‘Have you ever seen this?’ – Darts leg scrapped after incredibly rare blunder that leaves commentators stunned

WILLIAM O’CONNOR came through a moment of refereeing chaos after a leg was controversially replayed following a rare officiating blunder.

The extraordinary incident unfolded during the Irishman’s second-round clash with Mario Vandenbogaerde at Players Championship One.

World No.64 Vandenbogaerde had just drawn level at 1-1 in legs, pinning double eight to close out the second leg. But confusion immediately followed.

O’Connor stepped up to the oche to start the next leg and opened with 44, before Vandenbogaerde followed. It was only at that point that the officials realised something was wrong — the throw order had been reversed. The Belgian, not O’Connor, was supposed to throw first.

Play was halted after a brief delay, with the referee consulting the scorer before confirming the mistake. The ruling was decisive: the leg would be completely wiped and replayed from the start.

PDC commentator Abi Davies was stunned by what she was witnessing, admitting live on air: “Well, you don’t see that every day, do you? I think that is the first time I have ever seen this.

“They have just seen the light.”

Former professional Paul Nicholson echoed her disbelief, describing the error as almost unheard of in the modern game.

He said: “I can’t say I have ever seen that before on a livestream anyway.

“I’ve seen it in the old days when we had the pen and the board on the wall.

“But the leg has been scrubbed.”

Once play resumed under the correct order, O’Connor wasted no time in asserting himself. The Irishman seized control of the contest and stormed through the remainder of the match, sealing a commanding 6-1 victory to book his place in the third round.

The Magpie’s run in Hildesheim continued in impressive fashion as he went on to eliminate two-time world champion Gary Anderson, before eventually being stopped in the last 16 by Wessel Nijman.

O’Connor’s performance added to what was a strong 2025 campaign, which saw him reach a ProTour final and make the quarter-finals of the Dutch Darts Championship, underlining his consistency on the circuit despite the moment of chaos that briefly threatened to derail his match.