Wayne Mardle makes low-key return to Sky Sports for first time since tragic death of wife Donna on eve of World Champs

BRAVE Wayne Mardle made his instrumentality to Sky Sports darts commentary duties connected the opening nighttime of the Premier League successful Belfast.

Popular pundit Mardle, 51, is calling the shots connected 2 games connected Thursday evening successful the Northern Ireland capital.

The erstwhile nonrecreational subordinate – a five-time satellite title semi-finalist – had a mic successful his manus for the quarter-final Grudge Match betwixt Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen, moving alongside pal Rod Studd.

And helium volition besides enactment connected semi-final 2 with co-commentator Dan Dawson astatine the SSE Arena, which showcased the champion athletics earlier 9,000 fans.

Emma Paton introduced him with nary fanfare, by simply saying: "To usher you done it, I'll manus you implicit to Wayne Mardle and Rod Studd."

The athletics was rocked connected Sunday December 15 – the archetypal nighttime of the PDC World Darts Championship – erstwhile it was announced unrecorded connected TV by presenter Paton that his woman Donna had died aged 52 pursuing a abbreviated illness.

Colourful Mardle – the Voice of the Sport connected Sky for galore years – was absent from the 16-day worlds implicit Christmas connected compassionate grounds.

Michael van Gerwen, the three-time satellite champion, was 1 of galore radical to lead the tributes astatine Ally Pally.

And the Dutchman, 35, began crying erstwhile helium spoke astir Donna successful his second-round post-match property conference.

Sympathetic TV bosses had near the doorway unfastened for Mardle’s instrumentality to enactment – lone erstwhile helium felt acceptable – and his comeback behind-the-scenes was a low-key matter with minimal fanfare.

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Mardle would usually beryllium connected signifier successful the arena successful beforehand of tens of thousands of fans but helium decided to enactment lone successful the comms booth this time.

Luke Humphries, the satellite no.1, was 1 of respective players who reached retired to Mardle during the World Championship.

Speaking astatine Wednesday’s media day, Cool Hand Luke said: “I’ve spoken to him, yeah.

“I mean, what he’s told me, I won’t repetition it. That’s his business.

“I deliberation he’s coping. Of course, you don’t request maine to archer you, everyone knows that erstwhile you suffer a loved one, it’s truly tough, isn’t it?”

Video clips of Mardle’s affectional commentary during the 2023 World last – erstwhile the victorious Michael Smith deed a nine-darter decorativeness conscionable seconds aft Van Gerwen had missed his ain cleanable limb effort – went viral.

Mardle, 1 of the champion TV pundits around, provided the close words astatine the close clip alongside the fantabulous Stuart Pyke.

His memorable comments successful the infinitesimal of ecstasy – ‘I CAN’T SPAKE” – were taken from 1980s rugby league commentator Mick Morgan.

Words that Mardle, nicknamed Hawaii 501, often said successful his room astatine location to tease woman Donna whenever she got his beverage bid wrong.

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