Vincent van der Voort has shared a remarkable story about a confrontation with a spectator during his playing career, revealing on the Darts Draait Door podcast that he once invited a heckler up onto the stage mid-match. The former professional was repeatedly heckled by someone in the crowd during a match against Gary Anderson at the Masters, and eventually decided he had had enough.
The subject came up during a discussion about darts fans' behaviour and the effect they can have on players on stage. Van der Voort recalled one match in which a spectator had really got under his skin. "I've had it once before. I was playing against Andersen at the Masters, and the guy just kept swearing at me the whole time," the Dutchman said. During a break, Van der Voort decided to confront him. "During the break, I asked him if he wanted to come up to the stage. I would have planted my 45 right between his eyes. He didn't want to come."
The spectator declined the invitation, so the exchange remained verbal and at a distance. Looking back, Van der Voort could laugh about it. "But then I'd have been standing there looking like an idiot, pointing at him on the stage," he said. Presenter Damian Vlottes remarked that it was just as well for Van der Voort's career that the situation had not escalated. "We probably wouldn't have finished that match," the former professional admitted.
Asked how he knew which spectator was heckling him, Van der Voort explained: "There was someone sitting right next to him," making a pointing gesture. However, he was not even completely sure afterwards that he had confronted the right person. "Maybe I had the wrong person. That wouldn't have been the first time," he joked. "But I certainly thought he was the one who'd done it."
