William O'Connor booked his place in the second round of the Swiss Darts Trophy in Basel on Friday evening with a comfortable 6-1 victory over Finland's Jani Haavisto. But the most memorable moment of the match had little to do with darts. During the opening leg, the 40-year-old Irishman found himself facing a rather unusual opponent: a large insect that had suddenly appeared on the dartboard.
O'Connor, who competed as a kickboxer before turning his attention to darts, was unfazed by the unexpected visitor. The Irishman spotted the insect as he prepared to wrap up the opening leg. The PDC described it as "the biggest insect we have ever seen on a dartboard". O'Connor took matters into his own hands by stamping on it, even celebrating his actions with the crowd.
The incident left commentator Dan Dawson struggling to believe what he had just witnessed. "Oh no, he's gone back in. There was some sort of insect," Dawson said as O'Connor returned to the dartboard. The Irishman had hit double four at the second attempt to win the opening leg. As he retrieved his darts, he appeared to stamp on the insect again. "Willie O'Connor has mortally wounded it, hit a winning double and then finished it off in the most merciless fashion possible," said a stunned Dawson. When the replay showed just how large the insect was, the commentator could not resist another remark. "That's a beast, what's that? Burn its body."
After the unusual interruption, O'Connor was able to turn his full attention back to the match. The Irishman had few problems against Haavisto, completing a comfortable 6-1 victory. The result secured 'The Magpie', a former UK Open semi-finalist, a place in the second round of the European Tour event in Switzerland.
A considerably tougher opponent awaits there in world number 14 Ross Smith. As one of the seeded players, the Englishman enters the tournament in the second round.
