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As the festive season enters the annual pilgrimage Alexandra Palace For World Darts ChampionshipThousands of fans, many of whom are in elaborate costumes, flock to the iconic venue, creating a unique party atmosphere.
Yet, amid the cheers and spectacle of the world’s best players, an unexpected, winged rival has once again taken center stage: the infamous Ally Paly Wasp.
This persistent insect has become a recurring, though unwelcome, feature of the tournament in recent years, and its presence has already made headlines during the early days of this year’s event.
defending champion luke littler He found himself bending and weaving to avoid buzzing insects during a post-match interview following his first-round win over Darius Labanauskas on Thursday.
The wasp’s mischievous acts continued over the weekend. Ross Smith didn’t notice a bug sitting on the back of his neck as he threw during the shock 3-2 defeat to Andreas Harrison.
Similarly, former world champion rob cross He failed to notice the wasp on his shoulder during an interview after the 3–0 win over Cor Dekker.
More tungsten problems arose when Ted Evets tossed a wasp onto his cheek before losing to Luke Humphries, and the insect struck by Nitin Kumar during his historic win over Richard Veenstra came too close to the action.
Ally Paly Wasps continued their disruptive tour during the Monday evening session.
Martin Lukemann looked troubled during the early stages of his match against Max Hoppe, which the German eventually won 3–1.
Later, Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode was seen backing away from Oche during his match against Andy Betances, keen to keep his distance from the flying nuisance.
The Wasps came back for more on Tuesday night as they disrupted the first round match between Nick Kenny and Justin Hood.
It was Hood who was able to keep his composure amid the chaos, as they won 3–0 to progress to the last 64 of the tournament.
With Littler expected to retain his crown, the question remains whether the real “sting in the tail” of the tournament will come from a dart or a tiny, buzzy intruder.