During major darts tournaments, it’s become a tradition for event sponsors to entertain fans with social media challenges involving the sport’s top players. Often, these challenges fly under the radar — light-hearted content that rarely leaves a lasting impression. But this time, one stood out, and not for reasons you might expect.
⏱️ | They may be great at throwing arrows, but can the winners of Round One at the Betfred World Matchplay do something as easy as count five seconds?
(Spoilers, they're worse at it than you'd think 😂)@OfficialPDC pic.twitter.com/z0DKAMxEnB
— Betfred (@Betfred) July 22, 2025
Dutch darts star Jermaine Wattimena stole the show in a recent challenge — not with his darts, but with an unintentionally hilarious moment that quickly went viral. The presenter herself couldn’t contain her laughter after hearing Wattimena’s response during the challenge, and the footage speaks for itself. While no one doubts the ability of PDC players to hit their marks on the oche, this simple off-the-board challenge proved unexpectedly difficult — with Wattimena delivering the standout moment of comic relief.
That said, Wattimena won’t lose any sleep over it. He’s among the final 16 players at the World Matchplay and is set to compete tonight for a place in the quarterfinals. However, standing in his way is none other than Luke Littler — a formidable opponent for “The Machine Gun.”
Wattimena advanced after a solid 10-8 victory over Peter Wright on Sunday, posting a match average of 91.81. In contrast, Littler displayed his dominance shortly after in a commanding win over Ryan Searle. Despite Searle throwing a respectable 98.63 average, it only earned him two legs, as Littler stunned with a sensational 108.92 average. Clearly, Wattimena will need to elevate his game to match the reigning world champion’s current form.
Dutch and Belgian players have made a strong start to this year’s tournament, and now it’s time to see whether they can maintain that momentum. Gian van Veen has already secured his spot in the quarterfinals after impressive wins over Luke Humphries and Danny Noppert.
Alongside Wattimena, fellow Dutchmen Michael van Gerwen and Dirk van Duijvenbode are also still in contention for a top-eight finish. Van Duijvenbode will face Andrew Gilding, while Van Gerwen prepares for a clash with Josh Rock.
All these thrilling matchups are scheduled for Wednesday evening, promising an exciting night of world-class darts and high drama — both intentional and otherwise.