“I looked out of my window and there were 10 traffic cones stopping cars” – Nathan Aspinall sees funny side of passionate darts fans in Maastricht
PDC
Nathan Aspinall impressed on Saturday evening at the Dutch Darts Championship in Maastricht. The Englishman beat Michael Smith 6-1, averaging 102.45. Yet ‘The Asp’ was surprisingly critical of his own performance afterwards. Aspinall said he felt far from comfortable during the match and had not prepared well.
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The meeting between the two former world champions had been billed as an intriguing test. Aspinall had lost his previous five matches against Smith, but ended that run emphatically in Maastricht. The Englishman said the difference came down to the key moments.
“That first leg changed the whole match”
Afterwards, Aspinall singled out the opening leg, in which he had initially fallen well behind. Smith had several chances to win it but failed to take them. “My finishing was fantastic at crucial times,” Aspinall said. “Obviously, in the first leg, I think I'm miles behind. I think I'm on 290 and he's on a double.”
Rather than concede the leg, Aspinall kept up the pressure. “But this is what I always say to young darts players: that leg changed the game. The very, very first leg, I didn't give up. I hit a 174 to leave double eight and put the pressure on. Honestly, I think that was the difference.”
Nathan Aspinall averaged over 102 in his opening match at the Dutch Darts Championship
Aspinall felt that may have been the most important moment of the match. “I think if he wins that leg, he could steamroll me because I wasn't feeling comfortable."
His 132 checkout later in the match was also hugely significant, the Englishman said. “I nicked that leg. The pressure shots — the 132 was massive. Great shot.”
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Despite his impressive average, Aspinall did not feel at ease on stage. He admitted that his preparation had not gone to plan. “But I didn't feel relaxed at all. I don't think I've prepared well tonight. I've been messing around too much in the back room, I'm not going to lie.”
The Englishman said that meant he had not started the match with the right level of focus. “I didn't feel focused or loose or anything. But listen, I've not beaten Michael Smith for a long time. That's a big win for me tonight."
“I walk off stage thinking I’ve played badly”
Aspinall admitted that he is often too hard on himself. Although his statistics were excellent, his initial impression of his performance afterwards was very different. “I think my biggest problem is that I'm my own biggest critic. I see the averages, and I'm playing fourth or fifth in the world at the moment in terms of averages."
Even so, he is rarely completely satisfied with his performances. “But I'm walking off there thinking, 'That was rubbish,' when it's a 102 average."
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Aspinall said he needs to learn to judge his performances more positively. “So I think I've got to stop being so hard on myself. I just want perfection, as darts players do. But, no, this is a great win. Very, very happy.”
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗦𝗣 𝗕𝗥𝗨𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗦 𝗔𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘 𝗕𝗨𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗕𝗢𝗬 🐍 Nathan Aspinall closes out a 6-1 rout of Michael Smith with a 102.5 average to end Bully Boy's hopes of European Championship qualification, a result which also seals Stephen Bunting's spot in Dortmund ✅ https://t.co/BBxtMq3zhx
— Live Darts (@livedarts) October 17, 2026
Aspinall enjoys Maastricht’s special atmosphere
As well as discussing his own performance, Aspinall was full of praise for the crowd at MECC. The Englishman is known for enjoying a lively audience. "What an amazing crowd, by the way. The atmosphere is unbelievable, and I can't wait to play again tomorrow.”
The many fans in fancy dress made a particular impression. “Honestly, mega. I love it. The louder, the better. I've never, ever seen so much fancy dress at a darts tournament."
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Aspinall then shared an unusual story about his afternoon in Maastricht. “I was in bed this afternoon trying to go to sleep, and all I could hear was car horns. I looked out of my window and there were 10 traffic cones stopping cars.” The Englishman saw the funny side. “That's what it's about. Let's keep doing it. Cheers for the support.”
On Sunday, Aspinall faces Stephen Bunting, who has already secured his place at the European Darts Championship in Dortmund. “I think we've got Bunting tomorrow, so he'll qualify for the Euros if he wins tomorrow, which means he'll be relaxed. It should be a good game.”
He also vowed to get a good night's rest ahead of that clash. "I'm not going to go out until 6 am. I'm going to go to bed in a minute."
Lucas MichaelDarts Journalist
Lucas Michael is a darts journalist and reporter based in Cambridge, UK, and has been part of the DartsNews team since 2025. He covers professional darts through reports, analysis, round-ups, and live coverage, with a focus on clear context and accurate reporting across the PDC calendar.
A key part of his work is liveblogging major tournaments throughout the year, providing real-time updates, match coverage, and contextual reporting across the professional circuit. He also reports regularly from events on site and has covered the PDC World Darts Championship from the venue, delivering first-hand insight throughout the tournament.
Within the newsroom, Lucas works closely with the editorial team and supports coverage alongside Chief Content Officer Samuel Gill and reporter Kieran Wood.
Lucas holds a BA (Hons) in Sports Journalism. In his work, he places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating content promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- I agree,I can't believe the lack of coverage of this sad loss. Always enjoyed watching him,but I guess now it's all about littler,well it seems that way. Darts has sadly lost a good manrick6717-10-2026
- In the absence of a report regarding the death of Stefan Lord, I'll assist. An excellent player in the late 70s and early 80s, he actually won the now defunct 3rd place match at two World Championships and a couple of the News of the World Championships. A fabulous player and easily the best Swedish player ever. Rest peacefully Stefan.richieburnettrocks16-10-2026
- Joking aside, it is the second most watched sport on sky (more than golf, F1 etc) behind football only, and in participation is second to only football and swimming. It doesn't get the attention or sponsorship of "bigger" sports because it's not as sexy, but it's right up there.BandB13-10-2026
- i love darts but you can't seriously believe it's the second most popular sport in the uk. even top five is pushing it. it may be the fastest growing, though.colt13-10-2026
- I'm a big Clayton fan, but he's got this completely wrong. Qualification criteria exists for a reason - so just as failing to make the top 32/64 for the Euro championships/PT Finals means you miss out, so does not lifting a title for this one.26sForFun12-10-2026
- The players who deliberately slow the game down are usually boring and win very little in the way of silverware. Horrible to watch.MrYnyslas197112-10-2026
- [“The Gentle” then used a sweeping and questionable phrase...] You anglocucks are hilariously finished in every sense of the word.Critical99911-10-2026
- I love Jonny but I disagree. The Grand Slam was always supposed to be "champion of champions" type competition. If the top 16 are guaranteed participation in everything there will be so much less jeopardy involved in qualifying and each major tournament will lose its unique flavour which the PDC has worked hard trying to develop. I enjoy following the qualification races towards the end of the year, and while consistency should have its rewards, the truth is Jonny hasn't reached a major final all year or won a single event on the Pro Tour. Being consistent is one thing, but that alone should have consequences as the sport's elite should not be prepared to accept consistently strong performances, their foremost motivation should be to win and this should be what separates them from the rest, not the consistency of their performances. Jonny is expecting that losing should be enough; it shouldn't be, at least not as far as the Grand Slam is concerned.Deduce635811-10-2026
- Well being honest,it doesn't matter what level you play at, there's always someone who slows it down to suit themselves,and extra swig of water, replacing flights, asking the ref what the score is. It happens wherever. I'm not saying it's professional,but I'm sure we've all seen it beforerick6711-10-2026
- Agree completely. Not sure how a ranking event can have a criteria not based on rankings. And he right on popularity. In the UK second only to football.BandB11-10-2026
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