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Wayne Mardle at Wolverhampton in November 2022
Photo:
Shane Healey/IMAGO/Pro Sports Images
The spectacle was too much even for a seasoned former darts pro like Wayne Mardle.
The Briton had yelled so loudly at the World Cup final between the new champion Michael Smith from England and the Dutchman Michael van Gerwen that he was replaced during the final on Tuesday evening – because he no longer had a voice.
A Sky Sports employee frantically ran through Alexandra Palace to call in John Part as a last-minute replacement.
"I can not talk anymore!!!!!!!!
What a finale!” Mardle later wrote on Twitter.
During the final (7:4) the best leg in darts history happened.
Van Gerwen threw eight perfect darts, but then just missed double 12.
(Read everything you need to know about the final here)
In return, Smith made the nine-darter a perfect game, something no one had done at this World Cup or in a World Cup final in 12 years.
"One million views"
Smith wrote on Twitter that night that he had watched the nine-darter "a million times".
"It would never have been as good if Wayne Mardle hadn't commented on it," Smith wrote.
Previously, there had always been six, seven or eight perfect darts in the title fights at Alexandra Palace – but the nine failed to materialize in the first 94 games of the £2.5 million (around €2.84 million) event – until Final match between Smith and van Gerwen.
For example, there was no nine-darter at the 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 World Championships.
ngo/dpa