PDC issue response to Nathan Aspinall’s ‘crowd’ comments at the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters

The PDC has issued a response to Nathan Aspinall’s claims that the crowd at the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters were “not all there off their own accord”.

Aspinall breezed through his first round tie against Lourence Ilagan 6-1 on Monday night in front of a sparse but ‘respectful’ crowd at the Global Theater in Riyadh.

TV viewers noted that sections of the crowd appeared to be loudly applauding trebleless visits, much to the bemusement of some players.

The walk-ons were also adapted so that players entered via a stageside tunnel as opposed to through a central walkway as per traditional events.

After the match, Aspinall gave his honest take on the atmosphere, admitting: “There is definitely a long way to go.

“It’s certainly different. I’m not stupid, I feel like they were not all there of their own accord, shall we say. It was quite a small venue but you’ve got to start somewhere.

“Everything needs to start somewhere and as long as people walk away from this week and say, ‘we really enjoyed the darts’ and the Saudi Arabian press really enjoy the darts there is no reason why not.

“I’ve enjoyed my time out here so far, there is worse places to be. I could be sat in Glossop in the snow, so hopefully we can be back again.”

The PDC has now addressed Aspinall’s remarks, insisting that all those present were genuine fans.

A statement reported by The Telegraph read: ‘Nathan was reflecting on the fact that this was a first-of-its-kind darts event in the region, with many attendees experiencing live darts for the first time.

‘As with any new market, the atmosphere and crowd make-up can differ from long-established darts events such as those in the UK and Europe.

‘All spectators attended as ticket holders or guests, and we were delighted to see such strong interest in the PDC’s debut in Saudi Arabia.’

Luke Littler, who thrashed Paul Lim 6-1 for the second time in the space of a week, also gave his verdict on the atmosphere in Riyadh.

“It wasn’t such a loud environment,” said Littler. “But I managed to play okay early on. A win is a win.

“It’s very different. I didn’t expect it. It’s not going to be loud, I think we need a bit of noise. We aren’t used to this but I know what to expect on Tuesday.

“The only thing you can compare it to myself is when I competed in the WDF a few years ago. Other than that, all the other venues are dead loud – this one is very different.”

The tournament is the first televised PDC event to feature an alcohol ban due to strict laws in Saudi Arabia.

Gerwyn Price, however, praised the crowd after his 6-0 whitewash of Alexis Toylo, offering: “They were watching and engaged in the darts.

“A couple of times when I walked back after my visit, I just looked out into the crowd and they were all fully focused, watching and engaged in the darts.

“Sometimes in other arenas they’re there for a good drink and a party atmosphere and sometimes they’re not even watching the darts. Here they were more involved in watching the darts.”