Dirk van Duijvenbode's World Series of Darts Finals campaign ended in frustration on Sunday as the Dutchman fell 10-8 to compatriot Gian van Veen in an all-Dutch quarter-final in Amsterdam, despite leading 8-6 and holding a chance to move 9-6 clear.
Speaking to Viaplay afterwards, Van Duijvenbode revealed he had been battling physical discomfort throughout the match. "Every dart I throw hurts," he said. "Sometimes it bothers me and then I hit a 180 the next visit. I couldn't explain it. I've had it all weekend, really." Asked where the pain came from, he confirmed it was his hand — but refused to use it as an excuse. "Pain in my hand, I don't get it, man. I'm not putting it up as a big excuse either, because I had enough chances. I honestly didn't get it at all. Then it hurts and you end up throwing absolute rubbish again."
The match saw wild swings in form. Van Duijvenbode admitted he started slowly and felt Van Veen was clearly the better player early on. "At the start I was just a lot worse than him. Then he dipped as well. It's not like I suddenly got much better, but he dropped a bit." After the second break the score was 6-6, before Van Duijvenbode strung together two legs to lead 8-6. Yet he was far from satisfied with his level. "It was 140, 180 or 46, 58, 23, 3. It was really poor. When it had to happen, I didn't produce. I can say pain played a role, but that's not the reason either. Apparently it's a bit of uncertainty or something."
The pivotal moment arrived at 8-6, when Van Duijvenbode had a shot at 123 to move 9-6 ahead but missed the bullseye. "That 123 came after an unbelievably bad leg. And then you clip the bull on the wire. If that goes in, it's 9-6 and I don't think I lose." Instead, Van Veen seized the momentum. "You give him confidence there, because he breaks, then gets to throw first and it's level. I couldn't get over that." Van Veen closed it out in style, and Van Duijvenbode was quick to credit him. "In that last leg: 180, 180 and then I miss. He then throws a 12-darter. That's fantastic from him. He just does that well."
Despite his own frustration, Van Duijvenbode offered a balanced assessment of the contest. "Of course I'm angry with myself, but I don't think he'll be happy with his game either. Neither of us were at it. In the end he was simply the better player. That's it. On to the next one."
