From 20 to 24 September, the twentieth edition of the WDF Europe Cup was held in the Dutch seaside town of Egmond aan Zee. In the men’s event 32 different countries toe the oche, which is a new record for the WDF Europe Cup. Six countries leave their ladies at home, but this still means a very strong field of 26 countries in the ladies. In hotel Zuiderduin, for years the setting for the Zuiderduin/Finder Masters the NDB and WDF put together a fantastic tournament, which runs very smoothly.
From the 2015 WDF World Cup Nick Rolls joined the WDF team as one of the officials on stage alongside “Little” Richard Ashdown and Jacques Nieuwlaat, so 2016 is his first WDF Europe Cup. The Dutch Darts Association NDB is hosting this tournament for the third time, they also organized the WDF Europe Cup in The Hague in 1984 and Veldhoven in 2000. Welshman Martin Phillips participates for the thirteenth and last time in this event and is the record holder. Malta is returning to the WDF Europe Cup family for their first Cup since 2000. There are no debutants this year.
Both Sweden and Ireland still have both pairs in the mix in the quarterfinals. Oskar Lukasiak & Andreas Harryson from Sweden beat the Greeks Gerasimos Krontiris & Stefanos Samouchos. The other Swedish pair Daniel Larsson & Tony Alanentalo lose in the same round to the Irish David O'Connor & John Flood. But Ireland also has only one pair left in the semi-finals. Michael Meaney & Steve Lennon must recognize the superiority of the Scottish tandem Ross Montgomery & Alan Soutar. The semi-finals are completed by the host nation the Netherlands. Richard Veenstra & Wesley Harms are already the current WDF World Cup pairs champions and they are now responsible for the exit of the defending champion Scott Mitchell, who pair’s with James Hurrell this year.
The Dutch had escaped a scare in the first round when the Danish duo Lars Helsinghof and Alex Jensen were narrowly beaten. But from that moment there is no stopping this well-oiled combination. In the semi-finals they deal 5-2 with the remaining Irish, while the Scots beat the last Sweden pair. In front of teeir home crowd Richard Veenstra & Wesley Harms grab the pairs title by beating the Scottish duo Ross Montgomery & Alan Soutar 6-2 in the final. Veenstra & Harms take the double with this title after they also won the WDF World Cup pairs last year. They are therefore the fifth pair to hold both titles simultaneously.