A WDF World Darts Championship match was brought to an abrupt halt after a player disappeared from the oche.  The match between Finland’s Marko Kantele and Czechia’s Dalibor Smolik was paused after the latter stepped away from the stage during his opponent’s throw.

The WDF World Darts Championship is the successor to the previous BDO World Darts Championship at Lakeside. A rival to the PDC tournament, it is the fourth edition of the WDF event, which began in 2022. Both Kantele and Smolik were battling for a place in the second round when the bizarre moment unfolded. Having split the first two sets, Smolik had 16 remaining in the first leg of the third but was unable to immediately check out after rushing off stage for an unscheduled break.

As Kantele finished throwing to leave himself with 50, the broadcast team noticed that Smoiik had moved away from the oche. “Well, Dalibor Smolik has just walked off the stage for reasons unknown. I wonder if he may have been caught short,” one commentator said.

A second broadcaster responded: “Perhaps. I did mention that there’s no breaks in this game. Maybe he wasn’t aware of that after he won the second set. He did rush off the stage rather quickly.

The commentator then replied: “Well, a highly irregular situation at Lakeside.”

Upon returning from his short comfort break, Smolik was greeted by cheers from the crowd. After shaking hands with his opponent and having his score relayed to him by an official, the 46-year-old was thrown back into action.

As Smolik aimed for double eight, a commentator said: “Imagine if he hits this, first dart.” He eventually hit double four to take the first leg of the third set and bring the unusual situation to a close.

A commentator added: “Took him a little bit longer than expected. Dalibor Smolik has got the first leg in this third set, it is a break of throw as well.”

Smolik went on to seal a 3-1 victory over Kantele, advancing in the tournament. He faces Germany’s Paul Krohne in the second round on Monday evening. 

The winner of the WDF World Darts Championship will clinch the £50,000 top prize. The defending champion is Shane McGuirk, who has already progressed to the third round.