Determined refs have joined forces to drive moronic whistlers out of darts.
The officials have stepped up the fight to remove the irritating issue which is a source of huge frustration for players and dubbed moronic by ITV commentator John Rawling. During the Bahrain Darts Masters last month, iconic ref Russ Bray demanded order on at least three occasions during a contest between Luke Littler and Lourence Ilagan.
Colleague Huw Ware also sternly intervened as whistlers were at it again during the final of the the first 2025 World Series that same evening between Stephen Bunting and Gerwyn Price as he put out a stern “Stop whistling!” address.
Last weekend at the Winmau World Masters, ref Kirk Bevins repeated Ware’s order from the Kingdom as he made his point during the first-round clash between Litter and Andy Baetens.
That behaviour prompted Rawling to opine on air: “What sort of a moron comes along to a big darts event and starts whistling?”
PDC chiefs have a zero-tolerance approach to the matter with offenders being removed if caught and a stiff stance has become evident following Mike De Decker’s upset in the wake of his Grand Slam loss to Littler last November. The Belgian was angry at constantly being put-off by whistlers during his game against The Nuke and complained loudly afterwards.
Although diligent and cautious not to deliver warnings at times when it could upset the rhythm of players during games, the refs are now displaying a strong approach as already displayed in the past month with the hope for all players, officials and proper fans that it ends the matter for good as the Premier League gets started tonight in Belfast.