Another huge darts tournament is on the horizon, this time it is the European Championship.. It has been unsurprisingly dominated by Phil Taylor, winning in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 and only two other players have lifted the trophy in its 7 year history, Simon Whitlock in 2012 and Adrian Lewis in 2013. This year there is a possibility of a 4th name being added to the list with a number of players having an impressive 2014 campaign and other big names having a dip in form. 'The Power' Taylor has been out of sorts lately having not got past the quarter final stage in his last two tournaments. Adrian Lewis has also had a quiet year having not won a competition since March.
The draw has been announced and it has thrown up some eye-catching matches. Justin Pipe has not had the luck of the draw as he is up against World Number 1 Michael Van Gerwen. MVG is fresh off the back of winning the World Grand Prix and will surely be wanting to win this for the first time and add it to his ever growing trophy room. The pair have met twice this year winning one apiece, it promises to be an exciting encounter where bookmakers will have The Dutchman as big favourite but Pipe is more than capable of causing an upset when on his game.
The current BDO World Champion Stephen Bunting has also been drawn a tough opponent in Andy Hamilton. This will be the first ever meeting between the pair and will be one of the highlights of the first round. 'The Hammer' Hamilton is known for his 'Never say die' attitude and his knack for grinding out results when he looks down and out, however Bunting is throwing some mesmorising darts and the man from St Helens will feel he can progress into the last 16 where he will by no means have an easy match.
'The Bullet' will face the winner of the 2009 final rematch between Phil Taylor and Steve Beaton. This pair also met last month in the Grand Prix, ''The Power' made it look easy that day winning 2-0 and a repeat performance could set up a mouth watering clash in the last 16.
The performer of the year in many fans eyes, Gary Anderson, faces a respected opponent in Terry Jenkins. In the last 7 bouts between the pair Anderson has failed to be victorious on every occassion and this could be in the back of The Scotsmans head making it an edgy affair,
The final fixture in the fixture list is 2012 winner Simon Whitlock up against the current Premier League Champion Raymond Van Barneveld, two players are used to the feeling of winning major honours. There will be 100+ checkouts and 180s galore in a match up that has seen Whitlock coming out on top on the last 3 encounters, he loves it here in Muelheim Germany and always seems to bring his A-game to this competition.
The European Championship will gives darts fans an idea of what players have to offer in The World Championship in December although the short format could prove problematic to some players as they will have to come out of the gates fast to avoid defeat. The usual faces will be there in the later stages but up-and-coming stars such as Bunting may cause a few upsets, the World Number 31 has flown up then rankings since joining the PDC in February and has the potential to win a major tournament sooner rather than later, but can anyone stop the 'Mighty' Michael Van Gerwen?
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