Big, bigger, biggest: on Saturday, more than 4,000 men participating in the singles tournament, but the 1,021 players who began the warm-up tournament on Thursday morning can already be considered a massive number. The tournament also had some notable names, with former tour card holders like Jurjen van der Velde, Danny van Trijp, and Geert Nentjes at the start. Van Trijp made the first statement with an average of 104.86, but a round later, his run ended: Daan Bastiaansen was too strong in a good match (3-2). Geert Nentjes noted the second 100+ average of the day a round later: ‘The Spear’ hit 102.48 in a 3-0 victory over Mike van Leeuwen.

Van den Herik dominates, Nentjes heads into Friday with confidence

The three-time World Championship participant had an excellent day after that: with wins over Daan Bastiaansen, Danny Mazereeuw (who missed several match darts), and Jurjen van der Velde, he reached the semi-finals. Kevin de Smit was a somewhat surprising opponent in that match. The draw in the upper quarter had been wide open, but the fairytale run of De Smit was harshly interrupted by Nentjes in the last four. The men from Urk won 4-1, booking his place in the final. Jamai van den Herik would be his opponent. The 21-year-old had a strong day, averaging above 90 in four of his matches. In his semi-final against Keanu van Velzen, he continued that form: a 4-1 win was the final result.

In the final, played to five legs, fatigue seemed to take a toll. Neither player reached the level they had maintained earlier in the day: Nentjes in particular struggled in the first four legs. The former tour card holder won just one of the first five legs, while Van den Herik could celebrate with a 76 finish. With legs in 19 and 13 darts, Nentjes made things a bit tense, but the warm-up tournament had its deserved winner. A 13-darter was the final leg of the opening day, after which Jamai van den Herik raised his hands in victory.

Text: Dartsactueel

Photo: Jos Groen