DOOR CLOSED ON A TARTAN HOMECOMING
PETER WRIGHT and Gary Anderson have been denied the chance to reopen darts’ doors to the public on home soil.
The World Cup holders were set to head the field for the rescheduled Premier League clash in Glasgow.
While there were hopes the Hydro spectacular on September 17 could be the sport’s first in front of fans since lockdown, PDC chiefs have now admitted defeat.
The circuit had been locked in talks with authorities for several weeks over the prospect of staging the event, which had been set for May.
But with no opportunity to put a seal on agreement, chief executive Matt Porter said four more nights – including Glasgow – will be played out behind closed doors in Milton Keynes from September 3.
He said: “We have continued to work with all relevant parties in recent weeks in a bid to stage these four Unibet Premier League nights with a crowd.
“As we are still not able to guarantee this and bearing in mind the need to provide clarity for fans with tickets to these events, we will now be staging a further four nights behind closed doors in Milton Keynes.”
Should it not be possible to hold the play-offs at The O2 in London with a crowd as planned on October 22 then a further night behind closed doors will be added in Milton Keynes on September 2.
The play-offs would then be on September 6.
The Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes had already been lined up to host six nights in a row next week.
Matches scheduled for Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield will then take place in the bubble environment from September 3-6.
Fans who have tickets for the event in Glasgow will be able to obtain a full refund or transfer their briefs to next year’s staging of the evening on May 6.