European Championship darts: Woodhouse nine-darter lights up Dortmund as Humphries withdraws ill

The European Championship darts opened in Dortmund on Thursday night with a perfect leg, a late withdrawal and two last-leg thrillers. Luke Woodhouse produced a nine-dart finish on his way to a 6-3 win over Dirk van Duijvenbode, world No 2 Luke Humphries pulled out ill hours before play, and defending champion Gian van Veen began his title defence with a 6-4 win over Andrew Gilding at the Westfalenhalle.

Humphries out, Huybrechts in

Humphries, last year's runner-up, withdrew on Thursday after being diagnosed with gastroenteritis, according to Sky Sports and the PDC. It would have been his sixth appearance in Dortmund. Under PDC rules his place went to Belgium's Kim Huybrechts, the highest-ranked player on the 2026 European Tour rankings who had not already qualified.

Huybrechts made the most of his late call-up. He beat Ryan Searle 6-1 and averaged 103.81, the best average of the opening session. He now meets Stephen Bunting in the second round.

Woodhouse's perfect leg

The night's standout moment came in the fourth leg of the opening match. Woodhouse hit two 180s and then checked out 141 to complete a nine-darter, before closing out a 6-3 win over Van Duijvenbode. Dartsnews.com recorded his average at 99.11 against 84.82 for the Dutchman. "It felt really good," Woodhouse told Sky Sports afterwards.

His reward is a second-round tie with Van Veen. The Dutchman, who beat Humphries 11-10 in last year's final, saw off Gilding 6-4 and finished the match with a 70 checkout.

Last-leg drama for Bunting and Heta

Two matches went to a deciding leg. Stephen Bunting survived a match dart from Danny Noppert, then took out 160 with treble 20, treble 20, double 20 to win 6-5. Damon Heta trailed James Wade 5-3 but won the last three legs to edge through 6-5.

Elsewhere, Gerwyn Price beat Rob Cross 6-2 with finishes of 127 and 135. Cameron Menzies knocked out Niels Zonneveld 6-3. Top seed Ross Smith beat Karel Sedlacek 6-4.

Second-round ties and Malaysia time

Four second-round matches are already set: Woodhouse v Van Veen, Price v Menzies, Smith v Heta, and Bunting v Huybrechts. The first round finishes on Friday evening. Luke Littler plays William O'Connor, and Michael van Gerwen faces Kevin Doets. Other Friday ties are Nathan Aspinall v Cristo Reyes, Jonny Clayton v Niko Springer, Wessel Nijman v Martin Schindler and Josh Rock v Chris Dobey.

Friday's session starts at 6pm UK time, which is 1am on Saturday in Malaysia. First-round matches are best of 11 legs. The second round is on Saturday, and the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final are all on Sunday. The winner receives £150,000 from a £750,000 prize fund.

Key takeaways

• Luke Humphries withdrew with gastroenteritis, and stand-in Kim Huybrechts beat Ryan Searle 6-1 with a 103.81 average.
• Luke Woodhouse hit a nine-darter, finishing with a 141 checkout, in his 6-3 win over Dirk van Duijvenbode.
• Defending champion Gian van Veen beat Andrew Gilding 6-4 and plays Woodhouse next.
• Stephen Bunting (160 finish) and Damon Heta (from 5-3 down) both won 6-5.
• Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen play on Friday night, which is early Saturday in Malaysia.

FAQ

Why did Luke Humphries withdraw from the European Championship? Humphries was diagnosed with gastroenteritis and pulled out on Thursday 22 October, a few hours before the tournament began. Kim Huybrechts replaced him as the highest-ranked non-qualified player on the European Tour rankings.

Who hit the nine-darter in Dortmund? Luke Woodhouse, in the fourth leg of his first-round win over Dirk van Duijvenbode. He hit two 180s and then checked out 141 to complete the perfect leg.

When is the European Championship final? The final is on Sunday 25 October in Dortmund, in the evening session after the semi-finals. In Malaysia that will be in the early hours of Monday. The final is the first to 11 legs.

Sources: Sky Sports, PDC, Dartsnews.com, PDC Europe