Latest news with #SteveBeaton
The Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Two-time world champion, 40, to make emotional darts return after over TWO YEARS away for live TV event
ADRIAN LEWIS will next month make his return to televised darts – after a near two-and-half year absence. The two-time world champion last threw competitive darts in front of the cameras at the PDC's UK Open in 2023 at Butlin's Minehead. 3 3 Yet after that tournament, he decided to walk away from the sport – and eventually lost his professional tour card – for family reasons and having fallen out of love with the game. Lewis' wife Sarah has 'an incurable kidney disease' and his son 'has autism and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)', which has meant his full-time concentration and care. However, SunSport can now reveal he plans to make a comeback at the MODUS Super Series in Portsmouth at 10pm on Thursday August 28. It will be shown live and free on the MODUS Super Series Darts Channel on Pluto TV The Stoke star, 40, will represent Team England in a special 'International Pairs' week alongside Steve Beaton, 61, the 1996 Lakeside world champion. The finals night will be on Saturday August 30 provided the English duo qualify. It sees Lewis, a four-time World Cup of Darts champion, represent his country for the first time since 2017. And he will also be reunited with his old sparring partner and mentor Phil Taylor, the 16-time world champion, for a special event. Should he rediscover his form in the coming months, then there is a chance he may wish to return to the pro ranks but it would have been through Qualifying School in January 2026. Darts supremo Barry Hearn does not plan to give him a special wildcard entry even though Lewis is a decorated and popular figure within the sport. Adrian Lewis doesn't hesitate naming the three darts stars who are bigger villains than him 3 Lewis said: 'The MODUS Super Series is the perfect platform for me to gauge where my game is at. 'I've been practicing well and have played well in a lot of exhibitions. 'It will be something very different for me but I've been watching the MODUS Super Series on Pluto TV and the standard is incredible. 'There are some brilliant players and I don't expect it to be easy. Nothing is easy in darts these days. 'I've taken time out to focus on my family life. I told Barry Hearn back when I made that decision that I don't expect any freebies if I do decide to make a comeback. 'I'm willing to work for it and maybe this can be the first step. 'It hasn't been easy over the last few years. My wife has to live with an illness and my son has autism and ADHD. 'I found myself travelling to events but not wanting to be there and wanting to be at home with them instead. 'I think I lost a bit of love for the game. I wasn't happy and my performances suffered as a result. 'I'm not making any long-term plans but I still have a lot to give and if this goes well then we'll take the next step at the right time. 'The main thing is I'm happy and looking forward to playing competitive darts on my own terms, in my own time, without the demands of the tour, for now at least.'
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."
Daily Mirror
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Ex-world champ darts ace expected to reverse retirement – ‘I'm pretty certain'
Steve Beaton called time on his career on the PDC main tour at the backend of 2024, but the 1996 BDO world champion has been tipped to make a return by Matt Edgar Matt Edgar has backed Steve Beaton to make a remarkable comeback to the PDC this year, despite the veteran surrendering his Tour Card in 2024. The 61-year-old darts legend, 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 last year. Beaton currently competes on the MODUS Super Series alongside the seniors circuit. However, Edgar, 38, has publicly tipped a return to darts' elite level during an appearance on the Love The Darts podcast last month with Sky Sports presenters Emma Paton and Abigail Davies. While the 1996 BDO world champion willingly surrendered his PDC Tour card, Edgar believes the additional investment flooding into the sport, combined with the expanded Paddy Power World Darts Championship format coming to Alexandra Palace later this year, will prove irresistible for the Coventry ace. "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 this year 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," Edgar explained. "Those sorts of players that are looking that they be missing out on some of the big events or they could be going down the rankings like Michael Smith and Dimitri Van den Bergh, this is the year to have a slip because you can get away with it this year to the point where it's not going to ruin you for the four-five year plan. "How many people out there has this really inspired and encouraged because it's two big announcements. We've given you access and opportunity not just in the World Championships but the World Masters now. "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.'", reports the Express. "That's great for your sponsorships and the prize money going up, this is right now a very good position for any darts player." Davies then expressed her hopeful thinking that Beaton would be amongst those players motivated, to which Edgar boldly declared: "I think he does, I'm calling it now. 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. Despite Edgar's prediction, it was only last month that Beaton revealed it was simply time for him to step back from such a demanding darts schedule. "You've got to move on. I'm 61 now," he shared with Online Darts regarding his choice to retire from the PDC. "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."
The Sun
11-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Raymond van Barneveld granted exemption to play in darts tournament as five-time world champion accepts wildcard invite
DARTS legend Raymond van Barneveld has been granted permission to join the World Seniors Tour. The 58-year-old has been named as the final wildcard for the 2025 Champion of Champions. 2 Barney will take on 11 other legends of the sport at the tournament in Portsmouth on June 29. The Dutch icon currently holds a PDC Tour Card. He was given special permission by the PDC to appear in the event later this month. Van Barneveld began his darts pro career way back in 1987. He started in the BDO, winning four world titles before joining the PDC in 2006. Barney added the PDC crown a year later, cementing his place as a legend of the sport. The Dutchman still plays on the Tour, but his last major televised final came in the 2018 Masters. He will go up against stars including Simon Whitlock, Steve Beaton and Mervyn King in Portsmouth. Van Barneveld said: "I am looking forward to playing in this event. "The sport has always loved big characters, and World Seniors Darts have brought them back, with most still playing to a high standard. "They have a loyal crowd, and the popularity for the Seniors seems to grow and grow. "I'm looking forward to catching up with the old faces of the sport, especially from my BDO era. "I'm not coming over to Portsmouth thinking this will be easy. "I will be giving my full respect to all of the players involved, and I will be preparing hard for this tournament". "To have the likes of Simon Whitlock, Steve Beaton and Mervyn King, who have not long come off the Professional Tour, and then Seniors World Champions like John [Henderson], Robert [Thornton], and Ross [Montgomery] also playing, it's going to be a real battle out there to take the title".
The Sun
07-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
‘Players are not enjoying it' – Phil Taylor makes explosive claim about Premier League Darts and demands urgent change
DARTS legend Phil Taylor has slammed the format of the Premier League. Luke Humphries beat Luke Littler in the play-off showpiece to end the 16-night roadshow. 2 2 The eight-player format involving a quarter, semi and final every Thursday has been in place since 2022. But Taylor is not a fan of the setup, saying: "It's very tiring… I think they do need to look at it now. "It needs revamping, that's what I think. A lot of the players are not enjoying it and you can tell." Fans also criticised the repetitive format after last week's final and so did legend Steve Beaton, labelling it "boring". He argued that seeing top players face each other regularly dampens the blockbuster feel to the match-ups. But Taylor has been entertained by the standard of play on show throughout this year's Premier League. He added: "Luke and Luke are really setting the standards at the moment. "The levels they're producing and how they're bringing the best out of each other — it's incredible for the rest of the sport. "And not just Luke and Luke — I love watching Chris Dobey. "Nathan Aspinall is playing superb. Absolutely superb. He's won two or three of these Premier Leagues. He's done brilliant.'
