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    Man Utd flop left Michael van Gerwen furious after beating him at darts… with a NINE-DARTER

    MICHAEL VAN GERWEN was left fuming after being beaten at a game of darts by Wout Weghorst. The Manchester United star, who is on loan from Burnley, revealed his match with Van Gerwen and how he ended up leaving his Dutch compatriot “a little angry”.
    Michael Van Gerwen lost a darts match to Wout WeghorstCredit: Rex
    With Weghorst revealing the ‘cool’ way he beat his countrymanCredit: EPA
    Speaking to Sky Sports last year, Weghorst said: “We played once, he was with the national team (to visit).
    “He came there on an evening and we just played. It was funny and then at the end, we played from 301.
    “We played down and then I beat him. Of course that was crazy, that was really nice.
    “But he was a little bit angry and wanted to play two more games and I had no chance.”
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    The 30-year-old then lifted the lid on the “cool” way he beat the former world No1.
    He added: “But we will just stick with the first one. I was done in nine from 301.
    “I started exactly with two 140’s and then hit the double directly so that was funny, that was cool.”
    Weghorst has struggled to find his best form since joining Erik ten Hag’s side in January.
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    He has failed to score in 13 Premier League outings but has managed a goal in both the Europa League and Carabao Cup.
    Last month SunSport exclusively revealed how Besiktas want to bring Weghorst back in the summer.
    This is despite the 6ft 6in forward ditching them in the middle of the season in order to pursue a loan transfer to Man Utd.
    In Van Gerwen’s case, he has cast doubt over his Premier League darts future after revealing he was “fed up” of losing.
    The 34-year-old lost the PDC World Championship final the Michael Smith in January before losing to Smith again in the semi-finals in Manchester. More

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    ‘Homes under the hammered’ – PDC share joke with Dion Dublin after boozy pub session ahead of World Darts Championship

    THE PDC poked fun at Dion Dublin’s drinking session as the TV host and former footballer headed to the darts. The World Championships are in full swing and producing some absolutely stunning matches.
    Dublin was enjoying a boozy pub session with mates before the dartsCredit: Twitter / @DionDublinDube

    Darts fan Dublin is among those enjoying the action at the Alexandra Palace and was seen on camera enjoying the opening game of the afternoon.
    Before that, the Homes Under the Hammer presenter took to Twitter as he showed off all of his downed pints.
    Dublin can be seen holding six empty cups of beer alongside mates as he prepared for a laid-back afternoon at the Ally-Pally.
    The former Manchester United flashed a smile at the camera and directed a message at the PDC account as he tweeted: “6 down let’s go!”
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    The official darts account then brilliantly quipped: “Homes under the hammered”.
    Dublin was announced as a shock presenter of the daytime BBC show in 2015.
    Since then he has become popular with viewers and known for his “stairs leading up to the bedrooms” catchphrase.
    He also featured as a co-commentator for some of the BBC’s World Cup coverage.
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    The drama Dublin watched out in Qatar is almost being surpassed by the last few days of action at the PDC World Championships.
    The 53-year-old was in attendance this afternoon as Dirk van Duijvenbode played out an all-time Ally Pally classic with Ross Smith.
    The Dutchman won a deciding sudden death leg after he and Smith could not be separated over six gripping sets.
    The pair also combined for a record-breaking 31 180s which smashed the previous amount for a best-of-seven game.
    Van Duijvenbode will now face tournament favourite and countryman Michael van Gerwen in the last 16.
    Van Gerwen was embroiled in a brilliant match of his own yesterday as he saw off the impressive Mensur Suljovic. More

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    England star and darts nut James Maddison enjoys night out at Ally Pally… but refused to down pint for rowdy crowd

    JAMES MADDISON enjoyed some festive fun at Ally Pally to watch the World Darts Championships last night – but refused to bow to the pressure and down a pint!The 26-year-old Leicester City star has just returned to his club after being part of England’s World Cup squad.
    Darts nut James Maddison enjoyed a night at Ally Pally on FridayCredit: Getty
    The Leicester City ace says he is top of the club’s darts schoolCredit: PA
    The barmy crowd chanted for him to down a pint but the footy ace refusedCredit: PA
    Maddison produced a dart throwing celebration recently against WolvesCredit: Reuters
    Unfortunately for the Foxes ace he did not get any minutes for the Three Lions out in the Middle East after suffering injury in his last Premier League outing at West Ham.
    Despite that, the hugely-popular attacker and self-confessed darts nut wore a smile as bright as his Christian Dior jumper as he revelled in the atmosphere in North London.
    Maddison, who hopes to be part of Leicester’s side to face Newcastle at home on Boxing Day, was still strictly business.
    And after he was spotted by the crowds on the big screen and urged to down a pint, the footy ace refused to gulp a beer in one, much to the disappointment of those chanting.
    READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
    During an interview with Sky Sports, Maddison said: “I think it’s known that I’m a big fan of the darts.
    “We have a good darts school at Leicester. Lot of the lads play, even the staff play.
    “We take the board to away games and we stick it up the night before when we’re having down time and the standard is decent.”
    And when pressed on if he was top of the leaderboard, he said: “I don’t want to come across big-headed but I am.
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    “Luke Thomas, who is with me today, would say different but the standard is quite good to be fair.”
    When asked if he gets 180’s, Maddison replied: “Yeah, I’ve had a few 180’s. Gone past the stage where I count how many I’ve got. But it’s good fun – we love the darts.”
    Maddison has discussed his love of darts on numerous occasions and he even produced a dart throwing celebration after scoring at Wolves back in October.
    Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers remained coy this week when he was asked about Maddison’s chances of playing on Monday, saying: “We’re going to give it every chance to see where he’s at.
    “He’s had some ongoing issues with his knee. We’ll assess that.”
    Maddison witnessed former champion Rob Cross reach the third round of the PDC World Championship after beating debutant Scott Williams.
    He will now play Mervyn King in round three.
    Welshman Jonny Clayton advanced with a 3-0 victory over Dutchman Danny van Trijp and will take on Brendan Dolan next after he beat Jimmy Hendriks 3-1.
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    Danny Noppert triumphed 3-1 victor over David Cameron, while Joe Cullen beat Ricky Evans and Ross Smith defeated Darius Labanauskas by the same scoreline.
    Chris Dobey enjoyed a 3-0 win over Martijn Kleermaker while Martin Schindler beat Martin Lukeman 3-1. More

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    Meet Beau Greaves the 18-year-old sensation aiming to take darts by storm after EIGHT straight titles in Women’s Series

    BEAU GREAVES represents the future of professional darts – after overcoming crippling dartitis.This week, the 18-year-old sensation will become the youngest woman to play in the 30-year history of the PDC World Darts Championship.
    Beau Greaves is quickly becoming the future of dartsCredit: Rex
    Beau Greaves has won eight straight titles in the Women’s Series and will now be one of three females in the PDC World Darts Championship drawCredit: Instagram @beau_greaves
    Beau Greaves is the one to watch at this month’s tournamentCredit: Rex
    Beau Greaves has quickly overtaken Fallon Sherrock to be the top player in women’s dartsCredit: Rex
    The Doncaster thrower came from nowhere to win eight titles in a row in the Women’s Series – she was undefeated in 52 games – to book a spot this Christmas in the 96-player draw.
    On Sunday night, she and her sister bought some well-deserved fried chicken from KFC and then had an early night – because she was so exhausted by her magnificent achievements in Wigan.
    A 5-3 victory over Fallon Sherrock in the penultimate final of the 20-event series was pivotal.
    And she managed that in real style – her three-dart average of 107.86 was the highest-ever recorded by a female player on the PDC circuit.
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    Having overtaken a shocked Sherrock in the Order of Merit standings during the course of Event 20, she has shown she will be a match for any bloke she faces on the world famous oche.
    Greaves said: “There was a lot more pressure on Fallon. I came into last weekend with nothing to lose. 
    “To miss 12 events and play only two weekends is a brilliant achievement. I also know I can do it under pressure and that’s also massive for me. 
    “I didn’t think I would make it. I just wanted to come here and make some of the ladies work for it a bit more. 
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    “I was an outsider to be fair because I was quite a way behind. 
    “I just thought if I come here and play my game, they’re going to have to beat me. 
    “I was playing one game and halfway through it, my sister stood behind me and gave me two thumbs up.
    “I didn’t know whether she was saying keep going or that I’d done it.
    “When I finished my sister told me I’d qualified. She said: ‘You’re at Ally Pally.’ I said: ‘You’re joking!’”
    The draw for the worlds is on Monday November 28 and Greaves will play a ProTour qualifier in the first round.
    This means there is the prospect of her facing former world champions Raymond van Barneveld or Steve Beaton on her debutant.
    By qualifying for the worlds – which kick-off in North London on Thursday December 15 – she has earned a minimum £7,500 in prize money.
    Making the second round would equate to £15,000 – and Sherrock is the only woman to win at least one match in the event.
    She said: “It seems surreal being one of them ladies that have the opportunity to go and play there.
    “I’ve had a good year. There’s been ups and downs. But to get there at the age of 18 is massive for me. I just want to look forward to playing and not dread it.
    “This year I was just trying to be a ladies world champion. This is a bonus really. Obviously just doing that for ladies darts is amazing.”
    Greaves first got involved in the sport because of her brother and made a name for herself locally at county level for Yorkshire.
    Six years ago, she was subject of a BBC profile interview in which she played darts against three-time world darts champion Michael van Gerwen.
    Nicknamed Beau ’n Arrow, Greaves came on most people’s radar when she won the £25,000 WDF women’s darts title at Lakeside in January.
    A triumph she marked with a spot of late-night karaoke with her sister.
    But it was during the 2020 Covid pandemic, when she had time away from darts competitions, that she was able to overcome the yips that had suddenly developed in her arms.
    Prior to that, she says she started feeling “petrified to get on the oche” and considered hanging up the arrows for good.
    Greaves said: “I think lockdown helped me getting my throw back. I lost my throw completely. It all went downhill. 
    “That’s why nowadays I talk so much about enjoyment and no pressure because if I don’t I know I could fall back into the trap. And I don’t want that at all. 
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    “I think if I enjoy myself then my darts will flow. I might have the odd dart but that’s what you have to deal with when you have dartitis. 
    “But I’ve worked so hard to get back to a standard where I can play well. This is only the beginning.” More

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    England stars in incredible World Cup omen as Declan Rice, Luke Shaw and Mason Mount ALL score 66 in Darts Challenge

    IT’S coming omen! England’s first three players in the Lions Den darts challenge all scored 66.Players in the series have unlimited darts to reach separate targets in 30 seconds — and Declan Rice, Luke Shaw and Mason Mount all hit the same year England last lifted the World Cup.
    England ace Mount feels something ‘strange’ is going on as he joins team-mates Rice and Shaw with a freaky score of 66Credit: Getty
    Mason Mount watches as presenter Josh Denzel counts up his scoreCredit: Getty
    Mount, the last of the trio to pull off the spooky total, was stunned by the flight of fantasy ahead of Monday’s opener against Iran.
    The Chelsea midfielder said: “That is just strange. .. wow!”
    Gareth Southgate’s squad have been taking part in tasks, racing F1 driver Lando Norris and talking about childhood memories on England’s official YouTube channel.
    And what should have been the most simple challenge became instead the most freaky – as it rammed home the dream of emulating the Three Lions’ 1966 World Cup heroes.
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    Facing a special target, Mount hit 46 from eight darts – with just time for one more effort before his half-minute ended.
    He went for the riskiest circle – a “ball” with a score of 40 – where you lose everything if you hit the hand holding it…. and got the 20 on the outer circle.
    Presenter Josh Denzel at first hailed Mount as the new leader on 76 – before later revealing his mis-count.
    With Denzel and Mount both spooked by the THIRD 66, the 23-year-old playmaker joked:  “I’m upset that I didn’t win.
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    “But that is just strange. that is.. wow!”
    Shaw and Rice seem certain starters in Doha on Monday, with Mount also in contention.
    But Southgate confirmed Kyle Walker and James Maddison aren’t yet fit enough to be considered,
    Declan Rice is a handy darts player with his own board at home, says MountCredit: Reuters
    Left-back Shaw also racked up a magical 66 in the Lions’ DenCredit: Rex More

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    Anthony Joshua reveals he wants to be professional DARTS player if he wasn’t in boxing and what ultimate cheat meal is

    ANTHONY JOSHUA revealed DARTS would have been his chosen sport if not for boxing – allowing him to indulge in his ultimate cheat meal. The two-time unified heavyweight world champion is famed for his incredible physique and punching power that comes with it.
    Anthony Joshua with ex-PDC Dart World champion Gary Anderson
    But AJ admitted the freedom to snub exercise would have a huge impact on his decision if he was to choose another sportover boxing.
    Discussing an alternative, he told SunSport in an exclusive interview: “Darts. Definitely something that doesn’t involve cardio.
    “The cardio lifestyle I’d stay away from.”
    Joshua, 32, has been known to eat up to 5,000 calories a day to fuel his tireless training regime.
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    But even the 2012 Olympic gold medalist is prone to the odd cheat meal and sweet treat.
    Joshua said: You can’t beat a Chinese.
    “Ultimate cheat food is brownies, ice-cream, apple crumble and ice-cream.
    “But my last meal was a chicken salad, porridge and acai bowl. And you can’t beat mum’s cooking.”
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    Joshua’s clean eating comes as he prepares to rematch Oleksandr Usyk, 35, on August 20 in Saudi Arabia.
    He fell to defeat last September over 12 rounds but is out for revenge in the Jeddah heat.
    And a red-hot win, to regain the WBA, IBF and WBO belt, could tempt WBC champion Tyson Fury, 33, out of retirement for an undisputed super-fight.
    Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua ahead of their Saudi Arabia rematchCredit: Reuters More

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    PDC Darts Final forces Cristiano Ronaldo’s Man Utd vs Wolves OUT of prime time TV slot

    CRISTIANO RONALDO has lost a primetime TV slot … to the darts!Manchester United host Wolves at 5.30pm rather than 8pm so it does not clash with tonight’s PDC final.
    Cristiano Ronaldo’s Man Utd have been relegated from the prime time TV slotCredit: Getty
    Peter Wright will be battling for PDC World Championship in the main TV slot on Sky SportsCredit: Getty
    Michael Smith faces Peter Wright in the Ally Pally showcase later on.
    Bully Boy Smith reached his second world darts final after a 6-3 win over James Wade.
    Meanwhile, Snakebite Wright topped Gary Anderson 6-4 to keep up his aim of becoming a two-time champ.
    Smith reached the final in 2019, but came up short against Michael van Gerwen.
    But Wright did go on to win the big one a year later in 2020.
    The climax to the darts will be broadcast live on Sky Sports – which forced them into a change for the footy.
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    United welcome Wolves to Old Trafford after the Premier League fixture was selected by them.
    However, instead of the clash going head-to-head with the darts on the other channel, the match was changed to a 5.30pm kick-off instead.
    United are looking for back-to-back Prem wins.
    It is the first game of 2022 for both sides as Ralf Rangnick’s men look to build on the comfortable 3-1 win over Burnley last time out.
    Wolves meanwhile return from a Covid affected absence, with this their first game since a 0-0 draw with Chelsea on December 19.
    ⚽ Read our Manchester United live blog for the latest news and transfer gossip from Old Trafford More

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    Man Utd star Van De Beek brilliantly trolls Ziyech after finding Chelsea star’s doppelganger at World Cup of Darts 2021

    MANCHESTER UNITED star Donny van de Beek reckons former team-mate Hakim Ziyech looks like a random DARTS player.The Dutch midfielder trolled his ex-Ajax colleague with a cheeky post on Instagram during the international break.
    Donny van de Beek reckons this darts player looks like Hakim ZiyechCredit: Instagram donnyvdbeek
    What do you reckon?Credit: Rex
    Van de Beek posted a picture of a darts player to his Instagram story and wrote with a laughing emoji: “Hakim Ziyech [is] also present.”
    Ziyech’s doppelganger is Justin Hewitt, a 19-year-old arrow thrower from Gibraltar.
    He was representing his nation in World Cup of Darts, failing to inspire Gibraltar to victory in their first-round clash against Singapore.
    Hewitt is yet to win on the PDC or BDO tour but does have a World Darts Federation (WDF) title – a minor promotion within the sport.
    Van de Beek, 24, became friends with Chelsea star Ziyech, 28, during the latter’s four-year spell at Ajax.
    The two helped the famous Amsterdam club win the a league and cup double in 2018-19 and reach the Europa League final in 2017.

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    Both of them left Ajax in the summer of 2020, with Van de Beek joining Man Utd and Ziyech moving to Stamford Bridge.
    But neither player has managed to nail down a regular spot in the Premier League since their respective moves.
    Van de Beek started just FOUR Prem games for Man Utd last season, while Ziyech featured 23 times in the league for Chelsea.
    And both players were dropped by their respective countries for the recent international fixtures.
    Ziyech was left out of Morocco’s squad for their World Cup qualifiers by manager Vahid Halilhodzic for ‘unacceptable’ behaviour.
    Van de Beek, meanwhile, wasn’t called-up by Louis van Gaal for Holland’s recent games because of his lack of playing time at Man Utd.
    Hakim Ziyech trains with the Morocco international team More