Did Van Gerwen once again commit a little-known darts rule when Littler made blunders in the final? | sports

Littler, after his fairytale run in the last World Cup – in which he only surrendered to Luke Humphries in the final – has proven that he is not a one-hit wonder. On the second night of the Premier League, he beat first Rob Cross and then world champion Humphreys himself. To also push Van Gerwen to the limit in the final. What's more: Littler had an excellent chance to win his first evening in the Premier League with a 5-5 scoreline in the 'decisive game'. But coming out of 80 he missed the double 10 twice.

Sad for Littler and apparently also for the British tabloids, which added a rule unknown to the general public. They see how Van Gerwen found himself with both feet in the so-called 'exclusion zone', a space in which only the darts player who is allowed to move is allowed to move.

For darts' regulatory body, the Darts Regulatory Authority, this is “a clearly defined area around the point beyond which the darts player must throw) to allow the thrower sufficient freedom until the end of the throw.” According to the rules, that area must be respected and it is the responsibility of the second referee to point out a possible violation.

In practice, this is almost never punished, and it is Van Gerwen who sometimes fouls against this in order to put the necessary pressure on the opponent. Remember last year's World Cup semi-final, when things went sour between Van Gerwen and Dimitri van den Berg. The Dutchman also had one foot in the “Exclusion Zone” and close to the back of the “Dancing Dimi”, something our compatriot could not appreciate. He answered Van Gerwen – “Good job,” he seemed to say sarcastically – and waited a little longer before throwing the ball. When Van Gerwen found his double shortly afterwards, he shouted: “On his knees!” Final score: 6-0.

It was the third time Littler and Van Gerwen had reached the final in 2024. Littler won in Bahrain, but in his home country and on Thursday night in Berlin, Van Gerwen came out on top. Even if very narrowly. And thanks to the unknown rule?