The return of Wayne Mardle was the highlight of the night for many darts fans, as Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen played out a thriller to kickstart the new season of Premier League Darts.
Just over a month on from Littler's triumph over van Gerwen at Ally Pally, the pair were reunited in Belfast's SSE Arena on night one of the new Premier League Darts season. The duo faced off in the third quarter-final of the night in Belfast after wins for Chris Dobey and Rob Cross in the first two matches of the night.
Missing from those World Championships in December had been the iconic voice of Wayne Mardle on commentary.
Darts royalty, Mardle was absent from Ally Pally after the tragic death of his wife Donna. She passed away at the age of just 52 after a short battle with illness.
Tributes poured in from the world of darts when the news broke in December, and Mardle found some beautiful support from the community as he returned to the commentary box in Belfast.
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Wayne Mardle in flying form on return to darts commentary duties
Wayne Mardle was back in the commentary box on Thursday as night one of Premier League Darts 2025 got underway.
The highlight of the quarter-finals saw a repeat of last month's World Darts Championship final, as 18-year-old Luke Littler took on Michael van Gerwen.
A thrilling match played out in which world champion Littler was wasteful in defeat - though he did provide some superb excitement with a brilliant 161 checkout in the fourth leg.
When van Gerwen responded with a 180, Mardle delivered a trademark, "COME ON NOW!" to sum up the excitement.
It was a brilliant moment, and the highlight of an emotional and energetic return to the commentary box for Mardle.
The iconic commentator found plenty of support online, as darts fans expressed their delight at hearing his excitement soundtrack the evening once more.
Mardle himself would take to Twitter midway through the evening to share his overwhelmed emotions.
It is wonderful to have the next few months of Premier League Darts to look forward to. Even more so, it is simply wonderful to have the voice of Wayne Mardle back accompanying it all.
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