William O’Connor Shows “No Mercy” at Swiss Darts Trophy: Bug Squashed Before 6-1 Haavisto Win
Darts has given us walk-on girls, nine-dart finishes and some of the loudest crowds in sport — but Friday night in Switzerland delivered something nobody had on their bingo card. A bug. A very large bug. And William O’Connor showed it absolutely no mercy. See the darts schedule for upcoming tournaments.
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The Irishman was mid-match against Finland’s Jani Haavisto in the first round of the Swiss Darts Trophy when the insect landed on the dartboard. What followed — a ruthless stamping, a winning double, and a celebration in front of a stunned crowd — has already become one of the most talked-about moments of the European Tour season.
A Routine First-Round Tie Turns Bizarre
On paper, this looked like a straightforward opener. O’Connor, the world number 33, arrived as the heavy favourite against Haavisto, the 39-year-old Finn. And for long stretches, it played out exactly that way: the Irishman surged through the gears and wrapped up a comfortable 6-1 victory.
But nobody will remember the scoreline the way they’ll remember the first leg. Early in the contest, something moved on the board — a huge insect, sitting right there on the treble bed, completely unbothered by the fact it had wandered into a televised professional darts match.
The Stamp Heard Around the Darts World
O’Connor’s response was instant and utterly without hesitation. Stepping up to the oche, the 40-year-old simply stamped on the intruder — once, decisively — and then carried on as if nothing had happened. When he went to retrieve his darts moments later, he appeared to finish the job with a second tread, just to be sure.
It was pure theatre, and the crowd knew it. O’Connor milked the moment, celebrating in front of the fans, who roared their approval.
Commentator Dan Dawson could barely believe what he was watching. As the replays showed the true size of the insect, Dawson’s commentary turned into genuine disbelief — exclaiming that O’Connor had “gone back in”, that the bug was “mortally wounded”, and, as the camera zoomed in on the unfortunate creature, declaring it a beast and joking that they should “burn its body”.
PDC Reaction: “The Biggest Bug We’ve Ever Seen”
The PDC’s social media team wasted no time. Clips of the incident were posted within minutes, with the tongue-in-cheek claim that this was “the biggest bug we’ve ever seen on a dartboard” — a bold statement in a sport that has played everywhere from leisure centres to the Alexandra Palace stage.
And honestly? They might be right. Darts has seen its share of on-stage chaos, but a full-sized insect planting itself directly on the board, in the middle of a European Tour match, is a new one.
The Darts: Double Four Does the Business
Lost in the comedy is the fact that O’Connor played well. After the extermination, he still had a leg to win — and he did it in style, pinning double four at the second attempt.
From there, the Irishman never looked back. His scoring was solid, his finishing clinical, and Haavisto — to be fair — never recovered from the double shock of being outplayed and upstaged by an insect. The 6-1 scoreline was a fair reflection: O’Connor was simply the better player on the night, bug or no bug.
The victory banked him £2,500 in prize money and, far more importantly, a place in the second round — where a much sterner test awaits.
Who Is William O’Connor?
For the uninitiated, here’s the man behind the moment. William O’Connor, nicknamed “The Magpie”, is a 40-year-old from Ireland who has been a fixture on the PDC circuit for years. Currently ranked 33rd in the world, he’s one of those players every fan knows: dangerous on his day, capable of beating anyone, and blessed with one of the most recognisable walk-ons in the game.
Before darts, O’Connor was a kickboxer — which, in hindsight, explains a great deal about Friday night. You don’t spend years in a combat sport and then flinch at a bug. The footwork was always going to be elite.
His career highlight to date remains a run to the semi-finals of the UK Open, the PDC’s famous “FA Cup of darts”, where the open draw produces chaos every year. O’Connor thrived in exactly that environment, and while a major title has so far eluded him, he has spent years hovering around the world’s top 32 — the mark of a consistently excellent professional.
He’s also no stranger to the big stage atmosphere. Irish darts fans are among the most passionate in the sport, and O’Connor has long been one of their standard-bearers alongside the likes of the younger generation coming through behind him.
What’s Next: Ross Smith Awaits
The reward for Friday’s win — and Friday’s pest control — is a second-round meeting with Ross Smith, the world number 14. That’s a significant step up in class. Smith is a former European champion, a heavy scorer, and exactly the kind of player who punishes any dip in form.
For O’Connor, it’s a free swing with everything to gain. A win over Smith would be one of the standout results of his season and would keep alive his hopes of a deep run in an event where the winner pockets £35,000, with the final scheduled for Sunday.
The Swiss Darts Trophy is one of the key stops on the PDC European Tour, a series that takes top-level darts to arenas across the continent. Every event matters for ranking points, prize money and — with the World Championship on the horizon — seeding for the sport’s biggest stage at Alexandra Palace.
Why Moments Like This Make Darts Great
Here’s the thing about darts: no other sport would have handled that moment the way darts did. In tennis, play would have stopped for ten minutes while officials in blazers conferred. In football, there’d be a VAR check. In darts, the player stamped on it, hit his double, and the crowd went wild.
That’s the sport’s superpower. It’s intimate — the players are close enough to hear every chant. It’s unscripted — nobody, absolutely nobody, planned for that insect. And it’s completely unbothered by taking itself too seriously. O’Connor celebrating a bug-kill like a 180 checkout is exactly why darts crowds keep growing and why clips like this travel so far beyond the sport’s usual audience.
The European Tour thrives on nights like this. The arenas are packed, the atmosphere is part pantomime and part pressure-cooker, and every so often something happens that reminds you why live sport — real, unfiltered, slightly ridiculous live sport — beats everything else.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened with William O’Connor and the bug at the Swiss Darts Trophy? During his first-round match against Jani Haavisto, a large insect appeared on the dartboard. O’Connor stamped on it, then hit double four to win the leg, and celebrated in front of the crowd. The PDC joked it was the biggest bug ever seen on a dartboard.
Who did William O’Connor beat at the Swiss Darts Trophy? O’Connor defeated Finland’s Jani Haavisto 6-1 in the first round on 9 October 2026, earning £2,500 and a second-round tie against world number 14 Ross Smith.
What is William O’Connor’s nickname and ranking? He is nicknamed “The Magpie”, is 40 years old, from Ireland, and is currently ranked 33rd in the PDC world rankings. He is a former kickboxer and a one-time UK Open semi-finalist.
How much is the Swiss Darts Trophy winner’s prize? The winner of the event takes home £35,000, with the final played on Sunday.
When is the Swiss Darts Trophy final? The final of the 2026 Swiss Darts Trophy is scheduled for Sunday, concluding the weekend’s European Tour action.
Conclusion
William O’Connor came to Switzerland for ranking points and prize money. He’ll leave with both — plus the most replayed nine seconds of darts footage this month. The 6-1 win over Jani Haavisto was professional and efficient; the bug incident was pure, unplanned box office.
Now comes the serious business: Ross Smith in round two, and a potential run at the £35,000 top prize. But whatever happens from here, “The Magpie” has already given the European Tour its moment of the season. Some players win matches. O’Connor won the internet — one stamp at a time.
