Management immediately ends partnership with former World Youth Champion Leighton Bennett after breach of contract
PDC
Mach Darts Management has immediately terminated the contract of former youth sensation Leighton Bennett. According to his now former management, Bennett has committed breach of contract rendering it untenable.
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Bennett has been under contract with Mach Darts Management since October 2022. This company is run by Ronnie Charles Rickner and Marco Vrolijk. Emerging Dutch talent Gian van Veen is also affiliated to this management.
During the partnership, Mach Darts Management has sought to help Bennett develop his talent within the darts circuit. ‘Boom Boom Bennett’ claimed the title at the BDO World Youth Championship in 2019 and competed in the BDO World Championship in 2020 at the age of 14. The young Englishman had the darts world at his feet, but as fast as his rise was, he seemed to disappear again.
Until early 2024, when he surprisingly managed to win a PDC Tour Card at the Q-School. On the Pro Tour, the 18-year-old Bennett is doing creditably, culminating in reaching the last 16 at Players Championship 6. But after these successes, Bennett has attempted to cut ties with his management, according to Mach Darts Management.
''Since our collaboration began in October 2022, Mach Darts has been committed to nurturing Leighton's talent and providing him with the resources necessary to succeed in professional darts. However, regrettably, Leighton and his associates have chosen to disregard our contractual agreement and have made attempts to sever ties, disregarding our contributions and commitments'', Mach Darts Management told Dartsnews.com in a statement.
''In addition to breaching contractual obligations, there have been other unfortunate incidents, including damage to our reputation and attempts to undermine our brand. Despite our efforts to salvage the relationship, it has become clear that a separation is necessary for the integrity of our organization.''
Mach Darts Management has not only decided to end the partnership, but they will also take legal action to recover lost revenue from Bennett. ''It is such a shame what should be a huge success story for us and Leighton that such deception and lack of honour has occurred. It is not a decision made lightly but we feel it is extremely important to the sport and especially with more young players coming through the game that we can support young players. But without any contractual protection after investingment, hours and struggles as a management company we could litterally be discarded if we don't follow this up. Meaning that all players under 18 with a management company could in theory walk away as soon as any success starts to arrive, we believe this is terrible for progressing the sport of darts and regulating players and advising them in a professional manner.''
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At the end of their statement, Mach Darts Management still wishes their former protégé all the best for the remainder of his career. ''However much the betrayal hurts we still hope that Leighton himself can continue his darts career providing he is not found guilty in any other allegations relating to conduct. We remain dedicated to supporting talented players within the darts community and look forward to continuing to do so in the future.''
I stumbled into the world of darts quite by accident back in 2013. For a Journalism School assignment, I had to produce a live sports report and as it happened, the European Tour event in Veldhoven was the only available option. That weekend, I caught the darts bug. The post-match interviews especially appealed to me, as darts players tend to be much more open and approachable than what you usually see with footballers on television.
After a few detours, I joined Dartsnieuws.com in 2017 as editor-in-chief. I don’t have much competitive experience myself, although I once entered a PDC Development Tour weekend just to experience what it’s like from a player’s perspective. I even managed to win a leg against a Tour Card holder and, quite by accident, earned £50 in prize money.
In 2022, I was also involved in the founding of the TOTO Dart Kings, a commercial darts team, where I worked as media manager for three years. Unfortunately, due to new legislation in the Netherlands, that project came to an end in 2025.
Through my work in darts, I’ve been fortunate to travel to some incredible events, from Premier League nights at Ahoy Rotterdam, to several World Championships, and even the US Darts Masters at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Beyond darts, I’m a passionate sports fan in general. You can always wake me up for a game of tennis or padel, and I love following football, tennis, padel, cycling, Formula 1, and ice skating.
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