Premier League Darts and the curse of the nine-darter
Hole in one, 147- break or nine-darter. The trend went viral recently, with debates about which is the hardest achievement in sports.
Perhaps it’s impossible to say with the debate endless, with each requiring extreme precision, skill and even a little bit of luck.
In darts, the nine-dart finish sends the crowd wild, beers go flying, and the elation is unmatched- it’s what every darts fan and player lives for.
Think back to incredible moments like Wayne Mardle’s iconic ‘I can’t spake!!’ line in commentary after the sensational leg between Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith in the 2023 World Championship.
Gerwyn Price in Manchester
In yesterday evening’s Premier League Darts night 10 in Manchester, the ‘Iceman’ Gerwyn Price hit another nine-darter against teenage sensation Luke Littler.
The 2021 World Champion was losing badly heading into the seventh leg, already trailing 5-1 to Littler, but it was jubilation in the arena when Price checked out with the double 12, with the Welshman and Littler even sharing an embrace.
Price is already the fourth person so far in this year’s competition to hit a nine-darter alongside Littler, Rob Cross and Luke Humphries.
Is there a curse?
But whilst the nine-darter is, of course, something that takes extreme skill, there is perhaps a more sinister side to the achievement.
Whilst Price won the leg with the nine-darter, he still went on to lose his match against Littler. And he’s not alone in that, with a trend occurring where a player who throws a nine-darter more often than not goes on to lose the game.
Humphries hit the first perfect leg of the Premier League this year in his match against Cross on night five in Brighton. However, he eventually went on to lose the match against Cross 6-4.
Later on that evening, Cross hit one himself in his semi-final against Nathan Aspinall; however, like Humpries, he also went on to lose that match.
Only one man has hit a nine-darter so far this season and gone on to win the match and, eventually, the night. It was, of course – Littler.
Emma Paton on the emotion of the nine-darter
We all live for nine-darters, and so do the professionals. For every perfect finish in the Premier League, they bag a staggering £30,000 – half of the guaranteed purse for each player in the tournament. Is this why players are getting caught up in the emotion?
A nine-darter triggers ecstasy on the oche, and understandably, players are getting caught up in the emotion. Such an achievement must peak heart rates and adrenaline, but then comes the inevitable comedown, which players cannot seem to recover from.
“I think the thinking is that the player loses their focus – they’re so hyped up and maybe lose a bit of rhythm,” Sky Sports presenter Emma Paton exclusively told the Sports Gazette.
“It’s probably telling that the only player to hit a nine-darter in the Premier League and win this year has been Littler – because he’s the most unphased player out of the lot.”
The hype generated is infectious, but players are struggling to recover on the big stage. Maybe we will see more subtle celebrations in the future as players attempt to calm themselves down in the moment.
Luke Littler immune to nine-dart curse
Of the most recent players to hit a nine-darter, the only one to win is Littler, securing a win against van Gerwen on night seven in Cardiff. Indeed, when analysing the 18-year-old’s record of hitting the perfect finish, Paton’s words come to fruition.
The teenager has hit seven nine-darters in his career – the first of which came against Rune van Damme in the PDC Youth/Development Tour in 2023. Since then, the world champion has a 100% record of hitting nine perfect darts before going on to win.
Littler’s mindset clearly sets him apart from his competitors and is an integral reason why he has been so successful since he joined the PDC tour. So far, the Nuke has 14 PDC titles and is top of the Premier League, with 25 points – five clear of Humphries.
The curse of the nine-darter is clearly one that breaks mortal darts players, which suggests that Littler is from another darting sphere.
Photo Credit: PDC
