Category: Darts

Luke Littler produced an astounding display to regain his world title, winning 21 of the last 24 legs

I was just afraid of losing. Afraid of what people might think of me. What if I lose this game? What are my parents going to think of me? And that’s when it started. Dartitis, with me, was just being afraid to fail. And that was because I wasn’t confident in myself, not in darts, not in my personal life.

This piece, on Gian van Veen’s struggle with dartitis among other things, is well worth a read. As somebody who has had a form of writer’s block for almost a decade, I have immense admiration for Van Veen’s ability to overcome something even more debilitating.

• Scot chasing third world title, 10 years after last triumph

• Searle talks about playing through eye condition on oche

Gary Anderson returned to the World Championship semi-finals for the first time in four years after ending Justin Hood’s dream debut run.

The 55-year-old is enjoying a renaissance and is now just two wins away from lifting a third world title, 10 years after his last. If he can do so, he would become the oldest player to lift the PDC world title and join Michael van Gerwen in second place in the all-time list of champions.

Gian van Veen stunned Luke Humphries with a 5-1 victory after Luke Littler whitewashed Krzysztof Ratajski

*Searle (1) 2-0 (0) Clayton Another break of throw for Searle! Clayton missed a dart at D16, a terrible effort, and Searle took out 116 on tops with the air of a man strolling to the paper shop on a brisk winter morning. His finishing has been outrageous.

Searle (1) 1-0 (0) Clayton*

• Debutant continues stunning run to reach quarter-finals

• ‘I’m not used to it. I usually get hate messages. It’s mad’

The underdog Justin Hood reeled off a record 11 consecutive doubles en route to a stunning 4-0 win over Josh Rock in the last 16 of the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.

The 32-year-old debutant continued his dazzling run in the tournament and missed his first double when he threw for the match at 2-0 up in the fourth set. He stepped back to take out the match on a 119 finish in the following leg, guaranteeing a career-best payday of at least £100,000 and taking him closer to his dream of opening a Chinese restaurant.

This report will update later on Tuesday

• PDC hot favourite was jeered during quarter-final victory

• ‘It definitely fuelled me up and it made me play better’

Luke Littler admits he “lost” his head when reacting to the hostile crowd during his fourth-round World Championship win over Rob Cross and still has some learning to do.

The 18-year-old was booed and jeered as he beat Cross 4-2 to book his place in the quarter-finals at Alexandra Palace. Littler let the emotion out after throwing the winning darts, running around the stage gesturing to the crowd, who had wanted Cross to win.

• Toby, 13, was in crowd when fourth seed lost

• ‘He has had hate from some trolls online’

Stephen Bunting has revealed his 13-year-old son has been a victim of online abuse. Toby Bunting was in the crowd at Alexandra Palace as his father, the fourth seed, was knocked out in the third round of the PDC World Championship by James Hurrell.

Bunting said in a post on X that his family have been hurt by the social media trolling. “Hi guys, sorry I’ve had a few days away from my socials, but I just needed a small bit of time after my game to recover and rest,” the 40-year-old wrote.

• Cross beats Damon Heta 4-0 to book last-16 meeting

• Anderson holds off Wattimena, Ryan Searle through

Rob Cross thrashed Damon Heta 4-0 at the PDC World Championship to set up a last-16 clash with the reigning champion, Luke Littler.

Cross, who beat Phil Taylor in the 2018 final, lost only two legs against Australian No 1 Heta as he cruised into the fourth round.

• Van Gerwen looked in form in win over O’Connor

• Two-time champion Wright averaged just 79.20

Michael van Gerwen showed his class as he powered into the third round of the world championship. The three-time champion struggled in his opening match but brought his best to brush past William O’Connor 3-1.

It was an impressive performance by the Dutchman, who reminded everyone of his credentials after a difficult year on and off the oche. Luke Littler and Luke Humphries are the leading contenders for the title in January but Van Gerwen is a threat playing like this.

For many of the performers in the 12-month circus, the tour can be soul-destroying and lonely with only the promise of untold wealth to keep them chasing the dream

“It’s a lonely place,” Stephen Bunting reflected as he sat quietly in Alexandra Palace on Saturday night, the tears welling in his eyes. “If things don’t go right, you can look at your family, your management, you can look at your sponsors. But it’s down to you. And yeah, I’m getting a bit emotional, but … ”

These are stories darts is less keen on telling. Ever since this sport burst out of the smoky pubs and on to our television screens, it has possessed a kind of hedonistic, hyperreal quality, a game in which normal guys slip on their superhero suits and take a shot at unimaginable riches, unimaginable fame. The crowds dress up, get the drinks in and chase the ultimate high. The winners are brought into the press conference room to be feted; the losers slip out through the back door. From its start, darts has been conceived as a vehicle for joy and transformation.

• Humphries beats 71-year-old Lim 3-0

• No 7 seed Wade loses 3-2 in biggest upset so far

Luke Humphries admitted he had mixed feelings about his emphatic 3-0 win against Paul Lim in the third round. The world No 3 was in ruthless form as he won the first eight legs of the match before Lim, at 71 the ­oldest player in the draw, found tops to avoid a complete shutout.

Humphries, the 2024 world champion, said he had great respect for Lim, who was roared on by the capacity crowd throughout as he tried to build on his history-making first-round win against Sweden’s Jeffrey de Graaf at Alexandra Palace.

• Chisnall out despite hitting 11 180s in 3-2 defeat

• Dirk van Duijvenbode and Motomu Sakai bow out

Dave Chisnall was dumped out of the PDC world championship by Ricardo Pietreczko despite hitting 11 180s in an Alexandra Palace thriller. Chisnall, the No 21 seed, paid the price for double trouble and missed a match dart in the final set when it seemed the Englishman would complete a remarkable recovery.

Pietreczko capitalised on Chisnall’s poor finishing to win the first two sets, but the 2021 semi-finalist stormed back to level with some extraordinary scoring. Chisnall took a 2-1 lead in the final set with a 113 finish but then missed double 16 for a match-sealing 143 checkout.

• Adverse finding came from test before tournament

• Player suspended in advance of disciplinary process

Britain’s Dom Taylor has been suspended from the World Darts Championship after failing a drug test, the Darts Regulation Authority (DRA) said on Friday, handing opponent Jonny Clayton a free pass to the third round.

The DRA, the governing body of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), said Taylor returned an adverse analytical finding from a test conducted on 14 December, one day before the tournament got under way at Alexandra Palace.