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‘The worst thing you can say as a referee’ – ‘Voice of Darts’ Russ Bray agrees with Luke Littler on crowd trouble

LEGENDARY darts referee Russ Bray has weighed in on the crowd trouble during Night Two of the Premier League in Glasgow on Thursday night.

Darts fans in the OVO Hydro were criticised for whistling throughout the evening and even saw intervention from referee Kirk Bevins when things got loud during the final between Luke Littler and Luke Humphries.

Russ Bray being interviewed backstage.
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Russ Bray has weighed in on the crowd trouble during Night Two of the Premier League[/caption]
Two darts players shaking hands after a match.
PA
Luke Littler and Luke Humphries faced loud whistling from the crowd in Glasgow during their final[/caption]
Kirk Bevins holding a Sky Sports microphone at the 2023 Betfred World Matchplay.
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Referee Kirk Bevins intervened, telling the crowd to ‘stop whistling’[/caption]
Luke Littler celebrates during a darts match.
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Luke Littler claimed Bevins made matters worse with his interjection to quieten the crowd[/caption]

Bevins told the Scottish fans to “stop whistling!” in an effort to sort things out, but unfortunately saw his attempt at calming the crowd lead to even more noise.

Littler, who won the final 6-5 to take home the nightly victory, hit out at referee Bevins for “making it worse”.

Speaking after the victory he said: “Obviously, there were a few in particular that were doing it when Luke was throwing. Then when Kirk told them to be quiet, it got even worse. And then I missed doubles.”

Adding: “But I think it’s best off if they don’t whistle at us. We just want to play our darts.”

Now iconic darts ref Russ Bray, who was coined ‘The Voice of Darts’, has agreed with the 18-year-old’s sentiment, claiming telling the crowd to stop whistling is “the worst thing you can say”.

He told The Express: “The worst thing you can say as a referee is, ‘ladies and gentleman, please don’t whistle’, because all the idiots will start whistling. That’s the mentality of them.

“All you can say is say, ‘ladies and gentlemen, please give the best of order’. Then it’s up to the security to do something about it, to get those idiots out.

“We don’t need them in there, it drives you nuts. It’s a thorn in the side of the game, for sure.

Premier League Darts 2025: Dates and venues

Night 1 – Belfast: Humphries beat Dobey 6-1
Night 2 – Glasgow: Littler beat Humphries 6-5
Night 3 – 3Arena, Dublin – Thursday February 20
Night 4 – Westpoint Exeter – Thursday February 27
Night 5 – The Brighton Centre – Thursday March 6
Night 6 – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham – Thursday March 13
Night 7 – Utilita Arena, Cardiff – Thursday March 20
Night 8 – Utilita Arena, Newcastle – Thursday March 27
Night 9 – Uber Arena, Berlin – Thursday April 3
Night 10 – AO Arena, Manchester – Thursday April 10
Night 11 – Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam – Thursday April 17
Night 12 – M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool – Thursday April 24
Night 13 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham, Thursday May 1
Night 14 – First Direct Arena, Leeds – Thursday May 8
Night 15 – P&J Live, Aberdeen – Thursday May 15
Night 16 – Utilita Arena, Sheffield – Thursday May 22
Play-Offs – The O2, London – Thursday May 29

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“How you police it, it’s very difficult. It’s hard to pinpoint one person when you’ve got thousands of people in the audience.

“It really needs the people in the audience to point them out. If an idiot next to me was whistling, I’d turn round and have a go at him. You’re there to enjoy the game, not have some clown spoil it.

“It’s their work. If someone was laying bricks, you wouldn’t go down there and play with his cement to put him off”.

Bray claimed that he “absolutely detests” whistlers and “wishes they could be thrown out”.

The PDC seem to have similar thoughts too, as they reminded fans of their duty to respect the players in a statement following Thursday’s issues.

PDC statement in full

A look at what the PDC had to say after the crowd trouble in Glasgow...

“The PDC wishes to strongly reiterate that it does not condone any behaviour which can disrupt an event, such as whistling or booing when players are throwing.

“Every player goes on stage with the intention of performing to the best of their ability and providing an entertaining spectacle for all fans, whether in the venue or watching worldwide.

“As per the terms and conditions of entry to events, spectators who act inappropriately can be removed from the venue.

“The PDC works closely with Premier League venues, who have responsibility for crowd control, to take proactive and decisive action against those who behave inappropriately.

“The vast majority of fans who attend our sell-out events on a regular basis also condemn this behaviour.

“And we will continue to promote a positive atmosphere which gives all players the opportunity to play to the best of their ability in every match.”

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Max George reveals he had another secret heart surgery after getting ‘worse and worse’

Caption: Max George reveals devastating decision he made ahead of heart surgery in case he died credit: @maxgeorge (instagram) / REX

The Wanted star Max George has revealed he recently underwent a second heart operation after first having a pacemaker fitted in December.

The singer, 36, was originally rushed into A&E in Manchester just before Christmas 2024, where he was fitted with a pacemaker.

This came after he awoke, feeling freezing cold and with bright blue hands, while staying with mum Babs, 63, at her home in Manchester following a month-long tour of the USA with his band.

After alerting his mother – who he credits with saving his life – he was initially sent home by their GP – however, a doctor friend then told him to get straight to A&E.

It was there that he was told he would need to have the operation because he had a ‘block’ in his heart for which a pacemaker – a small device used to treat some arrhythmias – had to be fitted.

After coming out of that surgery successfully, Max thought he was on the road to recovery.

Maisie Smith (L) and Max George cuddle on Christmas day
Max’s girlfriend Maisie Smith has been by his side throughout the ordeal (Picture: Max George/Instagram)

That is until recently, when he began to feel a shaking and fluttering in his chest that was gradually worsening, he revealed to The Sun.

He said: ‘I was trying to get back to good health but was still having a flickering sensation for weeks after I had my pacemaker fitted and it was gradually getting worse and worse.’

Eventually, Max booked in for a second surgery on January 15, thought he battled fears beforehand that he ‘could bleed out,’ given the rare set of cirumstances.

Luckily, the second surgery was a success, and Max feels lucky to be on the other side of such a scary ordeal.

Max George update
Max has been open about the scary ordeal on social media (Picture: @maxgeorge/Instagram)

After his first operation, Max updated his followers by posting a photo of the large scar from the procedure above which is a tattoo of his late Wanted bandmate Tom Parker’s birthday, 4 August 1988.

Tom Parker died in 2022, aged 33, after he was diagnosed with brain cancer.

In his powerful caption, Max wrote: ‘Given the last 10 days, this is the best Christmas present I could have ever wished for.

‘Pacemaker is in. Operation took around 2 and half hours. The main issue being some of my veins had collapsed where the wires were meant to go… But the surgeons and nurses at the NHS have been incredible. I owe everything to them.

‘The surgeon kindly put my pacemaker just underneath a very special tattoo of mine.. So I’m sure it’s being looked after.’

He added that he still has a ‘few more tests’ remaining for ‘inflamed lymph nodes’ on his lungs but said it will ‘be easy work’.

Editorial use only Mandatory Credit: Photo by Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock (14663752w) Maisie Smith, Max George 'Lorraine' TV show, London, UK - 26 Aug 2024
Max and Maise met on Strictly (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

‘Time to rest and then tackle life full-on once again. Thank you for all your support. It’s meant a hell of a lot to myself and my family,’ he concluded.

Now, as Max recovers from his second heart surgery, he’s been leaning on girlfriend Maisie Smith, 23.

Maisie, who is a former EastEnders star, met Max when they were competing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2020 and started dating two years later.

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