VIDEO: Cupping his ear at Ben Robb & arguing with the crowd, Neil Duff’s antics during Lakeside defeat cause a stir online

Former world champion Neil Duff found himself at the centre of online debate on Monday night after a series of on-stage antics during his 3–1 loss to Ben Robb at the 2025 WDF World Championship.

Two moments in particular have circulated widely on social media: Duff cupping his ear towards Robb in the deciding leg of the opening set, and later stopping mid-throw to confront what he perceived to be a noisy table during the fourth set. Both incidents drew strong reactions from viewers following along online.

The first flashpoint came during the climax of set one. Robb opened the deciding leg with a booming 174, letting out a roar as he walked back. But after Robb could only follow it with just 44, Duff stepped back and cupped his ear with his hand, a clear taunt questioning the intensity of Robb’s celebration only moments earlier.

Robb went on to win the leg — and the set — after adding a 180 and tidying up 46 on tops, but the visual of Duff’s gesture spread immediately across X.

German player and notable figure on darts Twitter David John Schlichting wrote: “The pettiness man”

DartsAnonymous commented simply: “Rattled.”

Others found the exchange entertaining: “Game was cinema. Duff threw a T20 and turned around to tell a table to shut up,” commented one, whilst another remarked: “Ben Robb was very good there, he is a genuine contender. Neil Duff getting annoyed by everything, shock.”

The second moment fuelling discussion came later in the match. In what turned out to be the final set, Duff paused during a scoring visit, stepped back from the oche and told a table in the crowd to quiet down before continuing.

The Lakeside crowd is typically on the quieter, more reserved side — a far cry from the Ally Pally atmosphere — which made Duff’s mid-throw exchange with a table stand out even more.

Robb ultimately sealed a 3–1 victory with a tournament-high 96.29 average, while Duff exited after his first match back on the Lakeside stage this year. But as often happens at the World Championship, it wasn’t just the result that captured attention.

With both moments clipped and shared widely, the discussion around Duff’s reactions is showing no sign of slowing down — and is likely to continue long after Robb’s run at Lakeside moves on.