‘I needed that,’ says Wayne Mardle after surprise return as Littler hails darts icon and fans gush ‘you’ve been missed’

WAYNE MARDLE made an affectional instrumentality to the commentary container for Thursday's Darts Premier League opener.

The 51-year-old was connected the mic for the archetypal clip since the tragic decease of his woman Donna.

Mardle had been distant from the athletics since Donna's daze passing was announced connected December 15.

The darts icon joined Rod Studd successful the Sky Sports booth for 2 matches connected Thursday nighttime from Belfast.

He called the enactment for Luke Littler's epic tussle with Michael van Gerwen, a repetition of the PDC World Championship final.

And helium returned aboriginal successful the evening to commentate connected MVG's semi-final with World No. 1 Luke Humphries.

An affectional Mardle aboriginal took to societal media, writing: "I needed that".

Mardle's instrumentality to the time occupation hadn't been antecedently disclosed by Sky Sports.

And delighted viewers took to X to invited him backmost to darts.

One wrote: "What a lucifer to instrumentality to, invited backmost Wayne."

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Another said: "The instrumentality of the GOAT."

While a 3rd added: "You person been sorely missed my friend."

And satellite champion Littler commented alongside a bosom emoji: "Great to person you backmost @Wayne501Mardle."

Mardle, a erstwhile nonrecreational connected the PDC, was known arsenic Hawaii 501 during his playing career.

He reached the semi-final of the World Championship successful 2001 - a vocation item - but went down to the legendary Phil Taylor.

Mardle made his commentating debut successful 2011 and has been a regular dependable connected darts ever since.

His Sky workfellow Emma Paton held backmost tears connected tears arsenic she delivered a touching tribute to Donna.

The 52-year-old passed distant days earlier the World Championship successful December pursuing a abbreviated illness.

Paton said: "If you are a regular spectator of Sky Sports Darts, you volition announcement that Wayne is not present with america this evening.

“Wayne is the bosom and psyche of everything we bash present astatine Sky Sports Darts.

“But the bosom of his world, his fantastic woman Donna, sadly passed distant earlier this week aft a abbreviated illness.

“We volition beryllium remembering Donna passim this tournament."

It was an opening nighttime to retrieve for Humphries connected stage, arsenic the caller Masters champ thrashed Chris Dobey 6-1 successful the final.

Cool Hand Luke said: "I deliberation this is the hardest Premier League for a long, agelong time.

"For me, nights similar this, you've got to beryllium cautious oregon they mightiness not hap arsenic often arsenic you want."

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