Darts star’s ‘head has gone’ after huge gaffe near finale of World Grand Prix epic | Other | Sport

Darts star Ryan Joyce suffered a mid-match ‘headloss’ during his World Grand Prix last-16 clash against Nathan Aspinall in Leicester.

Joyce had the match in the palm of his hands during the fourth set, with the world No.35 needing just 60 with two darts left to secure a safe passage into the next round.

But during what proved a momentary blip in concentration, the 39-year-old missed the board completely with his second dart, meaning he didn’t leave a finish and therefore letting his opponent back into the contest.

That was exactly what Aspinall did, with the Stockport-born ace taking out a clinical 89 with just two darts to force the tie into a deciding set.

His frustrations continued in the following set, with Joyce this time busting his score when he had the opportunity to checkout.

It sparked a feisty response from Sky Sports commentator Stuart Pyke who dubbed it a ‘headloss’ from Joyce.

“Oh no,” Pyke exclaimed. “Absolutely unbelievable. That’s twice in two legs, his head has just gone.”

Former darts-ace-turned-pundit Glen Durrant chipped in to ask: “What’s he doing?”

The mistake swung the pendulum in Aspinall’s direction, who wrestled momentum back and eventually went ahead on the night.

However, that wasn’t where the drama ended.

Instead, Aspinall would be the next to feel the pressure, with the world No.8 missing two consecutive match darts to hand Joyce an unwanted reprieve.

Down and out at one point, the unforced error from Aspinall sparked a revival for Joyce, who fired back to level the fifth set at two legs apiece.

Just as he’d done in his first match of the tournament against Damon Heta, Aspinall’s last-16 outing went down to a last-leg shootout, in which ‘The Asp’ once again threw away his ticket into the quarter-final.

Aspinall, who had previously reached the last-eight of the Grand Prix just twice before, wasted yet another match dart.

Joyce needed no invitation to take advantage for a second time, with the Newcastle-born star taking out double six to finally bring the epic battle to a conclusion.

It’s a landmark victory for Joyce, given he’d reached the quarters of a major PDC ranked televised event on just two prior occasions.

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