Latest news with #PremierLeagueDarts
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Bankrupt former World Darts semi-finalist, 59, stuns Gerwyn Price to earn timely Players Championship prize money boost
MERVYN KING'S form has gone "Boom" - three months after he went bust. The Ipswich ace toppled former Advertisement 2 Mervyn King worried he'd lose his home after being made insolvent Credit: Getty 2 Ex-world champ Gerwyn Price was overwhelmed by King Credit: Shutterstock Editorial It could not be more timely for King who feared losing his home after saying he owed 'north of £500,000' to HMRC. The one-time BDO world no. 1 exclusively told SunSport in March he even worried about how he could look after his three dogs. The ex-PDC World Championship semi-finalist said he "hid my head in the sand' as his debts soared over the past two decades. But King was in scintillating nick at Leicester's Mattioli Arena on Wednesday. Advertisement READ MORE DARTS NEWS And top billing went to his opening performance. The current world no.147 dismantled Premier League Darts star Price 6-2. Averaging nearly 100, King bagged six of his nine attempts at double to clinch a 6-2 victory. His Welsh victim Price, 40, is world-ranked 11th and has seven PDC majors to his name, including the ultimate prize at the Ally Pally in 2021. Advertisement Most read in Darts BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK King went onto beat Glastonbury thrower Justin Hood 6-3 before pipping Dutchman Wesley Plaisier 6-5. But resurgent Morecambe hurler Darts star Daryl Gurney screams X-rated rant about his 'b------s' on stage at World Cup But for King just being at the oche might be a joy after he was made insolvent at the High Court of Justice in London earlier this year. Advertisement It left he and wife Tracey anxious about the care of their three large pets — a Pyrenean Mountain Dog, a Pyrenees-Newfoundland cross and a Golden Retriever - should the couple have to move home. King picked up most of his darts' prize money at his peak from the late-90s to early 2000s. However, he mistakenly thought that income was "winnings" rather than "earnings" - and he didn't make it known to the tax authorities. Two decades later - during Covid - King began Advertisement He also started a construction business but 'got rid of it' as he could no longer be a company director.
Metro
2 days ago
- Sport
- Metro
Luke Littler and Luke Humphries 'let their country down and don't deserve MBEs'
Former world champion Dennis Priestley has accused Luke Littler and Luke Humphries of 'letting their country down' during the World Cup of Darts. Littler and Humphries, the current and former world champions, suffered a shock defeat to hosts Germany in the last-16 stage. England were 'massive favourites' going into the tournament, with Littler and Humphries meeting in last month's Premier League Darts final. But they appeared to struggle to deal with a partisan crowd in Frankfurt and lost 8-4 to the German pair of Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko. Priestley was hugely disappointed by England's performance at the World Cup and 'heard' the pair were not practising together before the tournament. 'Luke Littler and Luke Humphries let their country down at the World Cup of Darts,' he told OLBG. 'From what we've heard they weren't sitting together or practising together. 'When I was playing in pairs with Phil Taylor we practised together and sat together, we played all over the world and I only remember us getting beaten once. 'If you go on and win the tournament without practising then it doesn't matter, but when you go out without winning a game as the big favourites, it's not a good look. 'Having said that, I think they will learn from the experience and come back stronger. Don't be surprised to see them lifting the trophy next year.' Popular darts pundit Wayne Mardle felt Littler and Humphries 'buckled under the pressure' of being the overwhelming favourites for the World Cup of Darts. 'Luke and Luke, no doubt, were feeling the stresses and strains of being massive favourites,' the four-time world championship semi-finalist told Sky Sports. 'The pressure got to them at some point and they buckled. Their opponents didn't, and full credit to Martin and Ricardo there.' Former World Cup of Darts winner Damon Heta added: 'They probably relied on each other, thinking 'Oh, he'll do the business'. 'But the conditions weren't great. The crowd was all for Germany so it was probably brutal out there for them, but they will take it as another learning curve and probably get stronger – unfortunately for the rest of us. 'Fair play to Germany, they played good darts, but we are just worried about us and what we have got to do.' Littler and Humphries poor display at the World Cup came less than 24 hours after both became MBEs in the King's Birthday Honour. 'This is an amazing and unexpected honour but one which I am very grateful for,' said Littler, who became the youngest world darts champion in history at the start of 2025. 'To receive a recognition like this is something I had never thought would be possible, and it is a proud moment. 'It's unbelievable what I've done for my sport; I'm happy, my family is happy and I can't wait to receive it.' Humphries, meanwhile, added: 'Everyone's talking about darts now, and I think that we're two of the pioneering parts of that. 'We've changed the face of darts over the last couple of years. It's starting to become a younger man's game. It's nice to be at the forefront of that.' Priestley believes it was 'very early' for Littler, 18, and Humphries, 30, to be handed the accolades. 'To be brutally honest, I don't think either Luke Littler or Luke Humphries have done enough to earn their MBEs just yet,' the 74-year-old added. NORTHERN IRELAND ARE THE WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS 🏆It's simply incredible… Northern Ireland win one of the greatest World Cup Finals ever, beating Wales 10-9!Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney are the 2025 @BetVictor World Cup Champions! 🙌 — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) June 15, 2025 'I think in time they could've done enough to warrant it but it feels very early, they have both won one World Championship each and are still young in their careers. 'Littler has been recognised for raising the popularity of darts which is great, but he can still do so much more. 'If he is getting an MBE this soon then you'd have to think he is on the right path to a knighthood, nothing would surprise me now.' England's World Cup conquerors Germany beat Australia in the quarter-finals before losing 8-1 to Northern Ireland in a one-sided semi-final. The Northern Irish team of Daryl Gurney and Josh Rock then beat two-time champions Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton of Wales 10-9 in a thrilling final. More Trending 'Me and Daryl said when we team up for the World Cup, we'll win it and we did,' said Rock, 24. 'We've won for our country, we've made history.' Gurney, 39, added: 'Josh's power scoring was amazing and I was there to clean up the finishing. I've never been so proud of this man and myself. The prize for winning the World Cup of Darts, which was established in 2010 and now happens annually, was £80,000. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: World Cup of Darts 2025 schedule, TV channel, teams, fixtures and odds MORE: Premier League Darts final 2025: Prize money, start time, format and schedule MORE: Gerwyn Price makes prediction ahead of Luke Littler Premier League Darts clash
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Gerwyn Price in brutal attack on Littler and Humphries after World Cup failure
Pre-tournament favourites Luke Littler and Luke Humphries fell short in their bid for World Cup of Darts glory with England, and Gerwyn Price made his feelings clear Welsh darts star Gerwyn Price argued Luke Littler and Luke Humphries failed to act as a team in the lead-up to their shock World Cup of Darts exit. English pair Littler and Humphries were top seeds and pre-tournament favourites, but suffered an unexpected loss to Germany in the round of 16. Price and team-mate Jonny Clayton had a better time of it with Wales. They knocked out The Philippines, Hong Kong and The Netherlands en route to the final, where they lost 10-9 to Northern Ireland. Littler and Humphries came into the competition off the back of the Premier League Darts play-offs, where Littler beat Price in his semi-final before losing to Humphries in the final. However, reflecting on the World Cup shock, Price pointed to the behaviour of the English duo before their elimination. "When we all turned up on the first day - and I'm not just saying this because they lost - the only two players that 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," Price told reporters, to laughter from some in the audience before adding: "But no, you need it," he continued. "You need to turn up together. You need to be as a team. You turn up 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 that they're great players individually but you need to be a team." Price's team-mate Clayton then proceeded to rib the Iceman, reminding him he wasn't going to name the team in question, prompting more laughter. "But no, you need that team ethic and you need to be together as a team all the way through, but it didn't happen," Price added. "I wanted them to do well but they didn't. I swear, I'm not just saying that because I want to make some fans or anything, but I did. I wanted them to do well, but they were rubbish." After claiming an 8-4 victory over England, the German pair of Ricardo Pietreczko and Martin Schindler squeezed past Australia in their quarter-final. They came up short against Northern Ireland in the semis, though, with Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney then proceeding to beat Price and Clayton in the final. "I would like to congratulate Wales, it shows the class of the Welsh team to stay on stage and congratulate us," Gurney told Sky Sports after the win. "Jonny and Gezzy are legends of the game, I think they'll go on and win big titles this year. "Josh's power scoring was amazing and I was there to clean up the finishing; I was never going to miss the double eight to win the title. I'm so proud of Josh and myself, I put higher regard on this title than any individual events I've won."
Wales Online
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Luke Littler has item in house which left influencer AngryGinge almost lost for words
Luke Littler has item in house which left influencer AngryGinge almost lost for words YouTube sensation Luke Littler was left in hysterics after being questioned by Soccer Aid star AngryGinge over an off-season decoration in his front room Luke Littler baffled AngryGinge with his home decoration (Image: PA ) AngryGinge was baffled to see a Christmas tree still up in Luke Littler's house during an early June episode of Celebrity Gogglebox on Channel 4. The renowned YouTuber and darting prodigy joined forces for the programme when Ginge - real name Morgan Burtwhistle - questioned an odd sight in Littler's living room. Ginge erupted into laughter as he asked: "Yeah just a genuine question Luke. "Why the hell have you got a Christmas tree in your house and we're on the 8th of June?" he added, while pulling the artificial tree into view. Littler tried to stifle his amusement before replying: "Yeah, good question." He then offered the reason after a short pause, adding: "We were at the World Championships for the whole of December pretty much, become the champion and we just never took it down. Can't take it down now," leading Ginge to ask: "So it's just there forever now?" With quick wit, Littler replied: "Yeah it's there until next Christmas now," before an intrigued Ginge asked: "But you're going to be at the World Championships again, so is it just gonna stay there again?" To which Littler explained: "Yeah but when we get back it'll go. Can't be up for a full year," as Ginge chuckled away from the camera. In January, Littler set a record by becoming the youngest player ever to win a PDC World Championship title, defeating the experienced Michael van Gerwen at Alexandra Palace aged just 17 years and 347 days, reports the Mirror. Article continues below Despite a promising start, 'The Nuke' was unable to retain his Premier League Darts title last month at London's O2, falling to world No. 1 Luke Humphries in an 11-8 defeat in the final. The duo recently partnered for the World Cup of Darts but were surprisingly ousted by Germany in the last-16. Content cannot be displayed without consent Following a successful first season in Baller League UK, where he led his Yanited team to second place behind Alisha Lehmann and Maya Jama's MVPs United, Ginge is now preparing for Soccer Aid this Sunday. As a lifelong Manchester United supporter, Ginge will fulfil a dream when he steps onto the revered Old Trafford pitch alongside several Red Devils legends, including Wayne Rooney, Gary Neville, John O'Shea, Nemanja Vidic and Edwin van der Sar, all in support of Unicef. Angry Ginge is set to take part in Soccer Aid (Image: PA ) Ginge will also join a star-studded line-up for the charity football match, with British long-distance runner Mo Farah, TV adventurer Bear Grylls, comedian Paddy McGuinness and One Direction's Louis Tomlinson participating. Article continues below The event will be broadcast from 6pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with kick-off scheduled for 7.30pm. This isn't Ginge's first time on the pitch; earlier this year, he participated in the 2025 Sidemen Charity Football Match at a packed Wembley Stadium. The YouTube sensation, boasting over 816,000 subscribers on the platform, was a member of the YouTube Allstars team in March, netting a goal in the 58th minute of the nail-biting 9-9 match that was ultimately decided by penalties. He also participated in the game back in 2023, playing for Sidemen FC in an 8-5 victory at West Ham's London Stadium.
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
AngryGinge left utterly bemused by item in Luke Littler's house - 'Why on earth'
Luke Littler and AngryGinge teamed up for Channel 4's Celebrity Gogglebox recently, and the darts sensation left the YouTuber creased with a decoration which was well past its sell-by date AngryGinge was left in a state of confusion when he spotted a Christmas tree on display in Luke Littler's house earlier this month. The darts sensation and the YouTube content creator teamed up during an instalment of Channel 4's Celebrity Gogglebox when Ginge - real name Morgan Burtwhistle - spotted something a little unusual in Littler's front room. Leaving the sofa while chuckling, Ginge said: "Yeah just a genuine question Luke. Why the hell have you got a Christmas tree in your house and we're on the 8th of June?," as he dragged the decorated faux Fir into shot. Struggling to keep his own laughter in, Littler replied: "Yeah, good question." After a brief pause, he added: "We were at the World Championships for the whole of December pretty much, become the champion and we just never took it down. Can't take it down now," before Ginge replied: "So it's just there forever now?" With quick wit, Littler responded: "Yeah it's there until next Christmas now," before an intrigued Ginge asked: "But you're going to be at the World Championships again, so is it just gonna stay there again?" Littler added: "Yeah but when we get back it'll go. Can't be up for a full year," as Ginge cackled off screen. Littler made history in January by becoming the youngest-ever player to win a PDC World Championship by beating seasoned veteran Michael van Gerwen at Alexandra Palace at the age of just 17 years and 347 days old. And while 'The Nuke' looked likely to defend his Premier League Darts crown last month at London's O2 after topping the league standings, world No. 1 Luke Humphries proved too hot to handle in the final as Littler suffered an 11-8 loss. The pair recently teamed up in the World Cup of Darts but suffered a shock defeat to Germany in the last-16. Fresh off the back of an inaugural Baller League UK season in which he guided his Yanited team to a runners-up finish to Alisha Lehmann and Maya Jama's MVPs United, Ginge is currently gearing up to play at Soccer Aid on Sunday. The lifelong Manchester United fan will see his dreams come true when he graces the hallowed turf of Old Trafford alongside a number of Red Devils legends, including Wayne Rooney, Gary Neville, John O'Shea, Nemanja Vidic and Edwin van der Sar in aid of Unicef. And Ginge will also link up with a whole host of household names in doing so, with the likes of British long-distance legend Mo Farah, TV adventurer survivalist Bear Grylls, funny man Paddy McGuinness and One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson also taking part in the coveted charity football match. Coverage of the event starts at 6pm on ITV1 and ITVX, before kick-off lands at 7.30pm. No stranger to playing as well as managing, it comes after Ginge took part in the 2025 Sidemen Charity Football Match at a jam-packed Wembley earlier this year. The YouTube star - who has amassed more than 816,000 subscribers on the platform - was part of the YouTube Allstars team back in March, scoring in the 58th minute of the 9-9 thriller before winning on penalties. He also took part in the match back in 2023 as part of Sidemen FC in an 8-5 win at West Ham's London Stadium.
