Latest news with #RussBray
The Sun
22-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Luke Littler and Luke Humphries dubbed ‘rabbits in headlights' by darts legend
LEGENDARY referee Russ Bray admits the pressure left Luke Littler and Luke Humphries looking like 'rabbits in headlights' at the World Cup. Top seeds England were dumped out of the last 16 after losing 8-4 to Germany in Frankfurt. 4 World No.1 Humphries and world champion Littler were favourites to win the major but fell at the first hurdle. Legendary referee Bray believes the weight of expectation left the pair frozen. He said: 'With the two Lukes they looked like rabbits in headlights. They just couldn't get their game going at all. ' They were under a lot of pressure I think because of the hype, and you know world number one and two. 'People were saying they were going to win and nobody will touch them. I just thought that caught up with them a little bit.' 'The Voice of Darts' questioned how well the duo gelled as a team. He added: 'And they are both very much individual players. I know dart players are. 'It's very much different being an individual and going out on your own than it is playing as a team. You've got a different mindset.' Bray also reckons the lethal Lukes rhythm was disrupted by the stop-start nature of doubles play. He explained: 'The two Lukes are also very much rhythm players. They're out of rhythm because they are not following the next player. Being made an MBE shows I've helped 'change face of darts' says Luke Humphries 'They throw their three darts, and they have to wait for another six before they get back on again. There are lots of things involved.' Northern Ireland won the tournament for the first time with an epic victory over Wales in a final-leg decider. While others tipped the Three Lions for the title, Bray saw it differently He revealed: 'If I'm being honest, I didn't expect the Irish boys to win it [Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney] — but I also didn't expect England to either. 'I thought Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton would be the ones to win it — alongside Scotland, would you believe, who got absolutely blasted out of sight.' Gerwyn Price was quick to claim that England's failure was down to Littler and Humphries not playing as a team. He said: 'I think you need a connection. I think you need to have that camaraderie off the stage. '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. 'I'm not saying who they are. But they didn't win their first game. But 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. 'I wanted them to do well but they didn't. I'm not just saying that, but they were rubbish!' Meanwhile two-time world champion Dennis Priestley, 74, slammed world the pair for "letting their country down" after the early exit. 4 4
The Sun
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Win VIP tickets to the BetMGM Premier League Darts final AND an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas
BETMGM are going BIG for the Premier League Darts finals night at London's O2 Arena. And YOU could be there for an unforgettable night of world-class darts, luxury treatment, and the thrill of Las Vegas on the line - all completely free! Leading bookmaker BetMGM are giving fans the chance to win an incredible VIP experience at the BetMGM Premier League Darts Play-off Final on the 29th May. But that's not all - this incredible opportunity also includes the chance to land you and your guests an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas! Here's what's up for grabs: Three VIP tickets to the Premier League Darts Finals Night at The O2 An exclusive viewing experience with Russ Bray, the legendary voice of darts And the grand prize: If the finalists score twenty-one 180s on the night, you and your guests will be jetting off on a luxury trip to Las Vegas on BetMGM! Don't miss your chance to experience the electric atmosphere of Finals Night in true VIP style, rubbing shoulders with darts royalty and witnessing the likes of Luke Littler and Luke Humphries battle it out for the ultimate prize! There's also that tantalising trip to Las Vegas on the cards if the arrows fly just right with every 180 bringing you closer to the Strip. To enter, simply click HERE and follow the instructions on the BetMGM website. Good luck! Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
The Sun
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
‘It's a business' – Darts icon backs plan to move World Championship from Alexandra Palace and hand £2MILLION to winner
A Darts icon has backed a proposed venue change for the PDC World Darts Championships. Alexandra Palace has been the tournament's home since its 2008 move from the Circus Tavern in Essex. 4 4 4 But the iconic venue's future hosting the annual competition is in doubt as Saudi Arabia has been mooted as a potential new location for the tournament. And retired referee Russ Bray believes a change of venue could make sense given the recent growth of the sport and the potential increase of prize money. During an appearance on talkSPORT, he said: "The PDC's [Professional Darts Corporation] a business, like you say, it is a business. "Barry and Eddie [Hearn, respective chairman and ex-chairman] and Matt [Porter, CEO of PDC], these guys, they'll sit down and talk. "Obviously, if they can pay the players £2million for winning the World Final because we've got to go somewhere else, then I'm pretty certain that's what they will do. It makes sense." Matchroom supremo Barry Hearn has already been approached by the Saudis about bringing the competition to The Kingdom. But he knocked them back after they informed him fans wouldn't be able to drink alcohol at events. The 76-year-old said: "The Saudis asked me for [the] darts about a couple of months ago. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 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 "I asked them a simple question. 'Can we have alcohol?' "And they said no. I said, 'Well then you can't have the darts.'" Luke Littler taunts fans with 'crying' gesture after Man Utd fan suffers abuse at Premier League Darts in Leeds Hearn, however, does believe The Kingdom could make a good home for the World Snooker Championships. The veteran promoter has recently threatened to take the competition away from the Crucible unless the iconic venue is given a major revamp. When asked if snooker's biggest tournament will stay put, Hearn told Radio Snooker with Nick Metcalfe: "I hope so but we've got to live in the real world. "So much of professional sport is about money. "And as much as we want to stay here desperately, it's got to be something that fits into the overall picture of where the game is going. "This is a huge game. We mustn't be parochial in our attitude. "As long as everyone understands that and comes to the party in a reasonable and respectful way, I'm hopeful we can stay here. "We must know by the end of the year. The clock is ticking."
Times
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Russ Bray: I only made £12k a year from my darts app — then Luke Littler came along
Russ Bray, 67, is widely regarded as the best darts referee in the world and an ambassador for the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Nicknamed The Voice for his uniquely loud and raspy calling style, Bray was inducted into the PDC Hall of Fame in 2024 after 28 years as a professional referee. A former traffic cop, he played county darts for Hertfordshire and won competitions in Finland and Norway with Eric Bristow. His career as a referee began when he stepped in after an official failed to show up. Bray still travels the world to referee the Asian Tour and World Series and does regular voiceovers and personalised video messages. He lives in Soham, Cambridgeshire, with his wife, Sue. £100. There's still some places that
