The qualifiers for the European Tour Events 11-12 for Tour Card Holders were held in Milton Keynes on Saturday, with each qualifier producing ten players for each event.
The Hungarian Darts Trophy (ET11) is scheduled to take place in Budapest from September 20-22, followed by the debut of the Swiss Darts Trophy (ET12) in Basel from September 27-29.
Dutch player Van Duijvenbode, ranked number three in his country, joined his compatriot Nijman in qualifying for both events. Van Duijvenbode displayed an incredible 115.62 average in his first-round whitewash of Mervyn King in the ET11 Qualifier, setting the tone for his impressive performance throughout the day. He secured his spot in both Budapest and Basel with five more victories at the Marshall Arena.
Nijman continued his impressive form, defeating Jose de Sousa and Jim Williams in the later stages of the ET11 Qualifier before dominating the ET12 event, only conceding four legs. Nijman maintained high averages in both events, showcasing his talent and securing his return to the big stage.
Among the ET11 Qualifiers was German player Hempel, who had reached the semi-finals of Players Championship 17 the previous day. Hempel achieved the 500th nine-darter in PDC competition during his opening round win over Jeffrey Sparidaans, and went on to secure victories over Madars Razma and Ian White to qualify for Budapest.
Fellow Germans Gabriel Clemens and Lukas Wenig also booked their spots in the Hungarian Darts Trophy by defeating Karel Sedlacek and Alan Soutar in the final round of qualification.
Other players who qualified for the Hungarian Darts Trophy include World Championship semi-finalist Scott Williams, Keane Barry from Ireland, Darren Beveridge from Scotland, former European Tour finalist Martin Lukeman, and teenage sensation Leighton Bennett.
Mike De Decker, fresh off his maiden ranking title win in Players Championship 16, stormed through the ET12 Qualifier with a ton-plus average in his whitewash victory over Robert Owen, earning his place in the first Swiss Darts Trophy.
