Gian van Veen reveals PDC promise after shirt issue as Dutch star hopes Scotland get it tight at Darts World Cup
Dutch ace not happy with his clobber in Frankfurt as he gets ready to do battle with Gary Anderson and Peter Wright
Dutch star Gian van Veen hopes Scotland get it tight tonight as he struggles in his suffocating shirt.
The Netherlands star and team-mate Danny Noppert face Gary Anderson and Peter Wright for a place in the last eight of the Darts World Cup.
But van Veen, who has stepped into the side for the absent Michael van Gerwen, hasn't been impressed by the tight fitting shirt which he's had to wear for the event and has spoken to PDC chiefs about the issue.
He said: 'I asked for an XL, but this feels more like a medium. A XXL would've been better.
"It's tight, uncomfortable, and feels totally different from my usual shirt.
"A lot of players are saying the same thing. I've spoken to the PDC about it and they've promised to look into it for next year.
"But for now, we'll just have to get on with it.'
Noppert and van Veen haven't dropped a leg in two games so far and go into the contest in flying form.
The former has let his younger partner throw first throughout and the tactic is working as he said: 'If you look at the whole year, Gian's been the better player, especially when it comes to scoring. It just made sense.
'Plus, it's a choice we're making with the rest of the weekend in mind. There shouldn't be any discussion about it.'
Meanwhile, Philippines are ready for their big Saturday date against Wales having dumped out former finalists Belgium to book their place in the knockout stages.
Lourence Ilagan and Paolo Nebrida trailed Mike De Decker and Dimitri Van den Bergh 3-0 in their winner-takes-all Group B showdown, only to reel off four straight legs to complete a stunning fightback.
De Decker and Van den Bergh squandered seven match darts in the closing stages, with Nebrida hitting all four of Philippines' winning doubles to condemn Belgium to their earliest exit in World Cup history.
Ilagan said: 'We didn't expect this. We are really happy to win. It's not easy to play against two of the best players in the PDC, but we just tried to play our own game and we trusted each other.'
Friday turned out to be a memorable day for Asian darts in Frankfurt as Malaysia and Hong Kong also made it through to the last 16 as the group stage reached a dramatic conclusion.
Malaysia, who now play Czechia, created their own slice of history to join Philippines in the knockout stages, as Tengku Shah and Tan Jenn Ming inspired them to an emphatic 4-1 win over Denmark in a decisive Group F clash.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Man Lok Leung and Lok Yin Lee breezed into round two and a tie against Sweden with a whitewash win over Bahrain, following on from their 4-1 demolition of USA on Thursday's opening night.
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