PDC professional Damon Heta recently swapped the oche for a light-hearted showdown with players from his beloved football club, Nottingham Forest. In a unique Nine Dart Challenge held at the club, several Forest players took on the Australian darts star, with each participant given nine darts to post the highest possible score. To level the playing field, Heta had a dart deducted each time he stepped up, leaving him with just six darts to compete against the footballers.
The challenge kicked off with midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, who adopted the nickname "MGW." He scored 37 with his first three darts and improved to a total of 60, but Heta quickly took a comfortable lead with 77 from just two darts, securing the first win. Next up was a player nicknamed "Big Cheese," who started with a modest 20 and finished on 80, while Heta surged to 123 for a 2–0 lead. The tide turned when midfielder James McAtee, dubbed "Little Cheese," hit a treble 20 to reach 139, stunning Heta, who needed 23 to win but missed, giving McAtee a surprise victory he called "a bit fluky."
Defender Nikola Milenković, known as "The Surbinator," opened with 100 and finished on 171, enough to beat Heta, who failed to surpass that mark. Midfielder Ryan Yates, nicknamed "The Destroyer," started with 22 but improved to a total that also defeated Heta. Elliot "Arrow" Anderson began poorly with just six from his first three darts but rallied to 110, securing another win as Heta missed a dart for 42. Forward Omari Hutchinson, using the nickname "Hutch," opened with 34 and finished on 120, admitting he doesn't play darts at all but still ranked well among his teammates.
Throughout the event, Heta showed his competitive spirit, joking before the challenge, "Hopefully I'll just smash them all up," and offering advice to McAtee about tension in the arm. The contest was filled with humour and impressive moments, highlighting the crossover between darts and football in a fun, engaging format.
