Canadians beaten by Belgium in quarterfinals of BetVictor World Cup of Darts

SALZBURG, Austria — Unseeded Canadians Jeff (The Silencer) Smith and Matt (Ginga Ninja) Campbell dropped a 2-1 decision to No. 5 Belgium on Sunday in the quarterfinals of the BetVictor World Cup of Darts.

Kim Huybrechts defeated Smith 4-1 to open the tie before Campbell upset World Matchplay champion Dimitri Van den Bergh 4-1 to force the doubles decider.

Campbell, a 31-year-old Hamilton welder, won the first two legs of his singles match with checkouts of 160 and 120. Van den Bergh won a leg to keep the tie alive at 3-1, but only briefly.

The Belgians then combined to win the rubber match 4-2. The Canadians led 2-1 and had a chance to go ahead 3-1 but Van den Bergh nailed a double-six to even the match. Another miss opened the door for the Belgians in Game 5 and they took advantage to go ahead 3-2 and set the stage for the win.

Canada had dispatched fourth-seeded Northern Ireland and New Zealand to reach the final eight of the 32-country event. It marked Canada’s first trip to the quarterfinals since 2016.

The second-seeded Wales duo of Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton won the World Cup of Darts title Sunday night with a 3-0 win over top-seeded England to claim the 70,000-pound ($120,130) top prize.

Smith, from Hampton, N.B., is the lone Canadian currently competing on the PDC Tour. He works at an auto body shop in nearby Saint John when he is not on the pro darts circuit.

Campbell qualified for the William Hill World Darts Championship in London last December.

There was drama earlier Sunday when world No. 1 Michael van Gerwen needed medical attention ahead of the Netherlands’ quarterfinal with Germany. Van Gerwen woke Sunday feeling a long-standing back problem.

Van Gerwen was eventually able to compete, however.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2020.

The Canadian Press