Darts star blames gym workout after poor display at Flanders Darts Trophy

Ryan Joyce blamed a session at the gym for his poor performance in the Flanders Darts Trophy.

The world No.24 scraped past Ricardo Pietreczko 6-5 in Antwerp, averaging just 88.36.

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The man from Newcastle received a bye into the last 16 after Gerwyn Price withdrew.

The Welshman injured his hand, so Joyce was a step closer to glory.

But after just scraping past ‘Pikachu’, he weirdly claimed he was bad because he was tired from a gym session.

He said: “There were some really bad moments in that game. We were both miles off it. 

“Whoever was going to lose that game was going to be frustrated that they missed a good opportunity to get through to the next round.

“I’ve got an excuse for not being good, I don’t know about him. I’ve been trying to lose some weight. 

“I’ve been working out and I haven’t been able to practice because my muscles really hurt after working out. 

“I am just amazed I managed to get through that game, I think I was lucky.” 

The news that he had advanced straight to the last 16 caught Joyce by surprised.

“I didn’t know [I was straight through to the last 16] I heard a few players pulled out, but Gerwyn Price was not mentioned,” he said.

Joyce faced Damon Heta on Sunday afternoon and lost 6-4.

How is the rest of the tournament looking?

There is a £30,000 prize for the winner of the Flanders Darts Trophy.

Luke Littler is still in the competition having brutally smashed Dylan Slevin 6-0. Littler now faces Heta in the quarter-finals after getting past Ryan Searle.

Joyce came closest to stopping Littler on his way to glory at the PDC World Darts Championship.

The Geordie lost 4-3 on sets to the Nuke as he became the youngest player in history to be crowned champion of the world.

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It was a very tense game for Littler, but seeing it through proved to be the catalyst as he smashed everyone else to claim the title.

Speaking after that contest, he said: “I think there would have been expectation no matter what. Even if Luke [Humphries] got through, and I’ve obviously I’ve got through tonight, I think all eyes would still be on me.

“Obviously, no one really knew me. I was playing with absolute freedom. I would say these last two games I’ve played with a bit of freedom, and also that adrenaline boost has been there for me.”

The tournament concludes on Sunday evening, with the semi-finals and final still to come.