"I'm not stupid, I feel like they wasn't all there off their own accord shall we say": Nathan Aspinall says Saudi Darts Masters crowd has a long way to go to be a success

Nathan Aspinall began the Saudi Darts Masters with a broad smile. The Englishman defeated Filipino Lourence Ilagan convincingly in his opener (6–1) and clearly enjoyed a special night of darts in Riyadh. It wasn’t just the result that pleased him; the experience around it also left a mark on The Asp.

Aspinall only arrived in Saudi Arabia shortly before the tournament and needed little preparation to be sharp at the oche straight away. “We got here yesterday and then spent the day by the pool today, got burnt, tipped up to the venue and played quite well tonight,” he said. The conditions were far removed from winter back home, with pleasant temperatures greeting the players. “It’s 25,” Aspinall said, when asked about the heat. And he was quick to point out the contrast: “There’s worse places to be. I could be sat in Glossop in the snow.”

On television, the atmosphere in the venue appeared very different from the raucous scenes fans are used to in Premier League nights or packed European arenas. There were no songs or chants, but instead a quieter, more attentive audience. Aspinall admitted it took some adjustment but ultimately embraced it. “It was different,” he said. “But you know what, I enjoyed it. You looked out at the crowd and they were all actually watching it.”

That attentiveness occasionally led to amusing moments on stage. “Because it’s quite new out here, you’d throw a dart at treble 20 and they’d clap, and you’ve still got your second dart in your hand,” Aspinall explained. “Or you’d be throwing for a double, like double six, and you’d miss on the outside and they’d clap.” The unusual reactions kept him smiling throughout. “That’s why I kept laughing the whole game, to be honest with you. It was quite funny,” he said. Overall, the experience exceeded his expectations. “It was a lot better than I thought. There’s a lot more people here than I thought, and yeah, hopefully the same again tomorrow.”

The relative quiet inside the venue also brought its own challenges. Aspinall said he fully understood why his opponent opted to wear earplugs. “Sometimes it’s harder when it’s quiet,” he explained. “If it’s quiet, you’ll hear everything, like the odd person shouting something out.” Drawing on a recent experience, he added: “I had it in Bahrain when I played Gian van Veen. I had three darts at tops and I was just about to throw and someone was like, ‘Double 10, double 10.’ It puts you off and then you reset and then they do it again.” In his view, that can make smaller, quieter venues more demanding than the biggest stages. “Sometimes when it’s quieter and smaller, it’s a lot harder to play in than your big Premier League arenas.”

From a competitive standpoint, Aspinall was pleased with how he performed, but he was clear about where his priorities now lie. Missing out on the Premier League no longer occupies his thoughts. “To be fair, the Premier League’s already picked now, isn’t it?” he said. “So it’s not going to make any difference. I’ll just concentrate on ranking tournaments and get myself back up into that top eight and be in it next year.”

Aspinall also spoke candidly about the wider picture and the future of darts in Saudi Arabia. While he enjoyed the experience, he was realistic about where the event currently stands. “I don’t know. There’s definitely a long way to go. It’s certainly different,” he said. “I’m not stupid. I feel like they weren’t all there of their own accord, shall we say, and it was quite a small venue.” Still, he stressed that growth has to begin somewhere. “But you’ve got to start somewhere. Everything needs to start somewhere.”

Ultimately, for Aspinall, the key measure of success lies in how the event is received locally. “As long as people walk away from this week and go, ‘You know what, we really enjoyed the darts,’ and it gets good coverage, and the Saudi Arabian press talk highly of the darts, there’s no reason why not,” he said. And personally, the trip has already left a positive impression. “I’ve certainly enjoyed the time out here so far,” he added, “and hopefully we come back again.”