logo
Players Championship clash descends into ‘pub darts' with even winner looking embarrassed after ‘stinking' leg

Players Championship clash descends into ‘pub darts' with even winner looking embarrassed after ‘stinking' leg

The Irish Sun19-06-2025
DARTS star Pero Ljubic was left red faced after winning a leg that would not have looked out of place down the pub.
The Croatian faced Niko Springer in round one of the
2
Pero Ljubic looked embarrassed after winning a marathon leg
Credit: X @OfficialPDC
2
The PDC joked that they had reached pub darts territory
Credit: X @OfficialPDC
Ljubic was just one from victory at 5-3 up but had a nightmare trying to close out the win.
It was a similar story for Springer, who failed to take his first two chances at winning the leg.
Ljubic then had three throws in a row to win it - going from double ten to double five - but missing every time.
It presented Springer with a second opportunity but again there was no luck.
READ MORE IN DARTS
His opponent returned to the oche but bust his score after throwing in single 18 when going for single one.
Springer also needed double one at this point - though he ended up
The shocked commentator reacted: "Incredible scenes here. Oh dear."
Frustrations were visible on both players' faces by this stage of the marathon leg.
Most read in Darts
BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK
Springer nearly launched a dart at the board in pure anger before just about composing himself.
But finally after Ljubic's 26th dart of the leg, he landed the double one to win.
Peter Wright stunned after James Wade farts during game
The 47-year-old veteran turned to his opponent with an embarrassed look on his face and threw his arms in relief.
The commentator reflected: "Pub players around the world just smiling and going, 'they can do it too'."
Ljubic faced fan's favourite
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

‘How does that happen?' – Darts hero stunned as Michael Smith fails to qualify for World Matchplay
‘How does that happen?' – Darts hero stunned as Michael Smith fails to qualify for World Matchplay

The Irish Sun

time2 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

‘How does that happen?' – Darts hero stunned as Michael Smith fails to qualify for World Matchplay

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. Advertisement 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 And just two years ago But a disastrous run of form this term saw Smith fail to qualify for the first time since 2013. Advertisement READ MORE IN DARTS 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 Now, ex-PDC slinger Edgar has questioned how Smith has slipped down the rankings so quickly. He said on his Advertisement Most read in Darts 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." Advertisement 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." Advertisement

Former Premier League manager Ivan Juric, 49, rushed to hospital after ‘serious inflammation of upper airways'
Former Premier League manager Ivan Juric, 49, rushed to hospital after ‘serious inflammation of upper airways'

The Irish Sun

time12 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

Former Premier League manager Ivan Juric, 49, rushed to hospital after ‘serious inflammation of upper airways'

FORMER Premier League manager Ivan Juric has been hospitalised after suffering "serious inflammation" of his upper airways. The 49-year-old is currently in charge of Serie A big boys Atalanta having replaced Gian Piero Gasperini as manager last month. 1 Atalanta boss ivan Juric has been hospitalised with "inflammation of the upper airways." Credit: Getty But he wasn't present for the club's first pre-season training session after a bacterial infection caused part of his airways to become seriously inflamed. An Atalanta statement read: ""talanta BC announces that coach Ivan Jurić was hospitalized in recent days at the Bolognini Hospital in Seriate, in the ENT department headed by Dr. Davide Panciera, following a serious inflammation of the upper airways, complicated by a bacterial infection of the epiglottis, which was treated with intravenous antibiotics." The condition of Croatian Juric is, thankfully, improving. Atalanta's statement continued: "The current clinical picture is significantly improving, and a protected discharge is expected in the next few days." Juric has yet to issue a statement on his hospitalisation. The Croat inked a two-year deal with Atalanta in early June. His appointment as La Dea chief came just over three months after he was sacked by Southampton following their releagtion to the Championship. THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.. Most read in Football The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video . Like us on Facebook at

‘What an absolute MESS' – James Wade blasts BA over ‘shocking customer service' days before World Matchplay Darts
‘What an absolute MESS' – James Wade blasts BA over ‘shocking customer service' days before World Matchplay Darts

The Irish Sun

timea day ago

  • The Irish Sun

‘What an absolute MESS' – James Wade blasts BA over ‘shocking customer service' days before World Matchplay Darts

DARTS star James Wade fumed at British Airways after his bags went missing - as he faces a race against time to get them back. The 42-year-old flew from Heathrow to Hamburg on Friday for the Baltic Sea Open but arrived without his luggage. 4 James Wade was on his way to the Baltic Sea Open when his luggage went missing from his flight to Hamburg Credit: Rex 4 Wade was fuming after the responses he received from British Airways' customer service team Credit: Getty The eleven-time major winner was knocked out in Kiel, Germany, in the semi-finals by Scot Gary Anderson. And to rub salt in the wounds, when he arrived back in the UK he discovered his luggage had never left the airport. Wade claims he was told it would be delivered to his home but wasn't given a time scale, with the World Matchplay - which he won in 2007 - just days away. The star took to X to complain about the situation in a long and detailed post recounting his frustrating experience. READ MORE ON DARTS Wade said: "British Airways what an absolute mess. "Checked in for my flight to Hamburg on BA0974 from T5 Heathrow on Friday 11th July 2025, and said good bye to by luggage for what seems to be forever. "Landed in Hamburg to the delight of no luggage. I was then told to expect my bag to be delivered to my hotel by 11:30 the next day. With frustration this never happened. "On return to Heathrow today, I have been informed that the luggage has never moved from its current location and on request that BA return this to me in person. Most read in Darts "I have then been told that they are unable to return my personal and professional possessions and have to wait for their procedure of delivering the luggage to my home address with no specific time scale." Wade's reference to "professional equipment" suggests his luggage included some of his darts equipment. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS The timing of the loss could not be worse for the English thrower, who is not sure whether he will receive his items back before he leaves for his next major tournament. He added: "With me leaving to attend the World Matchplay on Friday the 18th July 2025 in Blackpool you can appreciate this is not ideal preparation for one of the biggest major tournaments of the PDC calendar year. "Absolutely shocking customer service." He tagged British Airways' X account in the post. Wade is the latest darts player to encounter luggage problems in recent weeks. Meanwhile Ross Smith took to X on Friday to He was quickly joined later that day by Chris Dobey, who British Airways have been contacted for comment. In a previous statement regarding Friday's issues, a BA spokesperson said: "We're working really hard to get our customers' bags to them as quickly as possible following a failure of Heathrow Airport's baggage system on Friday. "Whilst this was out of our control, we're sorry for the inconvenience caused." 4 Wade will return to action later this week at the World Matchplay in Blackpool - but he is yet to find out if he will have his belongings with him Credit: Rex 4 England thrower Ross Smith also fell victim to British Airways' luggage problems en-route to Hamburg Credit: Getty List of all-time Darts World Champions BELOW is a list of darts world champions by year. The list does not include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions. That means Raymond van Barneveld, for example, is only listed once - Barney also won four BDO titles - and none of Eric Bristow's five BDO titles are included. 1994 - Dennis Priestley 1995 - Phil Taylor 1996 - Phil Taylor (2) 1997 - Phil Taylor (3) 1998 - Phil Taylor (4) 1999 - Phil Taylor (5) 2000 - Phil Taylor (6) 2001 - Phil Taylor (7) 2002 - Phil Taylor (8) 2003 - John Part 2004 - Phil Taylor (9) 2005 - Phil Taylor (10) 2006 - Phil Taylor (11) 2007 - Raymond van Barneveld 2008 - John Part (2) 2009 - Phil Taylor (12) 2010 - Phil Taylor (13) 2011 - Adrian Lewis 2012 - Adrian Lewis (2) 2013 - Phil Taylor (14) 2014 - Michael van Gerwen 2015 - Gary Anderson 2016 - Gary Anderson (2) 2017 - Michael van Gerwen (2) 2018 - Rob Cross 2019 - Michael van Gerwen (3) 2020 - Peter Wright 2021 - Gerwyn Price 2022 - Peter Wright (2) 2023 - Michael Smith 2024 - Luke Humphries 2025 - Luke Littler Most World Titles 14 - Phil Taylor 3 - Michael van Gerwen 2 - John Part, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright 1 - Dennis Priestley, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Luke Humphries, Luke Littler

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store