Sport
Nathan Aspinall reached the final in Cardiff with an impressive 136-checkout and a ‘phantom nine-darter’
Can he go one better in Glasgow?
Nathan Aspinall made it all the way to the final in Cardiff during the second round of Premier League Darts on Thursday night, pulling off a number of notable finishes in the process.
Although he was ultimately knocked out by former world number one Gerwyn Price, albeit not on his best form on the night, ‘The Asp’ looked like the man to beat as he managed to brush past two-time WPDC winner Peter Wright and reigning world champion Michael Smith on his way to the final.
If ‘The Iceman’ didn’t have the home crowd on his side — admitting that they got him over the line and now has “14 weeks of hell ahead of him” — Aspinall may very well have taken the win, having beat Price on his way to the semis on the opening night in Belfast on February 2.
However, despite going one further, the Stockport lad fell at the final hurdle, but not before hitting a remarkable 136-checkout to knock out world number one Smith by 6-4.
His overall performance on the night was lauded by fans as not just “impressive” but “outrageous” at times, averaging 105 every three darts.
The 31-year-old has just one major to his name so far which came in the 2019 UK Open but has continued to develop his game, having reached the semis in the worlds in 2019 and 2020, as well as coming runner-up in the Premier League, World Grand Prix and Grand Slam all in the last three years.
With that in mind, not to mention going one better than last week and following show-stoppers like his 136-finish, it’s looking like The Asp is starting the year off right.
That wasn’t the only shot that got the crowd on their feet either, as he also pulled off a rare ‘phantom nine-darter’ (also known as a ghost nine-darter) after a bounce-out denied him a perfect leg against Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright. Still, 10 darts isn’t bad either.
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Once again, his performance on the night was so good that many fans remarked that it deserved to be a true nine-darter but at least it added to the theatrics.
Nathan Aspinall currently sits fourth in the table, level on points with Chris Dobey, Gerywn Price and Michael van Gerwen, though the top three do boost a higher leg difference.
Here’s hoping he puts in another strong showing in Glasgow on Thursday, 16 February.
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Featured Image — PDC Darts/Sky Sports (via Twitter)
Sport
Wigan Athletic’s James McClean reveals autism diagnosis in heartfelt Instagram message
Danny Jones
Wigan Athletic and Ireland star James McClean has revealed his recent autism diagnosis in solidarity with the ASD community and to help support the international week of awareness.
The Latics, long-serving Irish international and former Premier League winger informed his followers of the personal news in a heartwarming social media post with his young daughter who is also autistic.
In contrast to his four-year-old girl, Willow-Ivy — whose autism was recognised early on — McClean has only just learned of his own diagnosis, having “decided to go and get an ASD [autism spectrum disorder] assessment” after spotting “so many small traits in her” that he sees in himself.
Taking to Instagram, the 33-year-old said he felt there was no better time to make this announcement than during Autism Awareness and Acceptance Week (27 March-2 April) and stand in solidarity with his daughter and others who are on the spectrum.
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As he details in the caption: “The last 4 years have been life-changing in the most amazing way but also very difficult at times as her daddy watching her overcome so many obstacles in her life and learning how to manage the challenges she faces on a daily basis.
“The more Erin [partner] and I learned about autism the more we began to recognise I was very similar to Willow in more ways than we thought… It’s been a bit of a journey and now having a diagnosis I feel it’s time to share it.”
He goes on to admit that he “debated for a while going public” but that he’s now “done this for Willow-Ivy, to let her know that [he] understand[s] and that being autistic won’t and should never hold her back from reaching her goals and dreams.” Such a lovely and inspiring message.
No one should ever feel like they need to hide what makes them the person that they are a secret. We applaud you for speaking out, James, and wish you and your little girl all the best.
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Featured Image — James McClean (via Instagram)
Sport
Rodri slams ‘rubbish’ Scotland despite historic 2-0 defeat as Scott McTominay scores yet again
Danny Jones
Manchester City star Rodri has called out Scotland for their “rubbish” tactics and style of play following their now famous 2-0 win over Spain.
Scotland hosted Spain at Hampden Park stadium on Tuesday night in the first round of Euro 2024 qualifiers and after having beaten Cyprus 3-0 on 25 March, the Tartan army managed an even more significant victory over the three-time champions, beating them for the first time since 1984.
Speaking to media after the game and obviously disappointed with the result, the Man City midfielder said that he didn’t feel the scoreline fully reflected the game and had a very clear opinion on what he thought of the home side’s performance.
In a word: “rubbish”.
Rodri went on to argue that, in his mind, “this is not football”, claiming that the opposition were “always wasting time” and trying to “provoke” the Spanish players by going to ground after most tackles.
The 26-year-old was also critical of the officials, intimating that the referee had the opportunity to intervene but simply “said nothing”.
On the contrary, the Scottish reporter interviewing challenged the Spaniard by suggesting that many fans within the ground would argue that Spain were guilty of the same “in terms of how quickly the players went down”. Rodri naturally disagreed.
Either way, it wasn’t time-wasting that made the headlines on the night, it was Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay, who bagged yet another brace to send the national stadium into pandemonium with his third and fourth goals for Scotland in the last two games.
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The 26-year-old opened the scoring inside just seven minutes and grabbed his second similarly early into the second half with an instinctive volley.
Along with his double against Cyprus at the weekend, that makes four goals in the last two games, with many Reds noting his heroics have come a key time with the likes of Casemiro suspended and Austrian international Marcel Sabitzer potentially injured again.
McTominay might have dropped out of United’s first-choice midfield when everyone is fit but has still proven himself to be a solid squad player.
Moreover, perhaps this international break has helped him send a message to Erik ten Hag ahead of a key period for the club.
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Featured Image — Viaplay Sports UK (via Twitter)/Scott McTominay (via Instagram)
