It was just a bridge too far, and time just ran out on us.

The PDC came up short in their bid to hold it in Blackpool

How different will it be without fans?

“It’s clearly not what anyone wanted,” noted Porter. “Darts is built on atmosphere. It thrives on atmosphere, and it’s popular because of its atmosphere.

“But it’s still a world-class sport in its own right, and the players will be up there playing to the best of their ability. And the way it comes across on the broadcast, as we’ve seen with behind-closed-doors football and other sports, things will be put in place to make it as watchable as possible for everyone at home.

“Players are actually more used – than people would imagine – to playing in quiet environments. Normally they are tour events, rather than the premier events, the ones everyone are used to watching on TV. But it is something they’re used to. So it won’t be that much of a shock for them, until they turn around to celebrate and realise there’s nobody there!

“They’ll be focused, and they’ll be delivering to the best of their ability. And it will still be a very watchable spectacle.”

Of course, precautions will need to be taken in light of the pandemic so the tournament can be held in a safe manner.

“We will have social distancing measures in place on stage,” he explained. “There’ll be two water tables. There’ll be appropriate distances between officials, and routes the players will have to walk back. But to be honest, those things are mostly in place anyway.

“There won’t be handshakes or physical contact. But apart from that, you won’t see too much different. Within a relatively small area, i.e. a darts stage, they do manage to keep apart from each other most of the time anyway.

“From a playing perspective, it won’t be any different for the players, other than the lack of atmosphere.”

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