Nathan Aspinall has fired back at Dave Chisnall and Mike De Decker after refusing to take criticism of his Premier League selection lying down. The Asp was one of the four wildcard picks for the annual darting roadshow, which begins in Belfast on February 6. The selection of Aspinall and Gerwyn Price has triggered plenty of debate among darts fans and hasn’t gone down well with players who missed out.
World Grand Prix champion De Decker called his omission “scandalous”, telling Belgian media that Aspinall has only been selected for “entertainment” reasons due to his popular walk-on song, Mr Brightside by The Killers. Chisnall, the highest-ranked player not to be in the Premier League, aimed a similar jibe at Aspinall. Writing in his blog, he said: “Gezzy [Price] has had a lot going and struggled in 2024, whilst Nathan has done similarly. His run to the quarter-finals of the Worlds probably got him involved. That and everyone loving his Mr Brightside theme song.
“It’s a great entrance, but it should be about the darts, and not your walk-on that gets you involved in these big competitions. Nothing against them personally, as both great lads and get on well with, but it should be about your actions on the dartboard, not on a song and a dance.”.
Aspinall was stung by Chisnall’s comments in particular. Speaking to Mirror Sport ahead of the Bahrain Masters, he said: “He [De Decker] can say what he wants. He’s not helping himself, in my opinion. “I’m very disappointed in Dave, who I class as one of my close mates on the tour. That post was directly aimed at me.
