“That place is like fly central” – Cam Crabtree reveals ‘disgusting’ PDC conditions as James Wade calls for postponements

Cam Crabtree has lifted the lid on the difficult conditions players can face at PDC events, revealing that extreme heat in Hildesheim can bring with it an altogether more unusual problem: swarms of flies.

The 22-year-old Englishman, currently ranked 69th in the world, competed in two Players Championship events at the German venue last week. With temperatures rising inside the hall, Crabtree said players were left battling far more than just their opponents.

Speaking on his TikTok account, CamShazamCrabtree, he explained that there is no obvious solution to the heat. Installing fans could interfere with the flight of the darts, leaving players with few options beyond trying to cool themselves down between matches.

“That makes them sound bad, but what can the [PDC] do? If you put fans on, it will blow the darts,” he said. “When they sell the drinks, they have ice, so if you want some ice, you can get some ice. That is about it.”

The heat is only part of the problem in Hildesheim. According to Crabtree, warm weather also brings flies into the venue in huge numbers, making eating and drinking difficult for those competing throughout the day.

“When it is really warm in the venue in Hildesheim, you just get eight million flies,” he said. “So if you eat anything, there is a fly in your food. If you drink anything, there is a fly in your cup.”

The insects can even find their way into the playing area, creating another distraction while players are at the oche. “If you are trying to throw, there is probably a fly on the board. That place is like fly central,” Crabtree continued. “It is disgusting. But there is not really anything they can do. That isn’t anything bad on their part.”

Crabtree’s comments were not framed as an attack on the PDC. Instead, he acknowledged the practical difficulty of cooling a venue without creating conditions that could directly affect the darts.

His account follows criticism from James Wade, who recently argued that tournaments should be postponed when temperatures become unsafe.

Wade raised the issue after reaching the third round of the European Darts Open in Leverkusen last month, where several players struggled in the heat. “I think it gets to a point where the organisation need to respect the dart players a little bit and moving forwards, shouldn’t have to play in heat like that,” said ‘The Machine’.

Wade questioned why leading players were still expected to perform at their usual level in conditions that made competing considerably harder. “There is dart players that are entertaining the nation. Not me but some of the top boys. They entertain the nation throughout countless times,” he said. “Then they are expected to go out there and play in that. That is not fair. It isn’t right I don’t think.”

His preferred response was unequivocal. “Postpone it. Postpone events like this,” Wade said. “Every dart player’s aware of the heat here and it seems like people around the tournament haven’t acknowledged what it is. All the time dart players are doing as they’re told, nothing will happen.”

While Crabtree stopped short of blaming the PDC for the situation in Hildesheim, Wade believes organisers must be prepared to take stronger action. Together, their comments have placed renewed scrutiny on the conditions players are being asked to tolerate during the hottest events on the calendar.