The European Darts Championship heads to Leveksuren for event 8 and Gerwyn Price will be back to defend the crown he won at the Ostermann-Arena last year. A field of 48 players will battle it out for the £30,000 top prize, but superstar Luke Littler will not be in the competition. The Nuke has elected to skip the Leverkusen event, but world champion and world number one Luke Humphries will be in attendance, hoping to land the German crown for the first time.
European Darts Championship: Bottom Half of the Draw
As always with European Tour events, the draw is crucial and event 8 is no different. Littler may not be in the Leverkusen field, but Humphries is housed in the top half of the draw and that looks the most competitive section. Cool Hand Luke is housed alongside the in-form Rob Cross and the elite-level Price, and while all of those throwers will have a chance of taking down the title, there is better value to be had in the opposite half.
Chris Dobey has already won a Players Championship title in Leicester earlier in the campaign and Hollywood reached the semi-finals of the International Darts Open on the European Tour in April. The current Masters champion has shown a consistent high-level of performance for much of the season and the Bedlington boy has to be closing in on more success.
Dobey will face either Jeffrey de Graaf or Andrew Gilding in round two and Hollywood is safely tucked away from the likes of Humphries, Price and Cross in the bottom half.
European Darts Championship: Heavy Metal can call the tune
Ryan Serale looks like another arrowsmith who can shine in the second section of the draw. Heavy Metal has made four European Tour quarter-finals this term and has taken down a Players Championship event on home soil and the 36-year-old is putting up top-level floor numbers.
Searle is running at an average of 96.57 in Pro Tour events this season, a number bettered by only four arrowsmiths, and it’s hard to see why Heavy Metal is such a big price in Leverkusen. A potential second-round tie against Marko Kantele or Daryl Gurney looks fairly kind and quarter rivals Michael van Gerwen and Dave Chisnall have been out-of-sorts. The draw could easily open up for Heavy Metal and there is no doubt that the 36-year-old has the game to take advantage.
European Darts Championship Tips
Chris Dobey to win European Darts Open @ 21.80 with kwiff
Ryan Searle to win European Darts Open @28.80 with kwiff
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