This week in darts brought a whirlwind of excitement and significant developments! We saw Sweden’s Anton Östlund achieve an impressive double qualification for upcoming European Tour events, while Team Germany delivered a strong performance at the 4-Nations Cup in Luxembourg. Chas Barstow claimed victory at the Modus Darts Super Series, and the WDF circuit featured thrilling action from the Faroe Islands to the USA. Beyond the oche, major changes are brewing with a revamped ADC Global Championship and the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) new genetic gender testing rules, which could potentially reshape the PDC Women’s Series. Plus, exhibition events delighted fans, and regional tournaments crowned new champions.
PDC Nordic & Baltic Tour: Östlund Secures Double European Tour Spot
The PDC Nordic & Baltic Tour continued its run in Riga, Latvia, delivering more thrilling qualification drama. Sweden’s Anton Östlund was the standout performer, securing a coveted spot in two major European Tour events: the German Darts Grand Prix in Munich and the Austrian Darts Open in Graz. Latvia’s Valters Melderis will also make his European Tour debut at the European Darts Grand Prix in Sindelfingen.
Tournament victories were shared, with Denmark’s Jonas Sørensen clinching his maiden Pro Tour title in Event 3, and Tour Card holder Cor Dekker winning Event 4. Dekker currently leads the ranking with €3,900.
- Event 3 Winner: Jonas Sørensen (defeated Cor Dekker 6-1)
- Event 4 Winner: Cor Dekker (defeated Jani Haavisto 6-1)
- ET Qualifier 4 Winner: Anton Östlund (defeated Valters Melderis 6-4)
- ET Qualifier 5 Winner: Valters Melderis (defeated Anton Östlund 6-5)
- ET Qualifier 6 Winner: Anton Östlund (defeated Jonas Graversen 6-3)
Germany Shines at the 4-Nations Cup in Luxembourg
The traditional 4-Nations Tournament in Luxembourg brought together national teams from Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the host nation. Team Germany showcased impressive form across multiple categories.
Open Tournament Highlights:
- Jelle Will claimed victory in the Open event, defeating Jim Mayer 5-3 in the final.
- Germany’s Martin Kramer was the sole German to reach the quarter-finals.
Women’s Tournament Dominance:
The DDV (German Darts Association) secured the Women’s title, with Irina Armstrong delivering a dominant 4-0 victory over Priscilla Steenbergen in a clash of World Championship participants. Three other German players – Kira Mertens, Lena Zollikofer, and Ann-Kathrin Wigmann – reached the quarter-finals.
Youth and Girls’ Success:
- In the Youth competition, Germany’s Nicardo Pieper triumphed over Yoran van Dooren, with Raphael Küther reaching the semi-finals.
- The Girls’ tournament saw Merve Hummel from Germany take the title against Kimberly Kersbergen, while Panagiota Kentzidou secured valuable points for the DDV by reaching the semi-finals.
Doubles Champions:
- Open Doubles: Kristiaan de Boer & Bradley van der Velden
- Women’s Doubles: Priscilla Steenbergen & Romy Vermeulen (defeated Irina Armstrong & Ann-Kathrin Wigmann)
- Youth Doubles: Raphael Küther & Ben Ebersbach
- Girls’ Doubles: Phoebe Vermeulen & Kimberly Kersbergen
Overall, Team Netherlands emerged as the champions, followed closely by Germany, Luxembourg, and Belgium.
Modus Darts Super Series: Chas Barstow Takes Week 10 Title
Another exciting week concluded at the Modus Darts Super Series (Season 13, Week 10). The victory went to Chas Barstow, who defeated Richie Howson 4-2 in the final with an impressive three-figure average of 101.96. Barstow had previously overcome Brian Raman 4-2 in the semi-finals, while Howson defeated Jamie Atkins 4-1.
- Final: Chas Barstow 4-2 Richie Howson (Barstow average: 101.96)
WDF Global Action: Faroe Islands & USA
The WDF circuit was bustling with activity, featuring events in the Faroe Islands and the USA.
Faroe Islands Dominance for Groeneveld and Forsmark:
The annual WDF weekend on the Faroe Islands saw double victories for two players.
- Torshavn Open (Silver): Corné Groeneveld won the men’s title, defeating John Imrie 6-3. Germany’s Daniel Bauerdick and Jannes Bremermann reached the quarter-finals. Anna Forsmark claimed the women’s title after a decider against Maud Jansson.
- Faroe Islands Open (Bronze): Corné Groeneveld secured his second title, beating local favorite Jan Fjallstein 5-0. Anna Forsmark also achieved a double victory, sweeping Maite Navamuel 5-0 in the women’s final. Germany’s Eric Petereit won the Youth title.
Virginia Beach Classic: Widmayer and Carli Victorious:
The Virginia Beach Classic, a WDF Silver-category event in the USA, crowned new champions.
- Open Category: “Captain America” Jim Widmayer secured his first WDF title since January 2022, dominating Jean Michel Legault 5-0 in the final.
- Women’s Category: Canada’s Maria Carli took the title, defeating Cali West 5-2.
Major Darts Rule Changes & Developments
Beyond tournament results, two significant announcements are set to impact the future of darts.
IOC Genetic Gender Testing & PDC Women’s Series:
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that for the 2028 Olympic Games and beyond, it will implement genetic gender testing, specifically SRY-gene screenings, to “restrict participation in women’s competitions to biological females.” This decision could have direct implications for the PDC Women’s Series, as PDC CEO Matt Porter has previously indicated that the PDC would look to align its participation rules with those of the IOC.
ADC Global Championship Revamp:
The Amateur Darts Circuit (ADC) Global Championship is undergoing a major transformation for 2026. Moving away from its previous complex group stages, the 2026 event will feature a straightforward knockout system with 128 players (up from 56). Scheduled from November 1st to 8th, all matches will be played in front of fans at the Modus Live Lounge in Portsmouth, with a substantial total prize fund of £126,000.
Exhibition Extravaganza: Promi Darts Masters & Darts am Ring Gala
Darts fans were treated to two star-studded exhibition events.
- Promi Darts Masters (Chemnitz): The team of Ricky Evans and German party singer Ikke Hüftgold emerged victorious, defeating Gabriel Clemens and handball national goalkeeper Andreas Wolff in the final. Other notable participants included Mensur Suljovic, Fallon Sherrock, and various German celebrities and athletes.
- Darts am Ring Gala (Nürburgring): Organized by PDC Europe, this event drew around 4,000 spectators. Nathan Aspinall clinched the win against Luke Humphries in a show-stopping performance. Joe Cullen, Gian van Veen, Max Hopp, and Yorick Hofkens also entertained the crowd.
DDV Regional Championships
Several German Darts Association (DDV) regional tournaments took place, crowning new state and master champions:
- Bremen: Andree Welge and Sarah Fest were crowned state champions.
- Rhineland-Palatinate: Laurin Welk and Sonja Müller secured Master titles.
- Hessen (HDV): This event also counted as a Bronze-category tournament for the DDV rankings.
- Bavarian Championships: Also contributing to the DDV rankings, Bastian Rauh won the men’s singles final against Franz Rötzsch.
Source: Based on an article from dartn.de.
