Littler threatens Netherlands boycott, Usher chases the British double in Bridlington & Hedman fights for her

Darts news from 20 September 2026: Littler threatens a Netherlands boycott, Clayton ends his major year, Usher reaches two finals in Bridlington.

The day's key stories

A darts Sunday that begins in Amsterdam and ends on England's east coast – and in between there is a statement that reaches far beyond this one day. Luke Littler has openly threatened the Dutch fans with a boycott, Jonny Clayton has taken the vision of a perfect major year away from the world number one, Gerwyn Price has hit the Big Fish, and in Bridlington a 53-year-old is going for a rare double.

Luke Littler announces that he will skip European Tour events in the Netherlands in future – asked about it, he answers “100 per cent”.
Jonny Clayton ends Littler's dream of a major clean sweep in 2026 with a 10-4 win.
Gerwyn Price checks out the Big Fish (170) against James Wade and posts an Average of over 103.
Graham Usher is in two finals on the main stage in Bridlington.
Deta Hedman has to defend her British Open title against Natalie Gilbert.

Story of the day: Littler's black Sunday

There are days when a player takes two defeats – one on stage and one off it. For Luke Littler, this Sunday was one of them. On the board, Jonny Clayton took him apart 10-4 in the Amsterdam quarter-finals, and this was not one of those tight stories you can explain away with a missed Double. Littler did start 2-1 up, but from 3-3 the Welshman took seven of the last eight Legs.

The decisive number of the afternoon was Littler's Double percentage: a meagre 19 per cent. Throw like that and you do not win a major – and that was exactly the point. Because this defeat ends the historic run. This year Littler had won the World Championship, the World Masters, the UK Open, the Premier League, the World Cup of Darts and the World Matchplay – a major year the sport has never seen before. A clean sweep of every big title in the calendar year is now mathematically off the table.

The remarkable thing about it: Clayton did not win this match with fireworks, but with patience. The Welshman, who already triumphed in this competition back in 2021, simply gave Littler no second chance in the key phases and added the exclamation mark that tipped the match with a 121 finish. His assessment stayed dry: “He wasn't at his best today, but you have to take your chances.”

Raymond van Barneveld supplied the psychological reading: “It's the pressure. Everyone is talking about it: can he win all year? That creates huge pressure.” It is a plausible theory. A player who, as world champion and world number one, goes up against his own flawlessness every week carries a burden no training plan can cushion. The record hunter becomes the hunted of his own statistics – and sooner or later that costs exactly the percentage points on the Doubles that make the difference.

The boycott debate – and why it concerns German fans

The second story of the day is the louder one. Littler addressed the atmosphere in Amsterdam openly and issued a threat the PDC will not like. Asked whether he would treat the Netherlands in future the way he treats Germany, he answered: “100 per cent.” And he went on: “If the Dutch stay like this, then I won't play any more European Tour events there. There's simply no point in me travelling there and wasting my time while I get booed.” Followed by the almost defiant addition: “I just want to play darts – and of course sign autographs.”

For the German audience that is more than a footnote, because Littler draws the parallel himself. Germany has long been his negative example, and the European Tour stops here are among the best-attended events on the entire calendar. When the sport's biggest draw puts two of its most important markets on his internal blacklist, that is an issue for promoters, ticket sellers and associations.

And it is an uncomfortable question for fan culture in the halls. There is a difference between creating an atmosphere and whistling a player down for hours, and part of the crowd apparently no longer draws it. Anyone selling darts as a funfair has to live with it getting loud – but anyone yelling at a 19-year-old on every throw drives exactly those names out of the hall the ticket was bought for. It was notable that this time Littler deliberately refrained from any gesture towards the stands: whoever boos him does not need a thank-you. The PDC will have taken note of the statement; after all, the European Tour lives off the pulling power of its top stars.

Bridlington: Usher chases the British double

While Amsterdam delivers the headlines, the nicest story of the day is taking shape in Bridlington. At Bridlington Spa, Graham Usher is on the main stage twice: the 53-year-old, a former PDC Tour Card holder and World Seniors finalist in 2025, contests both the final of the WDF British Open and that of the British Classic. Two finals in one day – hardly anyone manages that in the WDF world, because both titles run over two full, gruelling days on the boards.

In the Open he faces 21-year-old Harrison Leigh, who has been playing on the Development and Challenge Tour this year and has already hit a Nine-Darter there. 32 years of age difference, best of nine Legs, £1,500 for the winner and £700 for the loser at this Silver Ranking event – that is the unvarnished arithmetic of grassroots darts, and it explains why these finals are played so uncompromisingly. In the Classic, Harry Lane is waiting.

Usher's route there was anything but comfortable: against Jack Nankervis he came through 5-4, even though his opponent was clearly ahead on the Average – 92.96 to 88.98. A lesson in how little the Average is worth in a short format when the Doubles go in. Leigh also had to go the full distance, beating Reece Robinson 5-4 as well.

The women's finals: Hedman under pressure

In the women's draw the finals are at least as appealing. In the British Open, Natalie Gilbert challenges reigning WDF world champion Deta Hedman – Gilbert came through her semi-final 4-1 against Steph Clarke, while Hedman swept Jane Robson off the board without dropping a Set. In the British Classic, Vicky Pruim and Lorraine Hyde meet; on her way there Pruim stopped Hedman 4-2 with an Average of 86.34 – a result that adds extra spice to the Open final, because it shows the title holder is beatable on this day. All four titles will be decided on the main stage in Bridlington.

Amsterdam in brief: World Series of Darts Finals

Finals day at the AFAS Live has thoroughly shaken up the pecking order. The quarter-finals at a glance:

Jonny Clayton 10-4 Luke Littler – Clayton clever, patient and with a 121 finish as the exclamation mark.
Gerwyn Price 10-7 James Wade – the best performance of the session: an Average of over 103 and the Big Fish, the 170 Checkout.
Ross Smith 10-7 Josh Rock – a 97 Average, five 180s and an early 5-2 lead that Smith never gave up.
Gian van Veen 10-8 Dirk van Duijvenbode – the world number three turned the all-Dutch duel around from 6-8 down, closing it out with 124.

That leaves Ross Smith facing Gian van Veen in the semi-finals – that match is under way right now – followed by Gerwyn Price against Jonny Clayton in an all-Welsh duel. For Smith it is his first semi-final at a premier event in almost two years, for van Veen his first at this tournament; head to head, Smith leads by 5-4 wins. £100,000 is at stake from a total pot of £450,000.

MODUS Super Series: Van de Pas crowns his week

At the Live Lounge in Portsmouth, Benito van de Pas has taken the MODUS Super Series weekly crown. The Dutchman came through the final 4-3 against Henry Cooper – a match the debutant kept open until the deciding Leg. Cooper had arrived as a largely unknown quantity and leaves the week as its discovery. With the title, “Big Ben” van de Pas books his ticket for Champions Week.

Coming up tomorrow

On the big stage things stay quiet at the start of the week: no PDC TV tournament is scheduled for Monday. There is daily darts all the same – the MODUS Super Series starts a new week in Portsmouth with Group A from 9:30 UK time. So the hunt for Benito van de Pas's successor as weekly winner begins all over again straight away.