James Hurrell and Gabriel Clemens stole the spotlight on Tuesday by hitting nine-darters during the Players Championship 2 in Hildesheim. James Hurrell's perfect leg came in his opening match at the second Players Championship event of the season. At 2-2 in his clash with Maik Kuivenhoven, the Englishman opened the fifth leg with back-to-back 180s, followed by a 141 checkout on his third visit. Moments later, Hurrell edged the match 6-5. It was the third nine-darter of Hurrell's career.
It didn't stop there for "Hillbilly," as he also saw off Thomas Lovely 6-3 and Jermaine Wattimena 6-1 to reach the last 16. In that round, he pushed Michael van Gerwen to the limit but had to concede after a last-leg decider. Clemens struck in the third round, sealing his match against Madars Razma in perfect fashion. After eight legs, the score was 5-3 to the German, and he then followed the classic route of 180-180-141 to complete the leg in nine darts and win the match.
It turned out to be a good day for Clemens overall. Not only did he throw his third official nine-darter, but thanks to wins over Ricardo Pietreczko 6-4, Darryl Pilgrim 6-3, and Madars Razma 6-3, he reached the last 16 at Players Championship 2. Ultimately, Danny Noppert proved too strong in the last 16 with a 6-2 victory.
