Just over three years ago, Martin Schindler and Simon Whitlock played out what has been called one of the worst legs of darts ever.During the first round of the 2018 World Darts Championship, Schindler and Whitlock missed 22 darts at the double between them until German Schindler finally hit double one and won the leg.It seriously took them 23 attempts to finish the leg! TWENTY THREE!With both players on double one, a scenario which has been termed madhouse, Alexandra Palace cheered with delight when the young German found a way to win after 24 darts each were thrown in the entirety of the leg.Both Schindler and Whitlock had the opportunity to finish the game with signature finishes, especially the former.When presented with a double 10, a shot he had so frequently and successfully won on, he somehow lost all of his nerve and prolonged the leg.Whitlock would then miss the opportunity to hit a double four, another shot that would usually provide an easy win for the Aussie, but like his young opponent, his usual success was nowhere to be found.
To add humiliation on top of the frustration of not being able to finish the leg, eight consecutive darts between the two men missed the double one needed to win.
Whitlock, also known as ‘The Wizard', would eventually go on to win the match 3-1, but the disappointment of hitting so many missed shots was sure to have left a bad taste in his mouth despite securing his place in the second round.
The sheer shock that two professional darts players struggled so badly caused disbelief around the world as no one could believe what they were seeing.
When Schindler finally ended the misery, a mixture of cheering and stunned applause met him as the crowd were unsure of what had just happened in front of them.
The 2010 finalist would go on to lose in the very next round as the Australian returned home after a very disappointing showing.