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Scottish Sun
15-07-2025
- Sport
- 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 Irish Sun
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Darts star, 39, had ‘Barney attack' on stage and smashed trophy into ‘a thousand pieces' in rage
KIM HUYBRECHTS had a 'Barney attack' on stage before his trophy smashed into 'a thousand pieces'. The 39-year-old is one of the top darts stars around. Advertisement 1 Kim Huybrechts has opened up on his dismal performance at the International Darts Open Credit: Rex Yet he has not added to the two European Tour titles that came earlier in his career. And he followed that up two years later with success at the European Darts Grand Prix. However, Huybrechts was unable to land a third trophy in 2016 at the International Darts Open. Advertisement READ MORE IN DARTS He ended up losing 6-5 to Mensur Suljovic in Germany and missed NINE match darts. He has now opened up on the brutal event, making light of fellow darts star Raymond van Barneveld while also revealed his runner-up trophy didn't make the cut. Huybrechts told the 'We were given a trophy, of course. And naturally, I got the runner-up trophy. Advertisement Most read in Darts Exclusive BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS 'You have to do the photos first — I wasn't exactly smiling in those. I even gave a few sarcastic thumbs up to the crowd when they announced me as the runner-up. 'No middle fingers, although I really wanted to. Luke Littler taunts fans with 'crying' gesture after Man Utd fan suffers abuse at Premier League Darts in Leeds 'After the final, I went backstage and, of course, it was a beautiful glass trophy. Advertisement 'Well, it didn't survive the trip. It ended up in a thousand pieces with the camera crew. 'At the next tournament, someone turned up with a cardboard box and said, 'You forgot something in Riesa.' "I opened it up, and inside were all the shards of the trophy.'
The Sun
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Darts star, 39, had ‘Barney attack' on stage and smashed trophy into ‘a thousand pieces' in rage
KIM HUYBRECHTS had a 'Barney attack' on stage before his trophy smashed into 'a thousand pieces'. The 39-year-old is one of the top darts stars around. 1 Yet he has not added to the two European Tour titles that came earlier in his career. Huybrecht's first triumph came at the Dutch Darts Masters in 2013. And he followed that up two years later with success at the European Darts Grand Prix. However, Huybrechts was unable to land a third trophy in 2016 at the International Darts Open. He ended up losing 6-5 to Mensur Suljovic in Germany and missed NINE match darts. He has now opened up on the brutal event, making light of fellow darts star Raymond van Barneveld while also revealed his runner-up trophy didn't make the cut. Huybrechts told the Darts Draai Door podcast: 'That's when I had a 'Barney attack' on stage. 'We were given a trophy, of course. And naturally, I got the runner-up trophy. 'You have to do the photos first — I wasn't exactly smiling in those. I even gave a few sarcastic thumbs up to the crowd when they announced me as the runner-up. 'No middle fingers, although I really wanted to. Luke Littler taunts fans with 'crying' gesture after Man Utd fan suffers abuse at Premier League Darts in Leeds 'After the final, I went backstage and, of course, it was a beautiful glass trophy. 'Well, it didn't survive the trip. It ended up in a thousand pieces with the camera crew. 'At the next tournament, someone turned up with a cardboard box and said, 'You forgot something in Riesa.' "I opened it up, and inside were all the shards of the trophy.'
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Headlines: Dinosaur theft and concert preparations
Here's our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the West of England, and interesting content from social media. Our pick of local website stories Two large animatronic dinosaurs from a Bristol company have been stolen from a car park in Essex, reports ITV News West Country. Raptors World had named the costumes Rexy and Yoshi and said it has been hit "incredibly hard" by the theft. Parts of the railings at the world famous Royal Crescent in Bath have been removed in preparation for an upcoming Robbie Williams concert, according to Somerset Live. reported on local darts star Gary Anderson winning the European Darts Grand Prix for the second year in a row over the weekend And the Swindon Advertiser was at the scene of a popular rubber duck race in Wroughton, which saw hundreds of plastic ducks "race" down the River Ray. Our top three from the Bank Holiday weekend What to watch on social media Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy posted a picture on Facebook to mark 20 years since she was first elected as MP, with a newspaper clipping from 2005. Historic England says a 16th Century timber-framed merchant's house in Gloucester has been restored, having been on their At Risk register since 2012. A call has gone out for prospective business owners to run the Old Town Quarry cafe in Weston-super-Mare. Councillor Mike Bell said the site is due to reopen in summer 2025. And on Reddit, a poster has noted there are thousands of signatures for a campaign to get the Whitchurch Athletics Track in Bristol regenerated. Follow BBC West social channels in Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
Daily Record
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Gary Anderson finds second darts home as Flying Scotsman asks European Grand Prix fans to stop one thing
Anderson joked that he'll be back for the beer after going back to back at European Grand Prix Glittering Gary Anderson reckons he's found a second darting home after going back-to-back at the European Darts Grand Prix. But the Scotsman issued a word of warning to some in his German fan club about offering respect to all stars as they fire for glory. Anderson stormed to a second-straight success in the Sindelfingen showpiece with a whitewash Final success over Andrew Gilding. Having defeated Ross Smith in the 2024 showpiece, the 54-year-old destroyed Goldfinger 8-0 to clinch his second ranking title of the year. Anderson was roared on by the locals and confessed: 'You know what, I'm a very proud Scotsman and I get a lot of support in Scotland. This has outdone them. This has been absolutely fantastic. It's been a long time since I've had so much support. 'Scotsmen playing all over the world, we get some, I can't say the word I'm going to say, but, no, fantastic.' Asked about a desire to get back as soon as possible, he joked: 'Must be the beer!' But the Scot did then have a serious word about whistling which has annoyed various players during recent events on the continent and in the UK. Anderson said: 'Listen, what I've noticed, the fans that come to watch darts in Germany, Belgium, wherever you go, Austria, fantastic, but what you've got to remember, these boys are up here playing darts, right? 'You've got to support them all, whether you like them, whether you don't like them. Give them all the respect. They're up here trying to do a very hard game, and it is a hard game. 'So next time they come up here, no whistling. Give them all the support and I'll tell you what, they'll love you for it.' Anderson came through Sunday with a scrappy quarter-final win over Martin Lukeman before a soaring semis success over Dirk van Duijvenbode. Gilding was then wiped aside and he said: 'Can I retire now! No, it's been good. I've known Andrew for a long, long time. Very, very good player. 'Andrew will come along, he'll win something, have a few weeks off, come back and win the next thing. 'But to play Andrew, to play the boys that we're playing now, we've seen so many youngsters come through, 'Gian [van Veen], Luke Littler, Luke Humphriesand even just to play darts with these boys now, I'm still racking myself with it. 'Martin's another classy player who is going to be about for a long time, but the game was terrible. I never got going, he never got going and it was one of those games. 'Rob Cross, about 40,000 darts at double. It's one of these things, but if darts was easy, it'd be a boring game.' It was Anderson's first stage title since winning last year's Euro Grand Prix and it sets him up for a strong summer. He said: 'I'm just glad that I can still come and play darts with these boys that are playing now. 'You know, I've played 30 years. I've played with your Phil Taylors, your [Eric] Bristows, your Steve Beatons, all the players over the years. Some boys are gone now, but these youngsters that are coming up, darts is in a good place. 'We've got a lot of young Germans coming through, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, English, Italians, French. Darts is going to be fantastic in the next five years.' You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here. Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
