Team Target: Austrian Darts Open Preview

The European Tour continues this weekend with the Austrian Darts Open - the fifth of 13 events this year.  These events have become increasingly important in the PDC calendar, with an increased prize fund of £175,000 per tournament and the winner making £30,000 in ranking money.  The success Luke Humphries enjoyed last year (winning four titles) has helped push him up to number six in the world rankings, and the best players on the circuit are rewarded with a spot at the European Championship in Dortmund in October, where there is half a million pounds of ranking money on offer.

The first tournament of the year was been won by Dave Chisnall, with Gerwyn Price taking the titles in the next two events, before Michael Smith claimed victory in Munich over Easter - but there was notable success for Target’s Nathan Aspinall in Germany, where he reached the first Euro Tour final of his career.  “The Asp” will feature again this weekend in Austria as one of the seeded players alongside Rob Cross, with two further Target stars (Bradley Brooks and Raymond van Barneveld) also competing as qualifiers.
Below we outline how the European Tour season is progressing for a selection of our players, and look ahead to this weekend’s action at the Steiermarkhalle in Graz.

Austrian Darts Open: 6th seed

Euro Tour best: 7 x finalist

“Voltage” may be a two-time European Champion, but he is ironically yet to pick up a European Tour title, despite repeatedly reaching finals. Three times last year Cross was beaten in the decider - twice by Humphries and once by Michael van Gerwen. 

After a shock defeat in his opening game of the first Euro Tour event in Kiel, Rob burst into life in Leverkusen with two stunning displays against Ryan Joyce (105 average) and Willie O’Connor (110), but then missed match darts in the semi-finals to beat Dirk van Duijvenbode.

A run to the quarter-finals in Riesa followed, where he lost out to eventual champion Gerwyn Price, and while he exited at the first hurdle in Munich to fellow Target pro Keane Barry, Cross still averaged 100 in that game.  It appears that Cross is now up and running in his Euro Tour campaign this year, and if he matches his brilliance from 2022 he can expect to be one of the top seeds in Dortmund again for the end of season finale, where he will aim to claim the European Championship for a third time in five years.

Austrian Darts Open: 8th seed

Euro Tour best: 1 x finalist

It took 42 tournaments (in six of which he reached the semis), but “The Asp” finally got to experience a European Tour final in Munich this month, but was undone by a brilliant display from world number one Michael Smith.  However, Nathan believes that he is getting the knack of winning multiple big stage games in a day.  His Premier League campaign has suffered similarly, with plenty of opening match wins followed by semi-final defeats.  If success in Germany over Easter is an indication that Aspinall has figured out a working formula for the final days of European Tour events (where the champion will have to win four consecutive matches on stage), then he can look forward to a hugely profitable year.

His form in all formats is impressive, with an average of almost 99 in the floor events putting him in the top three on the Tour in that metric.  He does believe that he still has another level to his game which he is not consistently unlocking.  A change to his darts has seen the barrels slimmed down marginally to allow for heavier scoring on the treble-twenty, and if that continues to pay dividends, then “The Asp” could well pick up a maiden title on the European circuit this year.

Austrian Darts Open: qualifier

Euro Tour best: Champion - European Darts Open 2012

The five-time World Champion became the third ever winner of a European Tour event when he took the title in Dusseldorf more than a decade ago, and he is producing an astonishing run of qualifying for European tournaments this year.  As a player outside of the seeded positions, “Barney” has to come through the qualifiers just to compete in these events, but has succeeded in doing so for seven of the opening 10 tournaments.  That alone will give him a great chance of qualifying for the European Championship, but he could be due a little bit more fortune with the draws he has been getting. 

The Dutchman has failed to progress beyond round two so far this year, but three of his defeats have come at the hands of Gerwyn Price, James Wade and Michael van Gerwen - with the other being a loss to German number two Martin Schindler in his home country.  The draw for Graz will only be made on Thursday, so Barney will have to wait to see if his luck changes, or if he will be faced with another tricky tie in his opening matches.

Just last weekend saw van Barneveld produce one of the highest averages recorded in his illustrious career, hitting 113.58 in a demolition of the in-form Mike de Decker, and he continues to play at a world class level.  “Barney” produced a fairytale return from retirement by winning a title in his first week of being back on the tour, but winning another in front of thousands of fans and the tv cameras would eclipse that.

Austrian Darts Open: qualifier

Euro Tour best: 5 x Last 32

The European Tour is yet to become a happy hunting ground for the former World Youth Champion, but there are signs that “Bam Bam” is reaching new levels in his career.  The 23 year old from Blackburn has produced the highest average of anyone in PDC darts this year (throwing 120.24 in a Development Tour game), and also reached his first senior semi-final whilst at a Players Championship event in Hildesheim.

Bradley has qualified for half of the first ten events on the European circuit this year, and after exits in round one and round two so far, he will have to improve if he is to make his debut at the European Championship.  Austria provides his next opportunity, with further appearances guaranteed in Belgium and the Czech Republic.  There may be work to do for Brooks, but he seems better equipped than ever to start making serious inroads at the senior level.

The European Tour continues this weekend with the Austrian Darts Open - the fifth of 13 events this year.  These events have become increasingly important in the PDC calendar, with an increased prize fund of £175,000 per tournament and the winner making £30,000 in ranking money.  The success Luke Humphries enjoyed last year (winning four titles) has helped push him up to number six in the world rankings, and the best players on the circuit are rewarded with a spot at the European Championship in Dortmund in October, where there is half a million pounds of ranking money on offer.

The first tournament of the year was been won by Dave Chisnall, with Gerwyn Price taking the titles in the next two events, before Michael Smith claimed victory in Munich over Easter - but there was notable success for Target’s Nathan Aspinall in Germany, where he reached the first Euro Tour final of his career.  “The Asp” will feature again this weekend in Austria as one of the seeded players alongside Rob Cross, with two further Target stars (Bradley Brooks and Raymond van Barneveld) also competing as qualifiers.
Below we outline how the European Tour season is progressing for a selection of our players, and look ahead to this weekend’s action at the Steiermarkhalle in Graz.

Austrian Darts Open: 6th seed

Euro Tour best: 7 x finalist

“Voltage” may be a two-time European Champion, but he is ironically yet to pick up a European Tour title, despite repeatedly reaching finals. Three times last year Cross was beaten in the decider - twice by Humphries and once by Michael van Gerwen. 

After a shock defeat in his opening game of the first Euro Tour event in Kiel, Rob burst into life in Leverkusen with two stunning displays against Ryan Joyce (105 average) and Willie O’Connor (110), but then missed match darts in the semi-finals to beat Dirk van Duijvenbode.

A run to the quarter-finals in Riesa followed, where he lost out to eventual champion Gerwyn Price, and while he exited at the first hurdle in Munich to fellow Target pro Keane Barry, Cross still averaged 100 in that game.  It appears that Cross is now up and running in his Euro Tour campaign this year, and if he matches his brilliance from 2022 he can expect to be one of the top seeds in Dortmund again for the end of season finale, where he will aim to claim the European Championship for a third time in five years.

Austrian Darts Open: 8th seed

Euro Tour best: 1 x finalist

It took 42 tournaments (in six of which he reached the semis), but “The Asp” finally got to experience a European Tour final in Munich this month, but was undone by a brilliant display from world number one Michael Smith.  However, Nathan believes that he is getting the knack of winning multiple big stage games in a day.  His Premier League campaign has suffered similarly, with plenty of opening match wins followed by semi-final defeats.  If success in Germany over Easter is an indication that Aspinall has figured out a working formula for the final days of European Tour events (where the champion will have to win four consecutive matches on stage), then he can look forward to a hugely profitable year.

His form in all formats is impressive, with an average of almost 99 in the floor events putting him in the top three on the Tour in that metric.  He does believe that he still has another level to his game which he is not consistently unlocking.  A change to his darts has seen the barrels slimmed down marginally to allow for heavier scoring on the treble-twenty, and if that continues to pay dividends, then “The Asp” could well pick up a maiden title on the European circuit this year.

Austrian Darts Open: qualifier

Euro Tour best: Champion - European Darts Open 2012

The five-time World Champion became the third ever winner of a European Tour event when he took the title in Dusseldorf more than a decade ago, and he is producing an astonishing run of qualifying for European tournaments this year.  As a player outside of the seeded positions, “Barney” has to come through the qualifiers just to compete in these events, but has succeeded in doing so for seven of the opening 10 tournaments.  That alone will give him a great chance of qualifying for the European Championship, but he could be due a little bit more fortune with the draws he has been getting. 

The Dutchman has failed to progress beyond round two so far this year, but three of his defeats have come at the hands of Gerwyn Price, James Wade and Michael van Gerwen - with the other being a loss to German number two Martin Schindler in his home country.  The draw for Graz will only be made on Thursday, so Barney will have to wait to see if his luck changes, or if he will be faced with another tricky tie in his opening matches.

Just last weekend saw van Barneveld produce one of the highest averages recorded in his illustrious career, hitting 113.58 in a demolition of the in-form Mike de Decker, and he continues to play at a world class level.  “Barney” produced a fairytale return from retirement by winning a title in his first week of being back on the tour, but winning another in front of thousands of fans and the tv cameras would eclipse that.

Austrian Darts Open: qualifier

Euro Tour best: 5 x Last 32

The European Tour is yet to become a happy hunting ground for the former World Youth Champion, but there are signs that “Bam Bam” is reaching new levels in his career.  The 23 year old from Blackburn has produced the highest average of anyone in PDC darts this year (throwing 120.24 in a Development Tour game), and also reached his first senior semi-final whilst at a Players Championship event in Hildesheim.

Bradley has qualified for half of the first ten events on the European circuit this year, and after exits in round one and round two so far, he will have to improve if he is to make his debut at the European Championship.  Austria provides his next opportunity, with further appearances guaranteed in Belgium and the Czech Republic.  There may be work to do for Brooks, but he seems better equipped than ever to start making serious inroads at the senior level.