'Rowby-John was lying there and everyone had to hold Michael back' - Kim Huybrechts recalls incredible story of Van Gerwen losing temper

Kim Huybrechts has been a fixture on the PDC circuit for many years. ‘The Hurricane’ has won two European Tour titles, two Players Championships, and has twice featured in the Premier League Darts.

Last week, the 39-year-old Belgian appeared on the Darts Draait Door podcast, where he shared a light-hearted anecdote about an incident involving Michael van Gerwen and Rowby-John Rodriguez — an altercation that ended with Rodriguez being thrown over a table, much to the shock of Vincent van der Voort.

Huybrechts still remembers the moment vividly. “It all started when Michael and I were practising together with the Austrian player Rowby-John Rodriguez before a tournament,” Huybrechts said. “Rowby was winding Michael up by throwing very slowly. Michael was due to play his match soon, so he asked him to speed up. But instead, Rowby provoked him even more by throwing even slower and chatting to me in between.”

“Michael probably should’ve just gone to another board to continue his warm-up, but that was never going to happen,” Huybrechts continued. “He’s a stubborn guy. It escalated into a confrontation and they ended up nose to nose. Michael used a bit too much brute force and flung Rowby straight over the table.”

The whole incident unfolded in front of several other players. The table in question had drinks belonging to about ten players — including Vincent van der Voort, Van Gerwen’s close friend. “The first thing Vincent said was to ask who was going to pay for his drink,” Huybrechts laughed.

“Officials stepped in, and Vincent even tapped one on the shoulder to ask how they were going to sort out his drink," added the Belgian in conclusion. "Rowby-John was lying somewhere in the middle of it all and everyone had to hold Michael back. I was standing there, stunned.”