Jan van der Rassel (born 5 January 1964) is a former

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

professional darts player. He used the nicknames The Project and Rassel Dazzle for his matches.

Career

He began his darts career competing on the BDO circuit in 2002, and reached the quarter finals of the Dutch Open in 2003. After reaching the last 16 of the

Winmau World Masters The World Masters is one of the longest-running and most prestigious of the BDO/WDF tournaments, which began in 1974. The tournament is sponsored by darts board manufacturer, Winmau. The World Masters was unusual in darts in that its sets are th ...

in 2003, he switched the rival organisation, the PDC and made his World Championship debut in 2004 but lost his opening match to Ritchie Buckle. He then began competing on the PDC Pro Tour circuit (non-televised events). His best results came in his native Netherlands – reaching the semi-finals of the 2005 Open Hotel Zwartewater and the quarter-finals of the 2005 Dutch Open, which he was still eligible despite being a PDC player. After failing to qualify for the 2005 PDC World Championship he returned to the event in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

beating former world champion

Steve Beaton Steve Beaton (born 5 April 1964) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the BDO World Darts Championship in 1996 and is a former World No. 1. Background Beaton was born in Co ...

in the first round before losing narrowly to American

John Kuczynski John Kuczynski (born October 16, 1973 in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania) is a former American professional darts player. He currently resides in Zion Grove, Pennsylvania and used the nickname Johnny K for his matches. Career For five years running ...

3–4 in the second round. In November 2006, Van der Rassel won his first title – the Primus Masters, although the top players in the PDC were absent in the event he beat England's Andy Smith, four fellow Dutchman and two Belgians on his way to the title. Just a week later, he failed to progress to the 2007 World Championship losing to Steve Evans in the qualifiers. Van der Rassel competed in fewer Pro Tour events during 2007, choosing to enter the tournaments closer to his home country – including the Antwerp Darts Trophy where he lost to

James Wade James Martin Wade (born 6 April 1983) is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He became the youngest player to win a major PDC title, when he won the 2007 World Matchplay at the ...

in the last 32. He progressed through the qualifying tournament for the 2008 World Championship having to win four matches to make it to the

Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is a Grade II listed entertainment and sports venue in London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. It is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. Origi ...

tournament. He managed to beat former world number one Colin Lloyd in the first round and

Denis Ovens Denis Ovens (born 1 July 1957 in Enfield) is an English retired professional darts player. He is nicknamed ''The Heat'' and is now based in Stevenage. Ovens is widely regarded as one of the most consistent players in the circuit, though he ha ...

in the second round before losing to three-time World Championship runner-up

Peter Manley Peter David Manley (born 7 March 1962) is an English former professional darts player who played in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events from July 1996 until 2017. He won one major title, the Las Vegas Desert Classic, in 2003, and twic ...

in the last 16. In the 2009 PDC World Darts Championship, he defeated 2008 finalist

Kirk Shepherd Kirk Shepherd (born 5 October 1986) is an English former professional darts player who competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) tournaments. He was the youngest player ever to reach the final of the World Professional Darts Championship ...

in the first round in a narrow 3–2 win and faced fellow Dutchman

Jelle Klaasen Jelle Klaasen (born 17 October 1984), nicknamed The Cobra, is a Dutch professional darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and World Darts Federation (WDF) events. In 2006, he became the youngest darts player to win the ...

in the second round and lost 4–0. Van der Rassel rejoined the

British Darts Organisation The British Darts Organisation (BDO) was a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft. Made up of 66 member counties, it oversaw professional, semi-professional and amateur darts competitions in Britain. The BDO was a founder ...

in 2010 due to lack of sponsorship funds. And stopped playing in 2012. Van der Rassel Quit the BDO in 2014.

World Championship performances

PDC

* 2004: 1st Round (lost to Ritchie Buckle 1–3) * 2006: 2nd Round (lost to

3–4) * 2008: 3rd Round (lost to

1–4) * 2009: 2nd Round (lost to

0–4) * 2010: 1st Round (lost to

1–3)

External links

Van der Rassel's darts database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rassel, Jan Van Der 1964 births Living people Dutch darts players Sportspeople from The Hague Professional Darts Corporation former pro tour players British Darts Organisation players