Darts referee Huw Ware praised for how he dealt with whistling crowd during Price vs Chisnall match

Huw Ware, the darts referee who takes no prisoners, made his feelings abundantly clear after the European Darts Grand Prix clash between Gerwyn Price and Dave Chisnall was interrupted by whistles and jeers.

On Saturday afternoon, Price hit an average of 99.71 as he recorded a 6-4 victory over Chisnall, but the big talking point from the second-round match was an incident involving Ware and the raucous Glaspalast crowd in Munich.

With Chisnall leading the contest 3-2, constant whistling from those in attendance started to have a negative impact on the game.

Moments later, referee Ware made his way over to security before making a statement to the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began. "I've just told security... if you carry on whistling please do, but you'll be thrown out of the venue immediately."

The PDC's official account soon posted footage of the incident, alongside a caption that read: "Huw Ware making his thoughts known about the whistles in the crowd."

Huw Ware making his thoughts known about the whistle's in the crowd!

📺 https://t.co/YyBPPwoMK8#ET5 pic.twitter.com/9IUrF51KVT

— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) April 18, 2026

Ware was praised for how he dealt with the situation. One fan wrote: "Huw is the only ref with a set of stones on him, got to stand up to these idiots."

A second said: "This is why he is the best referee. Good at his job but consistently tries to do something about the whistlers," and a third commented: "This is why Huw Ware is the best ref in the sport by a mile."

A fourth added: "As he should, it seems to be every week no matter the venue. He’s the only one that speaks up."

Huw Ware has previously spoken about the task of dealing with rowdy crowds

Speaking to the Daily Mail in February, Ware gave his thoughts on crowds that whistle and jeer.

"It is frustrating because I want to see a good game as much as the fans," he said. "It upsets me when people feel the need to try and whistle, even if you don't want that person to win. I think that's so unfair.

"There is no excuse for trying to put someone off maliciously. I hate it, I really do. I speak for all the referees when I say that because it makes our job that much harder too.

"There have been times I am comfortable to turn around, but you can sometimes end up with a worse problem. Sometimes I can get away with saying something over the microphone, but how I tend to deal with it, especially with the rowdy crowds, is I'll do it off microphone, the odd gesture.

"I may walk round to the front of the stage to speak to security. I will tend not to use the microphone with a rowdy crowd because you can end up with a bigger issue. Watching on TV it may seem black and white - it's not as simple as that unfortunately. I wish it was, but we all try where we can."

Ware added: "If we're not seen to be doing something, that doesn't mean we condone it. Something you say nothing because they want attention. There is more than one way of dealing with it, but it really is frustrating."