Andreas Harrysson narrowly missed out on the most outrageous nine-dart finish in the history of the sport.
A nine-darter was once an incredibly rare feat, with the first five televised successes being almost 20 years apart. The rising standard of players means that nine-darters have become more commonplace, with a massive 39 being achieved since the start of 2020 – including Luke Littler becoming the youngest-ever player to hit one in January.
However, none have been close to what ‘Dirty Harrysson’ attempted at the MODUS Super Series against Niall Culleton on Wednesday. Starting with three T20s, the Swede moved down the board to hit three T19s, leaving him with 150 remaining and eyeing up the bullseye.
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While there were several routes available to Harrysson, he focused on the centre of the board, hitting the first of three bulls. However, Harrysson painfully missed his second attempt after chasing down an unprecedented leg of darts.
The moment was perfectly summarised by the commentator, who said: “He almost did what would have been the most incredible leg you’ve ever seen on any dartboard.”
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His broadcast partner also felt the excitement in the air ahead of Harrysson’s third trip to the oche, exclaiming: “What is going on? If there is a God, let it happen. I want to see Andreas do the impossible. This could be a world first!”
Harrysson went on to defeat Culleton 4-2 and is currently top of the MODUS Super Series leaderboard after winning 13 of his 15 matches. That will ease the blow for the 49-year-old, who was two steps away from making history.
None of the 92 televised nine-darters in history have finished with three bullseyes. Given the notable size difference between a double and the bull, the unique way to score 150 is extremely rare on its own.
Simon ‘The Wizard’ Whitlock achieved a moment of magic at the 2022 Dutch Darts Championship. The Australian hit three bullseyes to checkout and win against Daniel Larsson, but it appeared not to be a one-off.
“That has happened before,” commentator Paul Nicholson explained. “He’s done that to win an Australian ranked event before!”