Luke Woodhouse criticises ‘freezer’ conditions as Tom Sykes also reports cold

Luke Woodhouse criticised the cold playing conditions at the Grand Slam of Darts after losing to Tom Sykes, who also said his hands were freezing during their match.

Sykes won Saturday’s Group J opener 5-3 at WV Active Aldersley in Wolverhampton, taking the final three legs after Woodhouse had led 3-2.

Woodhouse congratulated his opponent afterwards but questioned the temperature on stage.

Luke Woodhouse unhappy with Grand Slam conditions

Writing on Instagram, Woodhouse acknowledged that both players had faced the same conditions and credited Sykes with handling them better.

However, he described the conditions as “ridiculous” and expressed hope that his next match would not feel like playing in a freezer, talkSPORT reported.

The 15th seed averaged 89.56 in defeat, but could not stop Sykes turning the match around in the closing legs.

Sykes also struggled with the temperature

The winner’s comments supported Woodhouse’s account of the cold.

“I’ve got hand warmers in my pockets no matter where I play or when I play, and even my hands were absolutely freezing,” Sykes said, as reported by The Sun.

Sykes nevertheless completed a winning Grand Slam debut, putting himself in a strong position in the three-player group.

The complaints reflect the players’ experience of Saturday’s opening match. Neither report provided a measured temperature.

What it means for Group J

Woodhouse’s defeat leaves him needing a response against Krzysztof Ratajski on Sunday afternoon.

Their match is fifth in the published order of play for the session, which starts at 1pm. Our Woodhouse vs Ratajski match page has the fixture details.

Only the group winner reaches the last 16. Another defeat would eliminate Woodhouse, while a victory would leave his prospects dependent on Tuesday’s meeting between Sykes and Ratajski and, potentially, the tie-break rules.

See our Grand Slam groups guide for the full draw and follow the tournament on our darts hub.

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