Price and MVG stunned in Dortmund - Sportinglife.com

Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price suffered shock exits in the opening round of the European Championship in Dortmund.

World number two Price was the first to go when Rowby-John Rodriguez defeated him 6-4 and in the very next game, MVG lost to Chris Dobey for the first time ever in a thrilling clash that went to a deciding leg.

The Iceman was well below his best at the Westfalenhalle and apart from a classy 10-darter in the third leg that put him 2-1 up, he was consistently put under pressure by the Austrian.

Rodriguez earned the first break of throw in the seventh leg with a fine 92 checkout using a pair of double 18s after Price missed two darts at tops and he continued to hold his own before sealing his emotional victory with a brilliant 100 finish.

"I'm so proud of myself - it's been a tough few weeks for me," reflected Rodriguez, who was making his first European Championship appearance since 2015.

"I am shaking. I can't believe what I've done – I've beaten the world number two. It's amazing. I have so much respect for Gezzy. He didn't perform at his best today, but I am so happy."

Van Gerwen had won all 11 of his previous meetings with Dobey dating back to 2015 but looked in trouble early on as the Northumberland ace opened up a 4-2 lead.

However, Dobey missed four clear darts at double in the seventh leg to break MVG again and move one away from victory and the Dutchman made him pay by pinching it on double 10 with his last dart in hand before taking the next to restore parity.

Van Gerwen then edged ahead with a breathtaking 160 checkout when Dobey waited on 40 but would then miss four match darts in the next leg before watching his opponent force a decider that he went on to win with a stunning 11-darter.

What a way to beat MVG for the first time in your career at the 12th attempt! Chris Dobey survived four match darts in the previous leg and then won the decider with a stunning 11-darter. Great scenes!pic.twitter.com/KeaqG0Gvp5

— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) October 28, 2022

"I'm over the moon. I was starting to think about it mid-game, but to get over the line is a great feeling," said Dobey, who had lost 11 times previously to the Dutch legend.

"I'm so happy to beat Michael for the first time. I still class him as the best player in the world, and hopefully I can get many more wins over him now."

Peter Wright underlined his credentials of lifting this trophy for the second time in three years when blowing away Ryan Meikle 6-2 with an average of 103.41.

Snakebite, who beat James Wade to become European champion in 2020, pinned over half his attempts at doubles and recorded 23 visits of 100+ in a dominant display and will fancy his chances of overcoming Rodriguez in round two.

"Ryan is a very dangerous player. I thought I played poorly, but I'm very happy with a 103 average," admitted Wright, who will retain his world number one status if he reaches the semi-finals.

"I won this title two years ago so I'm defending lots of prize money, but it's a really difficult tournament because every player is in form, as you've seen by the big averages."

Earlier in the night, Dave Chisnall produced a masterclass to thrash misfiring Stephen Bunting 6-0, averaging 107.36 in the process.

Chizzy converted six of his nine darts at doubles and hit two 180s but he was undoubtedly aided by the Bullet spurning all seven of his attempts at the outer ring.

Jose de Sousa was another resounding winner as he averaged 105.28 in a 6-1 demolition of home favourite Martin Schindler.

The Special One threw three 180s and a produced a crowd silencing 140 checkout in a very clinical display of finishing, while his German opponent managed an average of 101 despite missing five of his six attempts at doubles.

Dimitri Van den Bergh also produced a ton-topping average to register his first win at the European Championship, sweeping aside Daryl Gurney 6-2 in a battle of former TV title winners.

The opening five legs went with throw, but a superb 11-dart break in leg six catapulted Van den Bergh to victory, with the Belgian winning four straight legs to prevail with a 101 average.

Van den Bergh's reward is a second round showdown against Ross Smith, who reeled off four consecutive legs from 4-2 adrift to dump out sixth seed Joe Cullen with a 101 average.

Cullen converted a spectacular 154 finish in establishing a 4-2 lead, but Smith - who drew first blood with a 130 kill - responded with legs of 12, 11, 14 and 16 darts to prevail with a 75% success rate on the outer ring.

European Championship: Daily schedule & results

Thursday October 27
Evening Session (2000 local time, 1900 BST)
First Round (Best of 11 legs)
TV Channel: ITV4

• Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-3 Madars Razma
• Ryan Searle 6-5 Martin Lukeman
• Danny Noppert 6-3 Andrew Gilding
• James Wade 6-5 Rob Cross
• Luke Humphries 6-4 Krzysztof Ratajski
• Josh Rock 6-5 Nathan Aspinall
• Michael Smith 6-4 Karel Sedlacek
• Vincent van der Voort 6-2 Damon Heta

Friday October 28
Evening Session (2000 local time, 1900 BST)
First Round (Best of 11 legs)
TV Channel: ITV4

• Dave Chisnall 6-0 Stephen Bunting
• Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-2 Daryl Gurney
• Joe Cullen 4-6 Ross Smith
• Jose de Sousa 6-1 Martin Schindler
• Peter Wright 6-2 Ryan Meikle
• Gerwyn Price 4-6 Rowby-John Rodriguez
• Michael van Gerwen 5-6 Chris Dobey
• Jonny Clayton 6-4 Gabriel Clemens

Saturday October 29
Afternoon Session (1345 local time, 1245 BST)
Second Round (Best of 19 legs)
TV Channel: ITV4

• Vincent van der Voort v Danny Noppert
• James Wade v Dirk van Duijvenbode
• Luke Humphries v Ryan Searle
• Michael Smith v Josh Rock

Evening Session (2000 local time, 1900 BST)
Second Round (Best of 19 legs)
TV Channel: ITV4

• Ross Smith v Dimitri Van den Bergh
• Peter Wright v Rowby-John Rodriguez
• Dave Chisnall v Jonny Clayton
• Chris Dobey v Jose De Sousa

Sunday October 30
Afternoon Session (1345 local time, 1245 BST)
TV Channel: ITV4
Quarter-Finals (Best of 19 legs)

• Four Matches

Evening Session (2000 BST)
TV Channel: ITV4
Semi-Final (Best of 21 legs)

• Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 2
• Winner QF 3 v Winner QF 4

Final (Best of 21 legs)

• Winner SF 1 v Winner SF 2

What channel is the European Championship Darts on?

The European Championship will be broadcast on ITV4 in the UK, through the PDC's international broadcast partners including RTL7 and DAZN, through PDCTV for Rest of the World Subscribers and via matchroom.live.

European Championship Darts: Previous winners

European Championship Darts: Prize money

• Winner: £120,000
• Runner-up: £60,000
• Semi-final: £32,000
• Quarter-final: £20,000
• Last 16: £10,000
• Last 32: £6,000
• Total: £500,000
• Nine-Darter Bonus £15,000

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