Once upon a time, the very name Peter Wright struck visceral fear into opponents. Drawing the Scot on the oche meant one of two things: perform at an extraordinary level, or pack your bags. Even hammering in maximums at will and pinching absurdly audacious checkouts was often insufficient – Wright would simply respond in kind, and then escalate.
Nowadays, however, it is no longer the sight of a venomous Snakebite ruthlessly eviscerating trebles and doubles. Instead, it feels closer to a polite nip than a fatal strike.
Of course, Father Time is an undefeated adversary, and the two-time PDC World Champion has not been granted immunity. Now 55, one must rewind to the 2023 European Championship to locate his last televised major triumph – though he did at least pocket the German Darts Championship two years ago.
Languishing at 31 on the PDC Order of Merit, the upcoming campaign feels perilously close to make-or-break territory. The silver lining for fans of the Scottish slinger – and for Wright himself – is that his ranking defence is mercifully light. In 2024, his deepest televised runs were semi-final appearances at both the World Cup and the World Series Finals, alongside a quarter-final showing at The Masters – none of which weigh upon his ranking.
Yet despite a visibly trimmer physique, last season’s form offers scant encouragement that he will be piling on the pounds in prize money. The year began with promise, a quarter-final run at Ally Pally, but momentum quickly dissipated. Since then, every ranking major has ended at the first hurdle, save for a sixth-round exit at the UK Open.
The floor tournaments and Euro Tour were similarly unrewarding. Four quarter-final finishes on the continent and a solitary runners-up spot in Leicester at a Players Championship event represented the high-water marks of his relatively timid 2025 campaign.
Form is temporary, class is permanent may be an often invoked phrase, but even that aphorism has an expiry date. There is only so long Wright can lean upon it while hoping to rekindle the alchemical brilliance that once made him one of the most decorated players the sport has ever seen.
Even his long-standing nemesis Michael van Gerwen recently joked that the Scot should retire. Perhaps delivered with a wink, but The Green Machine is not renowned for verbal diplomacy.
So the question lingers: are we witnessing the opening act of the end for a player who has conquered almost everything darts has to offer – or is there one final, incandescent burst still to come from Snakebite?
——ENDS—–
Images: PDC
