World Grand Prix Talking Points | Is Gary Anderson’s lack of practice rhythm starting to hurt?, Luke Woodhouse fails to back up Littler win and Stagegate dominates
PDC
At the World Grand Prix, eight players remain in the hunt for the coveted trophy. The second round again delivered plenty to talk about. A striking stage incident sparked commotion, Gary Anderson is the subject of questions, and once more a high average proved no guarantee of victory. Time to look back at the standout moments from round two of the World Grand Prix.
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“Stagegate” overshadows Noppert’s defeat
Danny Noppert endured a frustrating second round at the World Grand Prix. The Dutchman went down tamely, 3-0 to Ryan Joyce, and never found his usual rhythm. Even before a dart was thrown, Noppert showed his displeasure, and during the match it was clear something was bothering him. He repeatedly sought out the referee to talk.
Afterward, the source of his irritation emerged. Noppert noticed during the match that the stage was creaking. Each time Joyce walked up and down, he heard a strange sound, which he said seriously distracted him on the throw. The term “stagegate” quickly took hold.
Whether the creaking truly influenced the contest is hard to prove. What is certain is that Noppert never approached his best level and could scarcely land a blow against Joyce. In the end, the issue changed little: “The Freeze” is out of the tournament.
Noppert can now put the World Grand Prix behind him and refocus on the next major date in the calendar. In about three weeks, the European Championship Darts is on the schedule, where the Dutchman gets another chance to make his mark on the big stage.
A first for Zonneveld
The second round of the World Grand Prix also delivered a Dutch milestone. Niels Zonneveld reached the quarter-finals of a ranking major for the first time in his career. That qualifier matters, as “Triple Z” made the last eight at the 2021 World Series of Darts Finals, but that event does not count towards the PDC Order of Merit.
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Zonneveld is enjoying a notably strong year. Earlier this season, the Dutchman reached two European Tour semi-finals, and now adds a first quarter-final at a ranking major. He confirms he is increasingly embedding himself among the better players on the sport’s main stages.
Niels Zonneveld reaches his first quarter-final at a ranking major
After his win, Zonneveld said he mainly needs to believe in himself a bit more. That may sound minor, but at moments like these, self-belief is pivotal. He has shown he owns the level to go deep; the next step is to fully trust it.
He gets that test immediately in the quarter-finals, where Zonneveld faces Luke Humphries. “Cool Hand Luke” is, after Luke Littler’s early exit, the highest-ranked player left in the field. A daunting task, but given Zonneveld’s form, an upset is far from impossible.
Van Veen shows character
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Alongside Niels Zonneveld, a second Dutchman also features in the last eight. Gian van Veen managed to turn a difficult situation around against Ryan Searle. “GVV” trailed 2-1 in sets but again showed resilience to fight back and win 3-2.
We have only sporadically seen the very best Van Veen since his World Championship final earlier this year. Still, the 24-year-old keeps displaying a key quality: character. Against Searle, he refused to fold when the match threatened to slip away. Without constantly dazzling, Van Veen kept battling and ultimately edged it.
It may not always look spectacular, but rest assured no opponent relishes drawing Van Veen. The field now knows how much quality the Dutchman has. When he finds his top gear, he can make life extremely difficult for anyone.
The quarter-finals bring another intriguing test. Not only on the oche, as he meets an in-form James Wade. Beyond pure technique, it promises a compelling contest. Wade is known for testing opponents mentally as well.
The onus is on Van Veen to keep a cool head and not get drawn in. If he controls his emotions while producing his best darts, a first career semi-final at the World Grand Prix is within reach.
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No deep run for Nijman again
Alongside the successes of Niels Zonneveld and Gian van Veen, the second round also delivered plenty of Dutch disappointment. We already discussed Danny Noppert’s exit, but the curtain also fell for Wessel Nijman and Jermaine Wattimena.
Expectations were particularly high for Nijman. The 26-year-old from Uitgeest is enjoying an excellent season and has already claimed six ranking titles this year. Yet a strong performance at a major has remained elusive. Nijman had never gone beyond the last 16 at a major, and he failed to break that barrier in Leicester as well.
Nijman lost 3-1 to Jonny Clayton. Once again, it was clear that the level he regularly produces on the floor does not automatically transfer to the television stage. That may sound odd for a player who has already won two European Tour titles this year, but the pressure there is still different from a major. It is on the biggest stages that Nijman still needs to take steps.
Clayton in action.
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He will get the chance to do that soon enough. The European Championship offers a new opportunity. Nijman is set to start as the second seed and will therefore head into the tournament with high expectations again. It will be interesting to see whether he can convert that pressure into a deep run this time.
Jermaine Wattimena’s World Grand Prix is also over. The Machine Gun had no answer to Luke Humphries and went down 3-0. The match might have looked very different had Wattimena taken his chances in the first set. The Dutchman had two darts to pinch the set, but failed to land them. From there, he was constantly chasing the game.
Wattimena has already shown this year on the Pro Tour that he can still produce with a Players Championship title to his name. What’s missing is a deep run at a major. He has been waiting a while for that now. His last big result came two years ago, when he reached the final at the European Championship. The World Grand Prix did not change that.
Wessel Nijman’s results at PDC majors
| Tournament | Best result | Year |
| World Championship | Last 64 | 2025, 2026 |
| World Matchplay | Last 16 | 2025, 2026 |
| World Grand Prix | Last 16 | 2026 |
| UK Open | Last 32 | 2026 |
| Grand Slam of Darts | Last 16 | 2025 |
| European Championship | Last 32 | 2025 |
| Players Championship Finals | Last 64 | 2024, 2025 |
| World Series of Darts Finals | Last 16 | 2024, 2026 |
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Highest average no guarantee of success
Everyone talks about big averages these days, but the second round of the World Grand Prix again underlined that an impressive average is no guarantee of success. Stephen Bunting can attest to that. The Bullet posted a 96.29 average against James Wade, the highest of the round. Yet it was Wade who prevailed 3-1.
Strikingly, Wade’s average was more than three points lower. Statistically, the Englishman did not need to score better to get over the line. He was simply more clinical at the key moments, and that proved enough to dump Bunting out of the tournament.
For Bunting, the exit will sting. With his scoring power, the 41-year-old Englishman looks in good shape heading into the key events later this autumn. But a high average counts for little when the opponent claims the vital legs at the right time.
Bunting will therefore look back on his World Grand Prix with mixed feelings. His display against Wade offers encouragement, but it will hurt that a 96.29 average was not enough to reach the quarter-finals. It is perhaps the clearest illustration of the World Grand Prix’s unpredictability: numbers tell part of the story, but ultimately only one thing matters. Who wins the deciding legs.
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Top 5 averages in the second round
| Player | Average | Result |
| Stephen Bunting | 96.29 | Lost 3-1 to James Wade |
| Nathan Aspinall | 96.27 | Beat Luke Woodhouse 3-0 |
| Luke Humphries | 94.11 | Beat Jermaine Wattimena 3-0 |
| James Wade | 93.20 | Beat Stephen Bunting 3-0 |
| Jonny Clayton | 93.08 | Beat Wessel Nijman 3-1 |
Woodhouse unable to back up Littler upset
Luke Woodhouse produced perhaps the biggest shock of the opening round by knocking Luke Littler out of the World Grand Prix. Woody did what few thought possible beforehand. Littler had won every ranking major he had played this year and again arrived as the tournament’s headline act.
That a win over the top favourite is no guarantee of a deep run was proven by Woodhouse a round later. Against Nathan Aspinall he was barely in the match and went down 3-0 without a chance. The first-round giant-killer saw his Leicester adventure end quickly.
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Strikingly, Woodhouse’s stats were actually better than in his sensational win over Littler. His average against Aspinall was roughly four points higher than a round earlier. Yet this time it yielded nothing at all. It underlines once more how little an average says on its own, especially in the World Grand Prix’s unique format.
Against Littler, Woodhouse struck at the key moments, while against Aspinall he found no answer to his compatriot’s game. Thus ‘Woody’ could not extend his fairytale after the Littler upset. His win over the reigning champion remains one of the standout moments of this World Grand Prix.
Luke Woodhouse could not back up his upset against Luke Littler
Three nations represented in the last eight
The second round featured players from four different countries: England, the Netherlands, Scotland, and Wales. The quarter-finals see a slightly narrower spread. Gary Anderson exited, leaving Scotland unrepresented.
England supplies four of the eight quarter-finalists with Nathan Aspinall, Ryan Joyce, Luke Humphries, and James Wade. Wales still has two irons in the fire with Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton, while the Netherlands also has two in Gian van Veen and Niels Zonneveld.
Is Gary Anderson’s lack of practice rhythm starting to hurt?
Finally, Anderson’s elimination leaves an intriguing question: is the Scot’s lack of practice rhythm starting to cost him? The 55-year-old ‘Flying Scotsman’ showed at the World Darts Championship earlier this year that he can still deliver on the biggest stage. Anderson reached the semi-finals and seemed back among the elite.
Since then, another deep run at a major has not materialised. At the World Matchplay Anderson reached the quarter-finals, but at other big events he departed earlier. The World Grand Prix also ended for him in the second round.
Anderson has never hidden that he spends few hours at the practice board. That is, of course, a deliberate choice, but it also seems to leave him with less consistency than in his prime. Strong displays alternate with matches where the level clearly dips, making it hard to string multiple rounds together.
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At the same time, competition at the top keeps widening. Where Anderson long sat in the absolute world elite, more players now stand ready to challenge the established order. That makes it a fair question how long ‘The Flying Scotsman’ can hold his place among the elite.
His World Championship semi-final earlier this year showed the class is still there. The question is whether Anderson can summon that class often enough to contend for titles consistently across the other big stages.
Gary Anderson’s major results in the 2026 season
| Tournament | Result | Opponent | Score |
| World Masters | 2nd round | James Wade | 3-4 |
| UK Open | Last 16 | Luke Littler | 5-10 |
| World Matchplay | Quarter-final | Dirk van Duijvenbode | 13-16 |
| World Grand Prix | 2nd round | Niels Zonneveld | 1-3 |
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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- Littler will play whatever tournaments he decides. But does every headline have to start with him? Bristow bought Taylor through,and he followed that with Lewis. I can't see littler doing the same. Let him choose,and lose,he's getting good at that lately!rick6702-10-2026
- I believe he has it in him to qualify for the Worlds as he consistently wins matches, even if it is only one or two at a time, although his recent PC quarter-final run was somewhat encouraging in that regard. I think there is a lot of pressure for him to retire, people in the media accusing him of tarnishing his legacy. I think that is a ridiculous line of thinking. How ungrateful it is to attach terms and conditions to the amazing moments he has provided us over the course of his career. What position are we in to dictate to him how he should manage his career when it is he who achieved those successes in the first place? What's more, this is his life and the passion that sustains it, it is not for us to decide when his career is over when it is he who must bear the genuine ramifications of that decision. Since I'm sure money is not a concern, the only question on which the decision should rest is whether he truly continues to enjoy competing. He has retired once before, but the desire to compete is what brought him back. We see a lot of negative body language and he does genuinely look miserable when he is not playing well, but only he will know when he wakes up the next day whether he wants to go and do it all over again. If he wants to compete, he should, it's as simple as that, this is a decision that should not involve anyone else but him and his family. He should not retire to indulge the whims of the media or the public. What satisfaction would he receive by being forced into retirement? What closure would it bring to such a brilliant career? When Phil Taylor decided to retire, his decision was final and resolute. I believe RvB needs to get to this point himself, no matter how many 70 averages it might take. We see the likes of John Part continue to compete on a regular basis well past his prime, I say more power to him, and who knows, further glory could be around the corner, it's darts after all, you just never know. Sometimes I worry that RvB is acutely aware of the clamour for him to retire and that this pressure may even have an impact on his performances as he begins to question whether there is even a place for him in darts anymore, further compounding his poor form and creating a vicious loop. Perhaps to take his future into his own hands would provide him with a levity and freedom that would lend itself to better performances, not to mention an improved wellbeing. In any case, it is under these conditions that one can clear-headedly and definitively settle an issue so profound as retirement, not when you feel you're being rushed out the door. If his performances can no longer sustain his presence on the tour, so be it; as it stands his card seems safe for this year but is in serious jeopardy next year. He could always allow himself to drop off the tour naturally rather than forfeiting his place in the top 64, this could provide a sense of finality while offering a route back through Q-School if he so desired; after all, he's done it before. In conclusion, I just hope that RvB can play - or not play - for his own sake, rather than anyone else's, so that when the time comes he can be in no doubt as to his decision, leaving no lingering questions, so that he can reflect with no regret or uncertainty on the marvelous career he has had.Deduce635826-09-2026
- Luke Littler has been good for the sport of darts, no question. But he is not above it. For his sake and ours, he needs to be put in his place sometimes, rather than having his every whim catered to. That is not how you build a good person nor a good sporting organisation, and it's beginning to have consequences.Deduce635826-09-2026
- Extremely disappointing decision. It used to be that, along with major events and Euro Tours, the Players Championship series constituted one of three standards against which successful darts players could be measured, one of three challenges every successful darts player should be expected to master to consider themself among the elite. Now they are dead weight in the darting calendar, and player turnout and the standard of competitiveness will reflect that. The truth is that Luke Littler and other big names would rather play lucrative exhibitions than put in the hard graft that being a successful dart player requires. It undermines the authority of the PDC and the game in general. So what do they do about it? Give them exactly what they want. Of course, why wouldn't they? They are their star attractions. It is ironic that an organisation formed in protest by the sport's elite should be undermined and disrespected by their contemporary equivalents, but the PDC had a chance to stand up to them with a firm message: play 2 events all year and expect the final to be played without you. Instead, they caved in. These events will be hardly worth playing anymore and this decision may have grave consequences for the future of floor events at the elite level. Some may say the calendar is overstuffed, yet these elite players have more than enough time to play plenty of exhibitions. The Premier League in particular is gruelling, but busy players are not expected to play every event, they are expected to manage their playing schedule carefully in order to apportion their time and energy appropriately. Clayton and Humphries, for instance, both sit in the top 20 of the Players Championship and European orders of merit, in addition to competing in the Premier League; they have proven it is absolutely possible and this change is an insult to their efforts in effectively managing their calendars. I think we are seeing players who simply think they are too good for Pro Tour events, arrogance which should be punished rather than rewarded as we are seeing here. Furthermore, why should success in Euro Tours qualify you for the Players Championship Final? The PDC are blurring the lines between those three disciplines of darting excellence, and in so doing destabilising the very foundations upon which the organisation and its success is built. Some may say I'm overreacting, but this, in addition to the PDC's subservience and snivelling obsequiousness toward their biggest assets, makes me fear for the future of professional darts.Deduce635826-09-2026
- I guess this will mean the top players will turn up even less? Taken all the excitement of qualifying away I think. Wish they made it top 32 to qualify and the finals to last all week.Baphomet26-09-2026
- Great article - but not written by this site. It's taken wholesale from last Sunday's Observer with this interview published online on Saturday.Scoobedybop22-09-2026
- Such sad and pathetic little losers giving abuse to young woman for any reason, let alone who she is in a relationship with. Go Beau! An absolute star and comes across as a genuinely nice and kind person. Wish her nothing but the best.BandB22-09-2026
- I wouldn't mind if he quit now to be honest. He's not bigger than darts. Let's face it without darts he'd just be a normal fat gamer kid.medinabello22-09-2026
- You know,I said this,in a sentence,not 5 paragraphs!!rick6721-09-2026
- Oh dear,he lost. Well any competitive sport runs the risk of defeat. He is, currently,his own worst enemy. Wind the crowd up,and you get it back bigger. Put your dummy in kidrick6721-09-2026
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