The Dutch Open - Controversy!

The Rooster

The Dutch Open is a BDO event (or more specifically a WDF event run by the Nerherlands Darts Board (NDB)). It has to date been a true open in that to date its hadnt stopped PDC players playing. Peter Manley has played in a few times in recent years as his wife plays in the women's version. However, Manley wasnt involved this year as there was a PDC event in Eastbourne this weekend also (Baxter beat Lloyd in the final incidendtally).

This year there were 2,899 entrants in the Dutch Open's mens event, including VanDer Rassel, Extercatte, Bulen, Seyler and Welge who all played in the PDC world chanpionship. The way it works is that half the men play on Friday (4 qualifying for the quarters on Sunday), the other half play on Saturday (4 qualifying for the quarters on Sunday) and the quarter-finals onwards are played on Sunday.

On Friday the qualifiers were Van Der Rassel, van der Voort, Wagner and Barneveld.

On Saturday, it had reached the last 64 and Mervyn King was due to play Tomas Seyler. King refused to play him and demanded that Seyler be disqualified because he was PDC. Seyler was disqualified. In the last 32 Erik Clarijs was due to play Niels de Ruiter, but Clarijs was also disqualified. The quarter-final draw for Sunday was:

van de Rassel v van der Voort
Wagner v Barneveld
Eccles v Hurrenbink
Anderson v King

Van der Rassel was also disqualified giving Voort a bye into the semi - where he was beaten by Barney. Gary Anderson beat King in the quarters and Eccles in the semis, but lost to Barney in the final.

A statement was issued by the NDB (translated):

During the tournament the Organisation was put under pressure to take out the PDC players.

The Organisers of the Dutch Open decided to take out all players from the PDC who participated during the last Ladbrokes, as according to the rules of the WDF that exist for many years, players from the PDC who participate in live televised events aren't allowed to participate in WDF tournaments.

The Organisation knew about these rules but did not choose to follow them at first.

The NDB accepted the entries from PDC players as they did in the Dutch Opens in prior years. Every other WDF open tournaments do accept PDC players at entry. We had to take these players out of the tournament this time because of the recent developments in the world of darts. Under pressure the NDB chairpeople adjusted their tournament according to the WDF rules.

Therefore all PDC players were taken out of the tournament.

THe IDPA (players association for BDO players, issued the following statement:

In response to statements being made elsewhere we wish to place on record that "The IDPA had no involvement in the events of yesterday and at no time were they in either in a official or unofficial capacity involved in any decisions made by the Nederlandse Darts Bond."

Erik Clarijs issued the following on his website (translated):

I have just come back from what wants to be the largest tournament in the world. In my 22 year career as a dartsplayer I have never experienced anything like that. An organisation which is placed under pressure by one person – its too ridiculous for words. The number TWO player in the world refuses to play against a player who has never made the top one hundred of the PDC rankings. In fact very funny, truth is not that to this all an expensive ticket hangs. Imagine if I had won this tournament, never mind the prize money, it would have provided me with many extra hours on TV - transmission is what helps my sponsor and thus what helps me. Its hard to take that when I get close to the business end of the event, there are complaints against me. The NDB do not come out of this well. In my eyes they have acted wrongly against me. For this reason I ask everyone who lost against a PDC player to lodge a complaint against the NDB and at least get their entrance fee refunded. I will leave this now for today, and perhaps talk about it again. I will let it sink in for a while. It was a long day and on top of that very annoying: but for sure this becomes a black page in the history of darts.

Greetings - The Sheriff

Kingp35

Thats sounds like an absolute farce of a tournament. Surely the BDO players that lost to the PDC players in earlier rounds have some grounds for complaint. If it was the case that PDC players should not be allowed enter well then surely the players that lost to them sould be reinstated.

This is giving darts a bad name, something has to be done to set up proper rules between the two associations tht clearly say what is and isnt allowed. That way this kind of incident will never happen.

The Rooster

Apparently Seyler is saying he e-mailed both the WDF and the tournament organisers beforehand to confirm there'd be no problem with his participation.

Although the talk is there were a number of players upset at the PDC player's participation, it looks very much to me that Mervyn King is the architecht of all of this. It looks like some kind of retaliation for allowing 4 PDC players into the upcoming IDL and World Darts Trophy. Interesting that there were no objections to any player though, until King was drawn to play one of them. You had to win 5 or 6 matches just to get to the last 64.

There was talk that the number of places allocated to the PDC might jump from 4 to 8, but apparently at a meeting on Friday it was concluded that it would remain at 4, and that it will remain at 4 for 5 years.

The Rooster

Latest gossip re the Dutch Open is King told the NDB from the start that if he played a PDC player in the singles he would refuse to play them.

When this happened he stuck by his guns and when he was called to play he said no and was told he would be removed from the event. He said fine and walked away, as far as he was concerned he was out.

A quick meeting was held and the NDB then kicked out the PDC players.

As a matter of interest King and Martin Adams won the doubles beating Tony West and Rick Hofstra in the final.

Anne Kirk of Scotland beat Trina Gullivar in the women's

Kingp35

Well the Fact that ing stated this at the start of the tournament changes things a little. I think this is a backlash by the BDO players about the decision to et PDC players enter the BDO majors. You cant really blame them tbh. Imo they should either join both the Associations or make players have to choose between the two and stick with it. Then they can have that one tournament that takes the best players from each association.

The mixing of players from both will just make life very awkward and there will always be the possibility of players refusing to play.

The Rooster

No doubt the annoucement about 4 PDC players playing in the IDL and WDT has upset some players. However "open" events are supposed to be that. Some BDO players play in the PDC UK Open qualifiers, and PDC players have in the past played in some of the BDO Opens including the Dutch Open. Clarijs, Extercatte, Van De Rassel, Bulen, Seyler and Welge all played in the Dutch Open - and they played about 30 singles games between them (with no objections from opponents - some even played with BDO lads in the doubles event) before finally one of them played King. The way it was handled was very unfair on the 3 PDC lads who hadnt been beaten.