PIETRECKZO STRUGGLES WITH GRIP IN DRAMATIC DEFEAT
29/04/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
RICARDO PIETRECKZO appeared to struggle badly with his grip and release at the oche.
The German’s troubles came at a crucial moment, with his Players Championship 12 first-round clash against Ryan Searle locked at 3–3 in Milton Keynes.
Pikachu stepped up needing 141 to move ahead and left himself 71, requiring a treble 13 to stay on track to leave double 16 for his next visit.
But then the issues began as he repeatedly went to throw, only to stop mid-action, clearly unable to release the dart.
The world No.34 paused, took deep breaths and even slapped his leg in frustration as the tension grew.
In a desperate attempt to reset, Pietreckzo made several shadow throws before finally letting the dart go, only to hit a single 13.
Searle pounced on the opening, coolly taking out 25 to break before going on to secure a 6–4 victory and progress to round two.
On commentary, former world champion Glenn Durrant analysed the moment in detail as Pietreckzo battled to regain control.
He said: “Is it a grip issue? It’s a shame because he has been absolutely brilliant here for six legs.
“That is not what we want to see. Fingers crossed he can get back to that rhythm he has been displaying over the last couple of days.
“That’s a classic example, visually, that he is just wanting to get those darts out of his hands. That is not his natural rhythm.
“It’s not coming from his forearm, wrist or elbow, which he often plays from. Look at that shoulder movement in it.
“It is like he is just throwing the darts. But what hasn’t gone is the determination. You can see the way he grits his teeth at the end of that.
“It’s almost like your brain is telling you not to throw the dart, because that is not the way he normally throws the dart.
“He is struggling here.”
The incident could have been related to dartitis, which is a mental condition that can prevent darts players from throwing the dart properly.
Durrant added: “Technically, you can teach people how to throw a dart.
“But the point I would like to get across is the psychological part of the game — the pressures that these players are under — it is not to be taken too lightly.
“I think that is half the battle with Ricardo right now.”
Image by Taylor Lanning.
