Forget nine-darters or perfect 180s – the hottest trend in darts right now? Losing your luggage.
As the sport’s elite jet across Europe chasing trophies, a new nemesis has emerged. No, not Luke Littler. We’re talking about something even more terrifying: the Heathrow baggage carousel. Or more specifically, its growing refusal to return suitcases.
Remember the dreaded school lost property box? That dusty treasure chest of forgotten P.E. kits, and mystery trainers? It always felt like the stuff in there had been abandoned on purpose – a desperate attempt to avoid the shame of wearing it again.
Well, the modern-day darts equivalent is just as painful. Only instead of oversized gym shirts, it’s precision-engineered tungsten and bespoke dart stems going AWOL. And unlike that kid in school who looked like he’d arrived via a Victorian vortex, pro players at least have the backup of a fan rocking their official merch somewhere nearby.
But while you can survive a game in someone else’s shirt, competing without your own darts? That’s like trying to win Wimbledon with a broomstick. The muscle memory, the grip, the balance – it all matters. Using a strange set is like using a public toilet: deeply unsettling and not to be attempted unless absolutely necessary.
Recently, it seems players arriving without their luggage is less of a mishap and more of a rite of passage. And when it happens, they don’t keep it quiet. Whether it’s for sympathy, damage control, or sheer venting, the lads are airing their dirty (or missing) laundry online.
Take Gerwyn Price, who somehow managed to win the Poland Darts Masters without his gear.
“I lost my case, lost my darts,” he told TalkSPORT after landing in Gliwice armed with nothing but determination and a nail file.
After buying a new set locally and spending two days just filing them down – which does sound like a bit of an exaggeration – he still lifted the trophy. Honestly, at this point, he might want to always forget his darts.
Days later, British Airways tried to spice up the Baltic Sea Darts Open betting odds by misplacing two more players’ equipment. Ross Smith and Chris Dobey checked in their bags at Heathrow… and never saw them again. Whether the luggage went rogue or simply didn’t fancy Kiel is unclear.
“No luggage, no representative to speak to, no equipment or darts,” Smith posted, before ending on “Thank you @British_Airways,” which I’m assuming was meant sarcastically.
Dobey chimed in shortly after:
“No luggage once again. Great start to the weekend,” he deadpanned on X – with sarcasm once again being a recurring theme when airing one’s discontent. Poor Dobes sounded more like a man mentally preparing to throw pub darts while dressed head-to-toe in regret and a Sunderland shirt.
Then came James Wade, another who fell fowl of Heathrow’s idea of musical suitcases:
“No spare shafts or flights, no suitcase either. You guessed it… British Airways.”
We hadn’t guessed it, but after seeing Dobey and Smudger’s social media posts, it felt like the safest bet. Upon his return, Wadey confirmed his bag hadn’t moved from Terminal 5 since check-in. “I guess it enjoys Heathrow more than Hamburg.” At this point, that’s only James Wade’s suitcase – and Luke Littler – who’d rather spend a couple of days in a Heathrow terminal with overpriced fast food than go to Germany.
Maybe this kind of chaos has always existed, but in the pre-social media era, we just didn’t hear about it. Now, players don’t just fear going out in the first round – they fear the carousel staying still while everyone else retrieves their bag.
In the modern game, it’s not just about doubles and trebles. It’s about landing with the tools to hit them. Winning the weekly luggage lottery seems a key ingredient to modern darting success!
—–ENDS—–
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