Latest news with #MatthewEdgar
The Sun
6 days ago
- Sport
- The 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. 2 2 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. 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. "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. '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
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
‘Pretty certain' – Darts legend, 61, tipped for instant return to the sport just months after retirement
DARTS hero Steve Beaton has tipped to come out of retirement months after laying down his arrows. Beaton, 61, began on the professional circuit in 1991 - competing against the likes of Dennis Priestley and Bob Anderson - before calling it quits last year. 2 Beaton is a former Lakeside World Champion and semi-finalist in the UK Open and World Grand Prix. The "Bronzed Adonis" played in his 33rd consecutive PDC World Darts Championship last year, seeing off Dutchman Wessel Nijman 3-1 in the last 96. Beaton, who holds the record for 33 World Darts Championship appearances, brought the curtain down on his three-decade-plus stint on the main tour at the end of 2024. He currently competes on the MODUS Super Series alongside the seniors circuit - which Phil Taylor used to feature in after retirement. But Matthew Edgar, 38, has backed Beaton to make a remarkable comeback to the PDC this year. Edgar reckons the huge investment into the sport, combined with the expanded World Darts Championship format coming to Ally Pally later this year, will prove irresistible for the Coventry ace. Edgar told the Love The Darts podcast: "With the increased ranking money next year, if you're going to have a bad year and miss the big events, you can get away with it. "Because you can make it back up again in the previous year and the following year when you're not defending anything, you've got this heightened prize money, you can make the jump quite significantly. 2 "You're guaranteed the UK Open so realistically you think, 'Well, if I just have an okay season I should be in three potentially big events." Sky Sports presenter Abigail Davies then guessed that Beaton could be among those players motivated to return, to which Edgar boldly declared: "I think he does, I'm calling it now. Darts fans hail 'greatest thing I've ever seen' as star lands extremely rare triple-bullseye checkout "I think Steve Beaton's at Q School this year. I am pretty certain of it." Q School is a qualifying tournament for players who compete against each other to earn a PDC Tour Card, which allows them to play on the professional circuit. The World Championship is expanding to 128 players for the 2025/26 edition, with a total prize fund of £5 million, including £1 million for the winner. Despite Edgar's prediction, it was only last month that Beaton revealed it was time for him to step back from such a demanding darts schedule. He said: ""You've got to move on. I'm 61 now. I can't keep playing darts all the time. "I do watch them and I feel for them you know, they're on the clock all the time. It's great when you're younger. But once you get older it's harder."
