Germans at the Darts World Cup in Ally Pally: Good across the board, weak at the top

DHe “German Giant” wears his stage name with dignity even in dark hours, which remains clear from the last Sunday of the darts year, when the London Ally Pally became the German palace of fate. Saarlander Gabriel Clemens, not without reverence known as a German giant, defended himself most extensively. In the third round match he faced world number two Luke Humphries from England, and the 42-year-old achieved a German record in the history of the World Darts Championship: an average score of 101.49 points per three darts thrown. Never before had an arrow-throwing specialist from the Federal Republic broken the hundred mark within the London palace walls. Only Humphries, Clemens couldn’t crack him.

On Saturday, Berlin’s Ricardo Pietrezcko had already been defeated by the bearded Swede Andreas Harrysson (2:4), and on Sunday Martin Schindler from Brandenburg, seeded number 13, was defeated by British scene hard rocker Ryan Searle without winning a single set. Clemens, who had been given the toughest draw, fought his way back to 2-3 after being 0-3 set down against former world champion Humphries and missed set darts to equalize before his opponent sank the final arrow in the doubles field for a 4-2 victory. World Cup debutant Arno Merk from Upper Bavaria, who had previously amazingly defeated double world champion Peter Wright, found his conqueror late on Sunday evening in three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen from the Netherlands (1:4).

The performance of Clemens, who shot one arrow after another into the tiny Triple 20 field before he made a mistake, will be remembered. “I didn’t start quite so well, then I was in it quite well. But I don’t do the two or three darts for the doubles,” said Clemens on the TV channel Sport1, “if it had been 3:3 it would have been interesting again.” His opponent obviously felt that way too. Humphries, relieved, fell into Clemens’ arms on stage and whispered something in his ear. “I told him: really a great game, Gabriel. Stay tuned,” the 2024 world champion reported later. Before he set off to prepare for the round of 16, which will be broadcast live in Germany by two broadcasters (Sport1, Dazn), but from now on will take place without German participation.

Schindler, Pietrezcko and Merk had lost their so-called scoring power

Strong across the board, weak at the top: If you like, that’s the German balance at this World Cup, where eight players were represented for Germany in the London Palace for the first time, more than ever. Four of them reached the third round. In the concert of precision virtuosos, however, no one mastered the complete keyboard of this discipline. Schindler, Pietrezcko and Merk had lost their so-called scoring power and scored too few points. Unlike Clemens, whose darts slipped to the wrong side of the boundary wire in crucial phases.

The 29-year-old Schindler, who entered the tournament as 13th in the global darts rankings, left London almost traditionally with disappointment in his luggage. The German number one, who has been decorated with major tournament victories in the past two years, appeared astonished and even astonished. Searle “walked over” him, Schindler said: “It happened. I can’t even say why it happened exactly like that. You can’t program the game of darts.”

Strausberger was once again not heard on Sport1; Schindler refused to give interviews to the station during the World Cup. His camp is upset because of an incident in the summer when the player and management disliked the presentation of an interview. According to reports, it was also about one or two headlines on the online platform. And so this darts chapter ends with at least some good news for press freedom: Martin Schindler’s boycott is over for the time being.