Clayton’s Comeback Stuns Springer to Clinch Dutch Darts Championship Crown
- Darts Central
- May 26
- 7 min read
After a brief break, the European Tour resumed with its seventh event of the season, the Dutch Darts Championship held at the Autotron in Rosmalen from May 23rd to 25th.
Three of the four players who qualified for Premier League Finals Night at the O2, Gerwyn Price, Luke Littler, and Nathan Aspinall, opted to sit out the event. Other notable withdrawals included Rob Cross, Michael van Gerwen, and Gary Anderson, who had won the previous European Tour event (ET6).
Prize Money Breakdown:
The prize fund remained at £175,000, unchanged from last year.
Stage | Prize Money |
Winner | £30,000 |
Runner-Up | £12,000 |
Semi-Finalists | £8,500 |
Quarter-Finalists | £6,000 |
Third Round Losers | £4,000 |
Second Round Losers | £2,500 |
First Round Losers | £1,250 |
Seeded players entered in Round 2 and needed to win their opening match for the prize money to count toward the rankings, just as players automatically qualified from the Pro Tour had to win in Round 1 for their earnings to register.
Qualification & Format
The PDC adjusted its European Tour qualification system for 2025. The Top 16 on the PDC Order of Merit were seeded into Round 2, while the Top 16 from the 1-year Pro Tour Order of Merit entered in Round 1.
The 48-player field was completed through four qualifying routes:
Tour Card Holder Qualifier (10 spots)
Dutch Host Nation Qualifier (4 spots)
Nordic & Baltic Qualifier (1 spot)
East European Qualifier (1 spot)
Day 1 – Dirk Whitewashes Harju as Edhouse and Huybrechts Clash in Feisty Encounter
The opening day in Rosmalen saw 32 qualifiers from various routes battle for a place in Saturday’s second round, where the 16 seeded players awaited. Across two sessions, several intriguing performances emerged.
Dirk van Duijvenbode impressed with a dominant display on home soil, averaging 102.48 in a 6-0 whitewash of Finland’s Teemu Harju.
Tensions flared between Ritchie Edhouse and Kim Huybrechts in a fiery contest, which Edhouse edged 6-5 despite an 81.12 average. The pair exchanged words on stage after a heated back-and-forth.
Boris Krcmar overcame in-form Dutchman Gian van Veen in a last-leg decider, averaging 100.86 in a high-quality 6-5 win.
Sparidaans Shines While Host Nation Qualifiers Push Opponents
Jeffrey Sparidaans delighted the Rosmalen crowd with a shock 6-2 win over a below-par Andrew Gilding to book his spot in round two.
Jerry Hendriks and Jeffrey de Zwaan both put in strong performances but were narrowly beaten in last-leg deciders by Raymond van Barneveld and Ryan Joyce, respectively.
Berry van Peer also missed out by the finest of margins, squandering three match darts before falling 6-5 to an impressive Wessel Nijman in an all-Dutch thriller.
Other Notable First Round Wins
Ryan Meikle stunned Joe Cullen 6–1, capitalising on a disastrous night on the doubles for the ‘Rockstar’.
Mickey Mansell edged out World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker 6-5 in a nervy finish.
Cameron Menzies survived a drama-filled encounter with Wesley Plaisier to claim a narrow 6-5 victory.
Day 2 – Eight Non-Seeds Break Through as Drama Unfolds in Rosmalen
Saturday’s action at the Dutch Darts Championship delivered high drama and top-quality darts, with eight non-seeded players booking their spots in Sunday’s final day.
Jonny Clayton, Ross Smith, and Danny Noppert all progressed with routine 6-2 victories, dispatching Max Hopp, Raymond van Barneveld, and Mario Vandenbogaerde, respectively.
Dirk van Duijvenbode continued his impressive run with a composed 6-3 win over James Wade, while No.5 seed Damon Heta battled past home favourite Jeffrey Sparidaans by the same scoreline.
Top seed Luke Humphries survived an early scare, coming from 5-3 down to edge Cameron Menzies 6-5.
Meanwhile, Michael Smith pulled off the great escape of the day, surviving 10 missed match darts from Ryan Joyce before sealing a dramatic 6–5 win.
Germans Impress as Premier League Pair Crash Out
It was a superb day for German darts, with three players advancing to the Last 16. Ricardo Pietreczko saw off an in-form Josh Rock 6-4, while Martin Schindler impressed with a 102.72 average in a 6-4 win over Martin Lukeman.
Niko Springer completed the trio, producing a superb last-leg decider to defeat Premier League player Stephen Bunting, who missed two match darts to advance.
Chris Dobey also fell at the second-round stage, narrowly losing 6-5 to Daryl Gurney in another match that went the distance.
Elsewhere on Day 2
Wessel Nijman dismantled an off-colour Peter Wright 6-1
No.15 seed Ryan Searle overcame a stubborn Ryan Meikle 6-4 in a competitive affair.
Mickey Mansell progressed via a bye after the late withdrawal of Michael van Gerwen.
Reserve call-up Willie O’Connor impressed with a 97.73 average to beat Boris Krcmar 6–3.
Day 3 – Finals Day in Rosmalen
Finals Day, often referred to as “Cup Collection Day” on the European Tour, got underway in Rosmalen with a wide-open field. With many big names already eliminated, the door was wide open for surprise runs and breakout performances as the remaining 16 players battled it out for the Dutch Darts Championship crown.
Last 16 – Whitewashes, Last-Leg Drama & Dutch Delight
Luke Humphries and Ryan Searle cruised through with dominant 6-0 wins over Michael Smith and Mickey Mansell. Niko Springer impressed with a 102.84 average in a 6-2 win over Martin Schindler, while Willie O’Connor saw off Ritchie Edhouse 6-3.
Jonny Clayton and Danny Noppert edged through last-leg deciders against Ross Smith and Damon Heta, with both holding their nerve under pressure.
Ricardo Pietreczko narrowly defeated Daryl Gurney 6-5 in a high-quality contest, and Wessel Nijman won a dramatic all-Dutch clash 6-5 over Dirk van Duijvenbode after both missed match darts.
Quarter-Finals – Huge Averages Light Up Rosmalen
The quarter-finals delivered a barrage of brilliance, with all four winners averaging over 102.
Luke Humphries 6-3 Willie O’Connor – The World No.1 fired in a staggering 108.72 average in a dominant display.
Jonny Clayton 6-4 Danny Noppert – Both men hit the heights in a European Tour classic, with Clayton (106.85) just edging Noppert (107.19).
Wessel Nijman 6-1 Ryan Searle – Nijman impressed once again, averaging 102.22 to cruise into the semi-finals.
Niko Springer 6-2 Ricardo Pietreczko – Springer continued his breakout weekend with a superb 107.56 average to sweep aside his fellow German.
Semi-Finals – Clayton Defies World No.1, Springer Ends Dutch Dreams
Jonny Clayton 7-5 Luke Humphries
Clayton stormed into a 3-0 lead with clinical early finishing as Humphries struggled on the outer ring.
The World No.1 responded with four legs on the spin, including a pair of 12-darters, to lead 4-3 without giving Clayton a shot at a double in this strong surge.
But the Welshman hit back in style with back-to-back 14 darters followed by a near nine-darter which he narrowly missed Double 12 for before sealing a 6-4 lead in 11 darts.
Humphries landed another 11-dart break to stay alive, but Clayton sealed it in the next leg with a tidy 15-dart break to reach the final.
Niko Springer 7-3 Wessel Nijman
Springer flew out of the blocks with four straight legs, including clinical combination finishes of 127, 68, and 81, to take full control at 4-0.
Young Dutchman Nijman rallied with combination finishing of his own, reeling off three consecutive legs to cut the gap to 4-3.
But Springer held firm, producing a 13-dart break and a 14-dart hold to lead 6-3. One leg later, the German punished an under-pressure miss from Nijman on double 16 to complete a 14-dart break and reach his first ever European Tour final.
🏆 The Final – Clayton To Battle Springer For the DDC Crown
Both Jonny Clayton and Niko Springer had delivered outstanding performances throughout the weekend, setting up a final between two in-form players with near-identical stats heading into the decider.
Pre-Final Tournament Stats
Finalist | Average | Checkout % | 180s | Ton+ Checkouts | Matches Played |
Clayton | 98.00 | 46% | 17 | 3 | 4 |
Springer | 100.20 | 47% | 12 | 3 | 5 |
Match Recap
Springer flew out of the gates with a blistering start, reeling off legs in 12, 13, and 15 darts to storm into a 3-0 lead. The pair traded routine holds in the next four legs, with Springer maintaining his three-leg cushion at 5-2 and averaging 106 at that stage.
But Clayton responded in trademark fashion, stringing together five consecutive legs with finishes in 13, 14, and three 15-darters. ‘The Ferret’ was ruthless during this stretch, punishing a small dip in form from Springer, who managed just one dart at double across those five legs.
Now 7-5 ahead and one away from the title, Clayton narrowly missed bullseye for a 167 checkout that would’ve sealed it in style. Springer held throw with a sharp 13-darter to stay alive at 7-6, but couldn’t sustain the pressure in the next leg. Clayton closed it out in 21 darts to seal a remarkable comeback win and lift the title in Rosmalen.
Final Match Stats:
Finalist | Average | 180s | Checkout % |
Clayton | 98.69 | 3 | 44.44% (8/18) |
Springer | 98.54 | 2 | 50% (6/12) |
Closing Thoughts:
Jonny Clayton faced an early scare against Ross Smith in the Last 16, but from that point on, his evening performances were nothing short of spectacular.
He overcame a 107 average from Danny Noppert, defeated World No.1 Luke Humphries, and completed a thrilling comeback against rising star Niko Springer in the final.
This triumph marked Clayton’s third European Tour title and second PDC title of the season, propelling him to a career-high World No.5 ranking.
Niko Springer can take huge positives despite falling just short. Before this event, his best European Tour run was the Last 16, a mark he shattered with a series of outstanding performances, including impressive back-to-back wins over Germany’s No.1 and No.2 players, Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko.
Springer’s talent and composure mark him as a true rising star, with the potential to claim many titles in the near future.
The European Tour continues next week with the European Darts Open, running from May 30th to June 1st at the Ostermann Arena in Leverkusen for the eighth event of the season.
🎙️ Post-Final Reaction:
Jonny Clayton spoke to PDC.tv after his thrilling victory:
"This is a great feeling," he said, reflecting on his redemption after last year’s near miss.
"I missed out to Josh Rock last year and I’ve gone one better this year. I’ve also had a ProTour win in Rosmalen, so this may be my new lucky home!"
On his impressive opponent, Clayton added: "What a player Niko is. He’s got such a big future. He’s a great lad with a great attitude, and he shows it on that dartboard."
"I came back somehow, and then I managed to get ahead and stay ahead. I’m so pleased to get over the line; it’s brilliant."
Niko Springer, despite the defeat, remained upbeat in his interview with PDC.tv:
"I think in the beginning I started strongly, but to be honest, Jonny came back very well," he admitted about the final’s momentum shift.
"I was under a lot of pressure. This was my first [senior] final, and I will learn a lot from this."
Springer expressed pride in his breakthrough: "I’m very happy with the way I performed. It’s a huge achievement for me, and hopefully in the future I will win one of these titles."
Upcoming Tournaments:
Premier League Play-Offs:
May 29th at O2, London (Live on Sky Sports)
European Darts Open (ET8):
May 30th-June 1st, at Ostermann-Arena, Leverkusen (Live on PDC.tv)
Comentarios