Sporting Life
Gerwyn Price and Daryl Gurney (Picture: Michael Cooper/PDC)
Gerwyn Price and Daryl Gurney (Picture: Michael Cooper/PDC)

Darts results: Gerwyn Price crashes out of European Championship as Michael van Gerwen survives match darts

By Sporting Life
Darts
Fri October 24, 2025 · 2M ago

Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton suffered early exits on night one of the Machineseeker European Championship as Michael van Gerwen survived a host of match darts to progress to round two.

In a repeat of their fiery affair at the World Matchplay, Price succumbed to a 6-3 defeat against Daryl Gurney, with Clayton crashing out to Ryan Searle by the same scoreline.

Van Gerwen came through a last-leg decider at Dortmund’s Westfalenhalle but only after seven missed match darts from Wessel Nijman.

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“It was a really good match until the last leg,” confessed the four-time champion, who hasn't lifted this trophy since 2017. “Wessel was playing well but at the end he showed some nerves.

“It was a tough game but I got the win. I should have beaten him 6-4 and when you put yourself in that position it’s going to be tough."

Van Gerwen will now face Chris Dobey in Round Two, after he beat Stephen Bunting in arguably the game of the evening.

Dobey looked in fine form as he averaged 105, but he defied Bunting averaging 109 in reply as he ran out a 6-3 winner.

“It’s nice to be on the winning side of a game like that for once,” stated Dobey. “We’re both great players so you know you’ve got to be at your best to beat a player like Stephen.

“You can never rule Michael out. He’s coming back after a tough time and playing some great darts again, which is nice to see.

“I’d rather play Michael at his best because I know I’ve got to play well again like I did tonight, and I’ll be ready for him on Saturday.”

Martin Schindler was another winner in a last-leg decider as he completed an incredible comeback against Dave Chisnall on home soil.

Second seed Schinder, who won the 2025 Austrian Darts Open back in April, was left languishing early on as Chisnall pinned a 111 checkout on his way to a commanding 3-0 lead.

However, Schindler dug deep and displayed the gritty determination that has seen him rise the ranks to become Germany’s number one, as he battled back to edge into Round Two for the first time in six attempts in this competition.

“I am really happy to finally get a win on this stage,” admitted Schindler. “It was a really tough match. Dave was playing well early on, but those back-to-back 11-darters brought me back into the game.

“104 average and 67% on the doubles. I am really happy with that, and I need to perform like that again to have a big run at this tournament."

Ross Smith secured his first victory on this stage since lifting the title back in 2022 as he beat two-time champion Peter Wright 6-2.

It was a devastating loss for Wright, who now plummets to a provisional 30th on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder.

“I’ve not won a game here since I won the title, so it’s a relief and I’m glad to get the win,” expressed Smith. 

“This tournament is massive for me and I’m grateful to have my family here with me. Everyone has been fantastic and I’ve had so much support.

“I have the utmost respect for Peter. He had a good weekend in Hildesheim, but you’ve got to go up there and do your job, and I did that today."

Elsewhere, Gian van Veen secured his place in Round Two as he beat Damon Heta 6-3, whilst Ryan Joyce saw off Luke Woodhouse 6-3 in the opening game of the evening.

European Championship Draw & Results

  • (1) Nathan Aspinall v Rob Cross (32)
  • (16) Dirk van Duijvenbode v Danny Noppert (17)
  • (8) Josh Rock v Ricardo Pietreczko (25)
  • (9) Niko Springer v Jermaine Wattimena (24)
  • (4) Luke Littler v Raymond van Barneveld (29)
  • (13) James Wade v Mike De Decker (20)
  • (5) Luke Humphries v Krzysztof Ratajski (28)
  • (12) Gary Anderson v Cameron Menzies (21)
  • (2) Martin Schindler 6-5 Dave Chisnall (31)
  • (15) Ryan Joyce 6-3 Luke Woodhouse (18)
  • (7) Jonny Clayton 3-6 Ryan Searle (26)
  • (10) Gian van Veen 6-3 Damon Heta (23)
  • (3) Stephen Bunting 3-6 Chris Dobey (30)
  • (14) Wessel Nijman 5-6 Michael van Gerwen (19)
  • (6) Gerwyn Price 3-6 Daryl Gurney (27)
  • (11) Ross Smith 6-2 Peter Wright (22)

European Championship Schedule

Thursday October 23
Round One

  • Ryan Joyce 6-3 Luke Woodhouse 
  • Ross Smith 6-2 Peter Wright
  • Gian van Veen 6-3 Damon Heta
  • Daryl Gurney 6-3 Gerwyn Price
  • Ryan Searle 6-3 Jonny Clayton
  • Martin Schindler 6-5 Dave Chisnall
  • Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Wessel Nijman
  • Chris Dobey 6-3 Stephen Bunting 

Friday October 24
TV Coverage: ITV4 (1800-2200 BST)
Round One (Best of 11 legs)

  • Niko Springer v Jermaine Wattimena
  • Gary Anderson v Cameron Menzies
  • James Wade v Mike De Decker
  • Josh Rock v Ricardo Pietreczko
  • Luke Humphries v Krzysztof Ratajski
  • Luke Littler v Raymond van Barneveld
  • Nathan Aspinall v Rob Cross
  • Dirk van Duijvenbode v Danny Noppert

Saturday October 25
Afternoon Session (1145-1600 BST)
TV Coverage: ITV4
Round Two (Best of 19 legs)

  • Four Matches

Evening Session (1800-2200 BST)
TV Coverage: ITV4
Round Two (Best of 19 legs)

  • Four Matches

Sunday October 26
Afternoon Session (1145-1600 GMT)
TV Coverage: ITV4
Quarter-Finals (Best of 19 legs)

  • Four Matches

    Evening Session (1800-2200 GMT)
    TV Coverage: ITV4
  • Semi-finals (Best of 21 legs)
  • Final (Best of 21 legs)

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