VIDEO: "Stop whistling!" - Huw Ware firmly puts the crowd in its place during Bahrain Darts Masters final

The opening event of the 2025 World Series of Darts came to a conclusion on Friday night as Stephen Bunting defeated Gerwyn Price to take the Bahrain Darts Masters title. During the early stages of the contest though, one piece of excellent refereeing from Huw Ware stood out.

Price has never exactly been a fan's favourite and in taking on the people's champion Bunting, it's fair to say the Welshman didn't have the backing of the crowd in Bahrain. In the very first leg of the match, the audience were already trying to make their presence felt too, whistling as Price was throwing his darts. At least that was until referee Ware stepped in.

"Stop whistling!" Ware demanded to the crowd, firmly and sternly, giving the impression he would not be asking a second time. The look of the Welsh referee's face even drew the attention of Dan Dawson on commentary for ITV Sport. "Oh he's very stern isn't he! My word," exclaimed Dawson hilariously.

This approach from Ware marks a sharp difference than that of fellow PDC referee Kirk Bevins. During the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts, Mike de Decker was subject of boos and whistling during his contest with Luke Littler, asking Bevins to step in. The referee opted against a similar tactic as the one used by Ware however, taking to Twitter afterwards to explain his lack of action. "The crowd just get worse when referees address the crowd," Bevins insisted.

Given the evidence on this occasion, as the whistling stopped completely following Ware's stern word with those in attendance, it would seem that referee can indeed quieten the whistles and boos if they so intend.

As mentioned, Bunting eventually went on to win the final, taking his first World Series of Darts title. See the incident involving Ware, in the video down below!