Darts star dragged away from opponent by referee in feisty UK Open altercation

Charlie Manby had to be dragged away by the referee following his UK Open win over James Hurrell on Friday.

The 20-year-old rising darts star looked furious with his opponent after beating him 6-4 in their third-round clash.

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He took out a double four to secure his place in the next round, but rather than celebrating, he appeared to be annoyed by Hurrell.

Hurrell looked to be blocking his ears with his fingers when Manby threw the winning darts before going on to shake his hand.

That looked to anger Manby, who then went on to aggressively stand up to his opponent, following him to his table.

The youngster then continued to rant and the pair almost squared up, forcing the referee to step in and break things up.

Manby was pulled away by the official as he continued to shout and Hurrell left the stage following his defeat.

Once Hurrell had gone, Manby then screamed in celebration to the crowd, who were egging him on during the heated altercation.

What did Manby say after the incident?

It was a moment that seemed to come out of nowhere and of course, Manby was asked about the incident post-match.

‘Champagne’ said: “I just don’t think he was happy with me giving it the biggun when there’s a lot riding on it.

“I am mates with Jammo, sat on his table for ProTours and get on really well with him.

“He was giving it to me back. That was it, really.”

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“There’s no friends on the oche,” Manby added. “If I want to give it the biggun, I’ll give it the biggun.

“There’s no restrictions to that. You’ve got loads of people out there giving it the biggun as well.

“My fans, his fans, just as much as each other.”

UK Open heats up

At the same time as Manby and Hurrell got hot heads, the UK Open has also been heating up as a whole.

Round Four is taking place on Friday evening, with Manby next scheduled to take on Ryan Joyce.

Meanwhile, the big names are entering the tournament.

World Champion Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen, Jonny Clayton, Josh Rock and Stephen Bunting are all in action in the fourth round.

The UK Open will run over the weekend until Sunday, March 8.

It is being held at Butlins in Minehead, with action starting at 1pm and 7pm on Saturday and Sunday.