'I carry their memory with me in everything I do' - Emotional Danny Noppert reveals touching reason behind walk-on song choice

Danny Noppert delivered an impressive showing on home soil over the weekend, reaching the quarter-finals of the Dutch Darts Championship in Rosmalen. Cheered on by a passionate home crowd, The Freeze looked sharp throughout the tournament, eventually falling just short in a dramatic 6-5 defeat to Welshman Jonny Clayton, who would go on to lift the title.

Despite the narrow loss, there was still reason for celebration. Noppert’s performance earned him a valuable boost in the world rankings, climbing one place to fifteenth — a reflection of his consistent form on the PDC circuit this season.

His run in Rosmalen included a tightly contested third-round match against Australia’s Damon Heta, which Noppert won by the smallest of margins. Heta, known for his high-energy entrances, had the crowd on their feet with his walk-on song Links Rechts by Snollebollekes — a cult favourite in the Netherlands that had fans dancing and singing along with enthusiasm.

“Damon is quite a different personality compared to me — he’s very lively and outgoing, whereas I’m a bit more reserved,” Noppert reflected with a smile. “But I’ve got to say, I really enjoyed watching how much the crowd got into it. The energy in the arena was amazing, and it was great to see everyone singing their hearts out. That kind of atmosphere gives you a real buzz as a player.”