A power cut once halted the World Darts Championship, briefly leaving players and fans in limbo.
Alexandra Palace was plunged into darkness ahead of Peter Wright’s third-round clash with Seigo Asada in 2019.
DaveClarkTVFans were left in darkness when a power cut caused mayhem at Ally Pally[/caption]
Scores of fans were left stunned as the lights went off but thankfully the plethora of phone lights enabled fans to have some idea of their surroundings as posted across the various social media platforms.
But spare a thought for those who may have had a tray of beers to hand as they wandered back to their tables ahead of the action.
Viewers watching at home on Sky Sports were also confused when coverage of the event suddenly stopped.
Initially unaware of what was happening, fans were soon updated as to the issue when the PDC Darts X account released a statement.
It read: “Update: There is a technical issue that is currently being resolved ahead of the Peter Wright v Seigo Asada match.
“The issue will be resolved as soon as possible and the game will not start until it is able to be shown live. Apologies and thank you for your patience.”
A second post moments later read: “Looks like we are ready to go again… The issue has been resolved and the players are getting ready to go!
“Thank you for your patience – we didn’t want you to miss a dart!”
Prior to the power cut, Gary Anderson staged an electric comeback by seeing off Ryan Searle 4-3 having trailed 3-1.
However, the Flying Scotsman’s run at the event came to an agonising end in the semi-finals when he was beaten 6-1 by Michael van Gerwen.
The other last four clash saw Michael Smith get the better of Nathan Aspinall with a 6-3 win to set up a thrilling final against the Dutchman.
And it was Van Gerwen who reigned supreme in the final with a 7-3 victory to pick up his third world title and a cool £500,000 prize.
“This is the best feeling you can have,” Van Gerwen said after his victory. “I have worked for this so long and everyone knows I’ve had a difficult year. I’ve played good but I haven’t performed as well as I could have done – so to win this trophy it’s phenomenal. This means a lot to me.
“I think I played well throughout the game. I didn’t play phenomenally but I think the way I played my experience helped me. I knew Mike was a little nervous and I used that against him.
“I did the right things at the right moments and he didn’t. It was messy for me but what more do you want? It was my third world title.”
But Smith wouldn’t have to wait long to get his revenge on Van Gerwen as the pair went head-to-head in the 2023 final.
The St Helens native scooped his own £500,000 cheque thanks to an exhilarating 7-4 win over Van Gerwen, claiming the world no.1 spot in the process.
Reflecting on his maiden title, Smith told Sky Sports: “My two best achievements are sat over there, my two kids. As a sporting memory it’s the greatest ever, and I don’t think that will ever be topped.
“Even if I win a second, it will never top the way I’ve just felt then.”
