Darts referee who Luke Littler called out was recruited after winning iconic TV show

By celebrityinfo.online On Feb 14, 2025

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Luke Littler Battles Through Tough Premier League Darts Night in Glasgow

Luke Littler faced a challenging night at the Premier League Darts event in Glasgow, where crowd noise and referee intervention added unexpected drama to his match against Luke Humphries.

The match was officiated by Kirk Bevins, a well-known figure in the darts world, who has an interesting backstory. Before becoming a PDC referee, Bevins was a champion on Countdown, the famous Channel 4 game show. His impressive mental math skills earned him the nickname “The Kirkulator”, and even darts legend Phil Taylor personally advocated for him to be on TV.

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“The word got around that I had won Countdown,” Bevins shared in 2022. “Several players went to the tournament director and said, ‘Kirk is very good.’ Phil Taylor—one of the greatest ever players—told me, ‘You need to be on TV.’ He spoke to the tournament director, and they asked if I wanted to do it on telly. It was really cool.”

Bevins made his full-time switch to darts officiating in 2010 and has been a PDC match caller since 2013. His quick calculations and sharp officiating have made him one of the most respected referees on tour. He even called the 2023 World Darts Championship final between Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith.

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Crowd Noise Causes Chaos in Glasgow

On Thursday night, Bevins was in charge of the Premier League Darts final between Luke Littler and Luke Humphries at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro. However, the match was marred by relentless whistling from the crowd, which distracted the players and forced Bevins to step in.

Despite the caller’s warning to the spectators, the noise only intensified. After securing a narrow 6-5 victory, Littler admitted that Bevins’ intervention may have backfired.

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“Obviously, there were a few in particular that were doing it when Luke was throwing,” Littler, known as ‘The Nuke’, said. “Then, when Kirk told them to be quiet, it got even worse. And then I missed doubles.”

At 5-4 down, Littler found himself in a tough position but managed to regain control and close out the match.

“Luke breaks at 5-4 and I’m just like: ‘Kirk, you’ve made it worse for me!’ I’m 5-4 down. But, no, I broke back and held my throw very strongly. Obviously, they have got to step in at some point and say something, but that was pretty bad.”

Premier League Standings After Glasgow

With his victory, Littler moves up to second place in the Premier League Darts table. Despite the defeat, Humphries remains on top, thanks to his win in Belfast last week. Michael van Gerwen and Chris Dobey currently occupy the remaining two play-off spots as the tournament progresses.

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