Charlie Manby’s exuberant, no-apologies approach to the game made him one of the standout personalities at the World Championship. At the UK Open in Minehead, it was always going to create a flashpoint sooner or later. Today it did.
The 20-year-old Huddersfield thrower is not a player who celebrates quietly. Nicknamed ‘Champagne’, Manby wears his personality on his sleeve, and his vocal, pumped-up style has earned him a devoted following since his stunning debut run at Alexandra Palace in December, where he reached the Last 16 in his first World Championship appearance.
But on Friday afternoon at Butlin’s in Minehead, those celebrations pushed another player over the edge — and the referee was forced to step in.
What Happened
Manby was typically vocal with his celebrations throughout his third-round contest against James Hurrell, which appeared to upset the veteran as he gestured with his fingers inside his ears at the end of the match.
The flashpoint didn’t end on the oche. Hurrell then confronted the 20-year-old at the drinks table, before the referee was forced to intervene and separate the pair.
It was a dramatic end to what had been an entertaining if fraught encounter. Manby led 3-1 before ‘The Hillbilly’ drew level at three apiece, but the youngster then claimed three of the next four legs to book his place in the Last 64 — where Ryan Joyce now awaits.
Not His First Warning Of The Day
Remarkably, the Hurrell confrontation was not even Manby’s first brush with a referee on the day. He had earlier received a polite warning from referee Scott Gibling for his vocal celebrations during his second-round win over fellow new Tour Card holder Tyler Thorpe.
A warning that, evidently, did not moderate his approach one bit heading into the Hurrell match
Manby’s Response: No Regrets
Speaking to ITV after the incident, Manby was unapologetic and characteristically straight-talking about what happened — while insisting he had done nothing wrong.
“I just don’t think he was happy with me giving it the big one,” Manby said. “I am mates with James, I sit with him at ProTours, I got on really well with him, I just don’t think he liked me giving it the big one when there’s a lot riding on it.”
“He was giving it back, I think that was it really. There’s no friends on the oche. Yes you can sit with whoever you want but there’s no friends on the oche at all. If I want to give it the big one, I’ll give it the big one, there’s no restrictions to that — especially here.”
It is difficult to argue with the sentiment. The UK Open is darts’ ‘FA Cup’ — a wide-open draw that throws together players of every ranking in a winner-takes-all knockout format. Stakes are high, emotions run hot, and the occasion has historically produced some of the sport’s most electric atmospheres. Manby clearly intends to be fully present in those moments.
A Star In The Making
Love it or loathe it, what Manby brings to darts is undeniable. He started the day with a 6-3 win over Switzerland’s Stefan Bellmont on the Main Stage — the man who knocked Raymond van Barneveld out of the World Championship in December — before the Thorpe win and now the Hurrell victory to reach the Last 64.
Three wins on day one of the UK Open, reached after three hard-fought matches, marks a confident continuation of his rapid rise through the PDC ranks. His World Championship debut saw him knock out Cameron Menzies, Adam Sevada and Nathan Aspinall before bowing out to Gian van Veen in the last 16 — a performance that announced him as one of the most compelling young talents in the sport.
He is loud. He is unafraid. He is going places. And if James Hurrell, or anyone else, isn’t happy with him giving it the big one — well, as Manby himself made perfectly clear, that is not about to change.
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