Rohit ‘Rune’ David had a World Championship debut to remember, but for all the wrong reasons.
David had qualified for the 2013 BDO World Darts Championship via the international play-offs.
It marked the first time David had reached the landmark tournament at Lakeside.
Unfortunately for David, he would face eighth seed Wesley Harms in the opening round.
Harms, who was also an electrician, got as far as the semi-finals at the tournament a year earlier and was desperate to go one better.
The Dutchman began in dominant fashion against David in their first-to-three-sets contest and quickly took a 2-1 lead.
If ever there was a moment that highlighted the gulf in class between the two, it arrived when Harms was just one leg away from victory.
After nine darts, Harms needed just 121 for victory while David, who had thrown six, still had 400 to go.
The Norwegian hit five with his first dart before pinning treble 20 with his second.
But if it looked like David had found his range, the third dart proved that was certainly not the case.
As David released, he almost instantly cast his gaze downwards as his dart did not even hit the board.
Instead, it landed on the ground.
The camera quickly caught Harms’ reaction to David’s mishap, as the Dutchman raised his eyebrows in a surprised manner.
However, the match official was left even more flabbergasted.
When David bent down to pick up his dart, the referee had his mouth open in total disbelief at what had transpired in front of him.
So stunned was the official by David’s misfortune, at first he did not read out the player’s score.
It appeared as though the ref was briefly unsure whether the visit had even been completed.
In fact, the Norwegian had to relay his score of 65 back to the official who then confirmed it for the crowd.
David’s wayward dart failed to distract Harms from the task at hand as he wrapped up a 3-1 victory.
Sadly for the Dutchman, his run at the 2013 BDO World Championships came to an end at the semi-final stage against Tony O’Shea for a second year running.
As for David, 2013 marked the one and only time he ever qualified for the BDO World Championships.
