Darts fans screaming at TV as Callan Rydz survives ‘Ally Pally wasp attack’ to reach quarter-finals
Callan ‘The Riot’ Rydz was completely unaware the iconic Alexandra Palace wasp had settled in his hair during his fourth round win on Monday. During the opening stages of the second set in his match against Robert Owen, the wasp descended onto Rydz’s head. The famous Ally Pally wasp found a friend in Callan Rydz, not that he even noticed Rydz was in his throwing motion when the wasp, still perched on the back of the Geordie talent’s head, decided to fly away. It seemed just about everyone but Rydz knew the wasp was in his hair, as darts fans took to social media to point it out. One user wrote on X: “Does Rydz know he’s got a wasp on his head?” Another fan said: “How has Rydz not noticed the wasp chilling on his hair.” One posted: “There’s actually a wasp on Rydz’s head and he doesn’t know.” Rydz confirmed darts fans’ suspicions, as he exclusively revealed to talkSPORT after the match he was blissfully unaware of his encounter with the critter. “No, I had no clue,” Rydz told talkSPORT. “If I knew that, then I would probably have punched my head. But then I would have probably knocked myself out. “I love that, it’s good craic. I’m just overwhelmed.” Perhaps the insect had sneakily stung Rydz and gave him the power to come back from a two-set deficit, as the 26-year-old eliminated Owen with a 4-3 victory to progress to the quarter finals of the World Darts Championship. He will now take on Michael van Gerwen on New Year’s Day for a place in the semi-finals. GettyRydz is into the quarter finals of the World Championship for a second time[/caption] Against Owen, Rydz was in uncharted waters in the opening two sets given he had not conceded a single one in his first three games at this year’s tournament. Although he found himself two sets down, the famously vocal Ally Pally crowd helped bring Rydz back into the contest as he took the next three. Owen won the sixth set to level the contest, but Rydz held on to record an impressive victory. Perhaps what was most impressive about Rydz’s win was the fact he kept a cool head despite being down two sets to nil. However, the self-confessed ‘fruitcake’ opened up on how a picture of his late grandmother helped inspire the comeback. “I like to lose my head a lot, that’s why I’m a fruitcake,” Rydz said. PDCRydz dropped sets for the first time at the tournament but he remained composed[/caption] “Listen, I’m trying to keep my head level. When I was practising downstairs, I’ve seen a photo of my grandma and it just hit us. It really hit us. “That was for her.” Rydz ultimately finished the contest with a three-dart average of 97.38 and thrilled the crowd with a total of 12 180s, six more than Owen tallied. He now awaits three-time world champion Van Gerwen in the quarter-finals. As for the wasp, Rydz is not the first and almost certainly won’t be the last to encounter it. At the 2024 World Championship, Scott Williams had to contend with the buzzy foe as well as Australian star Damon Heta. PDCRydz’s 97.38 average was his second-lowest from his four games at this year’s World Championship[/caption] But instead of trying to swat the bug away, the man nicknamed ‘Shaggy’ bizarrely tried to karate chop it. The wasp made its appearance after Williams had taken a 2-1 lead in sets. Just as he began to celebrate, the wasp descended down onto the oche and looked to cause mayhem. However, Williams looked to show the bug who was boss by channelling his inner Mr. Miyagi and throwing some karate chops. Williams avoided being stung, but the same could not be said for Ross Smith. Also at last year’s World Championship, Smith had just beaten Niels Zonneveld 3-1 in their second round match and was giving his post-match interview when disaster struck. Scott Williams was another darts star who had an encounter with the Ally Pally waspGetty When asked if he could be the tournament’s dark horse, Smith replied: “Yeah honestly, without a doubt, I believe…” before he was rudely interrupted. “There’s the wasp!” he said. “He’s just done me, he’s just stung me like a good’un, little w*****!” Perhaps the Ally Pally wasp was sticking up for a fellow animal after Smith landed the famous checkout of 170, also dubbed the big fish, against Zonneveld.
Callan ‘The Riot’ Rydz was completely unaware the iconic Alexandra Palace wasp had settled in his hair during his fourth round win on Monday.
During the opening stages of the second set in his match against Robert Owen, the wasp descended onto Rydz’s head.
Rydz was in his throwing motion when the wasp, still perched on the back of the Geordie talent’s head, decided to fly away.
It seemed just about everyone but Rydz knew the wasp was in his hair, as darts fans took to social media to point it out.
One user wrote on X: “Does Rydz know he’s got a wasp on his head?”
Another fan said: “How has Rydz not noticed the wasp chilling on his hair.”
One posted: “There’s actually a wasp on Rydz’s head and he doesn’t know.”
Rydz confirmed darts fans’ suspicions, as he exclusively revealed to talkSPORT after the match he was blissfully unaware of his encounter with the critter.
“No, I had no clue,” Rydz told talkSPORT.
“If I knew that, then I would probably have punched my head. But then I would have probably knocked myself out.
“I love that, it’s good craic. I’m just overwhelmed.”
Perhaps the insect had sneakily stung Rydz and gave him the power to come back from a two-set deficit, as the 26-year-old eliminated Owen with a 4-3 victory to progress to the quarter finals of the World Darts Championship.
He will now take on Michael van Gerwen on New Year’s Day for a place in the semi-finals.
Against Owen, Rydz was in uncharted waters in the opening two sets given he had not conceded a single one in his first three games at this year’s tournament.
Although he found himself two sets down, the famously vocal Ally Pally crowd helped bring Rydz back into the contest as he took the next three.
Owen won the sixth set to level the contest, but Rydz held on to record an impressive victory.
Perhaps what was most impressive about Rydz’s win was the fact he kept a cool head despite being down two sets to nil.
However, the self-confessed ‘fruitcake’ opened up on how a picture of his late grandmother helped inspire the comeback.
“I like to lose my head a lot, that’s why I’m a fruitcake,” Rydz said.
“Listen, I’m trying to keep my head level. When I was practising downstairs, I’ve seen a photo of my grandma and it just hit us. It really hit us.
“That was for her.”
Rydz ultimately finished the contest with a three-dart average of 97.38 and thrilled the crowd with a total of 12 180s, six more than Owen tallied.
He now awaits three-time world champion Van Gerwen in the quarter-finals.
As for the wasp, Rydz is not the first and almost certainly won’t be the last to encounter it.
At the 2024 World Championship, Scott Williams had to contend with the buzzy foe as well as Australian star Damon Heta.
But instead of trying to swat the bug away, the man nicknamed ‘Shaggy’ bizarrely tried to karate chop it.
The wasp made its appearance after Williams had taken a 2-1 lead in sets.
Just as he began to celebrate, the wasp descended down onto the oche and looked to cause mayhem.
However, Williams looked to show the bug who was boss by channelling his inner Mr. Miyagi and throwing some karate chops.
Williams avoided being stung, but the same could not be said for Ross Smith.
Also at last year’s World Championship, Smith had just beaten Niels Zonneveld 3-1 in their second round match and was giving his post-match interview when disaster struck.
When asked if he could be the tournament’s dark horse, Smith replied: “Yeah honestly, without a doubt, I believe…” before he was rudely interrupted.
“There’s the wasp!” he said. “He’s just done me, he’s just stung me like a good’un, little w*****!”
Perhaps the Ally Pally wasp was sticking up for a fellow animal after Smith landed the famous checkout of 170, also dubbed the big fish, against Zonneveld.
