and Reyes averaged 110.26 against Chris Dobey, with Sky Sports reporting he hit 60 per cent of his doubles.

Sunday’s third round and how to watch

The final 16 players return on Sunday 18 October for the third round, which starts at noon UK time. The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final are all played in the evening session, which starts at 6pm. Dartsnews reported that UK viewers can watch on PDCTV, which requires a subscription.

The tournament is the 15th and last event of the 2024 PDC European Tour. Dartsnews listed the prize fund as £230,000, with £35,000 for the winner. Jonny Clayton, who lost on Saturday, was the defending champion after beating Niko Springer 8-6 in the 2023 final.

Sunday 18 October, third round (from 12pm)	Opponent
Gian van Veen	Brendan Dolan
Ryan Searle	Ross Smith
William O’Connor	Luke Woodhouse
Danny Noppert	Jermaine Wattimena
Gerwyn Price	Niels Zonneveld
Wessel Nijman	Cristo Reyes
Damon Heta	Martin Schindler
Stephen Bunting	Nathan Aspinall

Follow Nine Dart News on X and Facebook for every darts result.