European Darts Grand Prix 2025 LIVE RESULTS: Play BACK ON after fire alarm as Schindler and Menzies feature on Day 1
Last week's Austrian Darts Open champion, Martin Schindler, features on opening day as he takes on Callan Rydz in a headline clash.
Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen are amongst the seeded stars who have to wait until Saturday to begin their campaigns.
World champion Luke Littler will not feature in Germany after he opted to skip the European Darts Grand Prix.
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Scottish Sun
6 days ago
- Scottish Sun
‘How does that happen?' – Darts hero stunned as Michael Smith fails to qualify for World Matchplay
Smith could see rankings drop even further next week DART OF WAR 'How does that happen?' – Darts hero stunned as Michael Smith fails to qualify for World Matchplay Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DARTS ace Matthew Edgar declared 'how does that happen?' after fellow star Michael Smith failed to qualify for the World Matchplay. The tournament kicks off this weekend in Blackpool, with some of the game's biggest names in attendance. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Michael Smith has not qualified for this weekend's World Matchplay tournament Credit: Rex 2 Darts ace Matthew Edgar has questioned Smith's fall down the rankings Credit: Getty But one notable absentee is former world champion Smith. Bully Boy used to be the top player on the planet. And just two years ago he was the No1 seed at the World Matchplay. But a disastrous run of form this term saw Smith fail to qualify for the first time since 2013. READ MORE IN DARTS CHANGE OF DART Two-time darts world champ Lewis at 'crossroads' in major retirement hint He is now ranked 21st in the world, with the potential to drop to 23rd — or even lower — by next week. And the pressure appeared to get to Smith in May when he BROKE a dartboard in anger at the European Darts Grand Prix. Now, ex-PDC slinger Edgar has questioned how Smith has slipped down the rankings so quickly. He said on his Edgar TV YouTube channel: 'Most surprisingly, the number one seed from two years ago hasn't qualified. Crazy, I know. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS "I still can't believe this: two years ago, Michael Smith was the number one seed at the World Matchplay. Now, he's not even in the event. How does that happen? It's madness. "The prize money from that run – where he reached the second round – is now coming off. He beat Steve Beaton 10-2, then lost a high-quality game 11-10 to Chris Dobey. Moment Michael Smith BREAKS dartboard in anger as he issues public apology 'That means £15,000 comes off Smith's ranking, and that could drop him down to world number 23 by the end of this event. It could be even lower depending on results. Just let that sink in – from world number one to world number 23 in two years." However, Edgar believes Smith can turn things around if he gets back to winning ways next year. He added: "If you're going to have a bad year, this is the one to do it, because prize money is going to change drastically over the next couple of years. That means you could have a bad year now, and make it up with a good one next year. 'Michael Smith could definitely turn it around – he's got the quality, a former world champion and multiple-time winner. 'He could easily get back into the top 16 next year with a form turnaround and the prize money cycle shifting."
The Sun
16-06-2025
- The Sun
Is Luke Littler and Luke Humphries' friendship all a facade? Inside England stars' World Cup of Darts disaster
NOT SINCE the pairing of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard at the 2006 World Cup had two Englishmen fail to click and proven so uncoordinated on German soil. Luke Humphries and Luke Littler arrived in Frankfurt as the top two players in the world and red-hot favourites for the PDC World Cup of Darts. 8 8 8 Expectations were so high that they would be victorious that Phil Taylor was saying they should be given the trophy before a dart was even thrown in anger. But World Cups can cause all manner of surprises and discombobulating displays – as England's Golden Generation found to their cost 19 years ago. Gerrard and Lampard were among the best midfielders of their era, goal-scoring machines for Liverpool and Chelsea. Yet despite their god-given talents, it never really worked for them in tandem when they donned a Three Lions shirt. Humphries and Littler are the best darts players of this era but they were crushed in their opening game by the Germans. So, why didn't it work? Why did it go so spectacularly wrong? Well, underdogs Martin 'The Wall' Schindler and Ricardo 'Pikachu' Pietreczko rose to the challenge superbly, winning their second-round tie 8-4 on Saturday evening. There is history between the two Lukes and pesky Pietreczko – Littler clashed with him at last year's Belgian Darts Open, and Humphries gave it back to German fans at Ally Pally after he eliminated the Berlin-born star. 8 The hostility that greeted the English duo when they walked out was unusual for darts – so, do not underestimate the impact that had on the No.1 seeds. The noise was ear-splitting and we all know Littler has little time for Deutschland fans. Luke Littler and Luke Humphries BOOED by German crowd on day they got their MBEs but fans love their 's---house' walk-on Twice before, in Berlin and Munich, Littler had been left unhappy with the reception he got from punters. The previous time it had happened over Easter, he wrote on Instagram he was glad he would not be back in the country until Dortmund in October, seemingly forgetting all about the World Cup in June. He might be the world champion and a global icon but we forget that Littler is still only 18. The Nuke stormed off stage, albeit after shaking hands, and just like when he lost the Premier League Final to Cool Hand Luke, he shows his emotions whenever things go against him. 8 8 But as NFL legendary coach Vince Lombardi once said: Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser. Parallels could be made with another England midfielder, Jude Bellingham, who is a stellar talent but is prone to outbursts and temper tantrums in difficult moments. Littler is not yet in that same league but this is a huge setback in his career – his first senior England appearance ending amid a cacophony of boos and regrets. It was so deflating that, the day after they had been recognised in the King's Honours List, Sky Sports pundit Wayne Marde joked: 'How quickly can MBEs be taken away?' What was telling was the observation made by Gerwyn Price, whose Wales side lost 10-9 to Northern Ireland in the final. In one of the revealing interviews this year, the Iceman claimed 'rubbish' England lacked 'a connection' and had no 'camaraderie off the stage'. He said: 'When all the teams first turned up on the first day, the only two players who didn't turn up together, didn't sit together, didn't play as a team. 'You need to turn up together. You need to be as a team. You practice together, you sit together, it's a team ethic. 'It didn't show with England and it showed on the board. They are great players individually. But you need to be a team.' 8 World No.1 Humphries and reigning world champion Littler are always so polite and respectful on stage, fist-bumping each other's high checkouts. But is it all a facade? Are they really as compatible off the oche as they make out? Can they ever put aside their fierce rivalry for this team format? Humphries is 12 years older than Littler and is like a big brother but if Price is right, they will have to work on their connection in a team situation. They came over to Germany as the bookies' front-runners but were gone after 12 legs. At least Gerrard and Lampard managed four games together at the 2006 World Cup before their quarter-final exit. 8
The Guardian
14-06-2025
- The Guardian
England crash out of World Cup as Littler and Humphries humbled by Germany
Luke Littler and Luke Humphries were left reeling as England's hopes of retaining the World Cup of Darts were torn apart by Germany. The world's top two players slipped to an 8-4 second round defeat at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt, where Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko made the most of the backing of a partisan home crowd to seal a comprehensive victory. Littler and Humphries, who both received MBEs in King Charles's Birthday Honours, were made to pay for missed doubles with the 18-year-old in particular turning in an off-colour display in a country where he has endured previous disappointments. A delighted Schindler, who had insisted in advance that the English duo were 'beatable', told Sky Sports: 'I was right because we believed in ourselves. 'We have been putting in a solid performance, and obviously the double 16s from Ricardo just went in, so we are very happy to go through. Today was one step and tomorrow is the other. That's it.' Booed by the home crowd, Littler started nervously and the Germans took the first two legs, but his 123 check-out put England on the board before a 64 finish levelled it up at 2-2. However, the teenager missed three darts at a double in the fifth leg to allow Pietreczko to win it with a 106 out-shot, and another in the sixth as the Germans restored their advantage. And after Humphries had hit 25 rather than bull going for 122, they went in at the break 5-2 ahead. Pietreczko took out 101 after the resumption before Germany went 7-2 up and although Littler and Humphries took the next two, they eventually succumbed as a return of just four doubles from the 11 chances they created ultimately proved costly. Germany's reward is a quarter-final tie against Australia, who routed Argentina 8-1 with Damon Heta and Simon Whitlock proving too strong for Jesus Salate and Victor Guillin despite missing 21 of their 29 attempts at doubles. Twice-winners Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton secured Wales' passage with a resounding 8-2 win over the Philippines. The Welsh pair, who claimed the crown in 2020 and 2023, powered their way through to a last eight clash with Hong Kong with the minimum of fuss despite the first three legs going against the darts. However, Scotland's Peter Wright and Gary Anderson found themselves on the wrong end of a demolition job as they went down 8-0 to the Netherlands in just 15 minutes. Danny Noppert and the world youth champion, Gian Van Veen, who took out 130 to claim the fourth leg on Scotland's throw, were in inspired form, averaging 100.2 and converting eight of the 12 darts they had at doubles to breeze through to a meeting with the Czech Republic. William O'Connor and Keane Barry eased the Republic of Ireland to a showdown with neighbours Northern Ireland after an 8-3 victory over Switzerland in which they were always in control. Northern Ireland were comfortable winners over South Africa as Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney eased them to an 8-2 success. Elsewhere, there were wins for the Czechs over Malaysia and Hong Kong against Sweden.
