Darts match in Melbourne halted by brawling fans in fancy dress

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jan/10/darts-match-melbourne-brawling-fans

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A darts tournament final in Melbourne was halted by crowd trouble, after fans, many of whom were in fancy dress, began brawling and throwing chairs.

Trouble began during a match between the world No1, Michael van Gerwen and the home favourite, Simon Whitlock. Police were called to intervene, with van Gerwen winning the match 9-8 when play resumed. England’s James Wade and Dutch player Raymond van Barneveld also appeared in the tournament, alongside four local players.

The Invitational Darts Challenge tournament was held at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium, a 56,347 capacity venue which currently hosts A-League side Melbourne Victory, NRL team Melbourne Storm and a number of local Aussie Rules teams.

Speaking to The Age, stadium communications manager Bill Lane confirmed that forty fans had been ejected, with three receiving treatment for minor injuries.

“The night started really well but unfortunately a small minority did behave poorly,” Lane said.

“There will be a major debrief and we are talking with police and our own security contractor. We won’t shy away from what happened and invariably we learn something from every event.”

Several members of the crowd tweeted about the incident, with one describing the scene as “absolute mayhem” and others questioning whether darts would ever return to the arena.