Chris Dobey left seething as Jonny Clayton plays brutal prank during European Darts Open 2025

Chris Dobey was left fuming after unknowingly stepping onto the oche with a Liverpool FC flight in his setup – the result of a cheeky prank by Jonny Clayton. But despite the joke, the Welshman’s stunt might just mark the start of a new superstition for the Englishman.

‘Hollywood’ narrowly scraped through his second-round clash at the European Darts Open in Leverkusen, edging out German hopeful Niko Springer 6-5 after trailing 4-1. The world number seven fired in five 180s and averaged 91.27 in an impressive comeback display.

Yet all the post-match chatter centred not around the result, but around Dobey’s unusual equipment. Commentator Dan Dawson revealed that Clayton had secretly slipped a Liverpool-themed flight into Dobey’s darts case – and the Newcastle fan didn’t notice until he was already on stage.

“Dobey only found this out when he was up on stage. Immediately he had to cover it up with a towel in case the cameras picked up on it," Dawson revealed. "But the thing is he won the game coming back from 4-1 down. He has to keep it as a superstition! He was not happy about it."

The joke cut particularly deep for Dobey, a passionate Newcastle United supporter. His beloved club famously beat Liverpool 2-1 earlier this year in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley – ending a 56-year wait for silverware.