CHISNALL BLAMES PRE-MATCH MEAL FOR KIEL FLOP
16/06/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
DAVE CHISNALL claims a pre-match meal left him feeling BLOATED and struggling on stage.
The St Helens thrower has shown signs of a return to form in recent weeks, reaching the quarter-finals of both the Baltic Sea Darts Open and Players Championship 20.
But Chizzy crashed to a 6-1 defeat against Joyce in Kiel, averaging just 78.17 in a below-par display.
Chisnall admitted he only had himself to blame after eating before taking to the stage.
He told Kwiff: “It was good to get over the line against Van Veen in last week’s Euro Tour, and it was just a bit of stupidity for going for food before playing Ryan (Joyce) and being bloated up on stage.
“Those two quarter-final finishes have given me a bit of a kick up the arse that I can still play darts, and I’m looking forward to showing folk that over the next few weeks.”
World No. 25 Chisnall suffered a difficult campaign in 2025, failing to lift a ranking title for the first time in four years.
But Chisnall still has plenty to play for this season, sitting £6,250 outside the World Matchplay qualification spots ahead of this week’s ProTour events.
He added: “The Pro Tours in Wigan are some of my favourites as it’s only a short train from where I am, and saves on the travel.
“I go there next week knowing a good result can secure us a place at The World Matchplay. I’m going there with the attitude of ignoring the consequences and just playing darts.
“When you’re worried about the consequences of a game of darts, it weighs heavy and you’ve just got to go there and forget about everything.
“The two Pro Tours and the weekend’s Slovak Open is a good chance to lay a marker down and really kick into the second half of the season and beyond.
“I’ve not played my best darts, by a longshot, for around 18-24 months now, but the practice has been good the last few weeks and it’s all about confidence and momentum.”
Image by Taylor Lanning.
