World Matchplay star who beat Nathan Aspinall was given five-year darts ban

Darts star Wessel Nijman has advanced to the second round of the World Matchplay having previously been banned from the sport for more than two years. The Dutch player admitted to breaching betting and anti-corruption rules and was given an initial five-year suspension in October 2020.

His sentence was later halved after participating in anti-corruption measures and education. Nijman recorded a huge win over Nathan Aspinall in the first round of the World Matchplay on Saturday. The 25-year-old savoured his 10-6 victory over the world No. 7 and will now face James Wade at the Winter Gardens on Tuesday. However, Nijman spent years on the sidelines after becoming embroiled in a betting and match-fixing scandal.

The charges related to Nijman's 4-0 loss to David Evans in the Modus Icons of Darts series in May 2020. Nijman admitted to fixing his defeat, with The Sun reporting that he agreed to lose every leg for £8,300 after being contacted by a third party.

He was given a five-year ban by the Darts Regulation Authority, backdated to August 2020, though Nijman ultimately served half the time after engaging in player education and anti-corruption measures. Reflecting on his mistakes when the ruling was announced, he said: "While it is clear that I was put under external pressure, ultimately I agreed to do this and take full responsibility for my actions.

"I hope any other player who finds themselves in a similar position will learn from my mistakes and follow the correct procedure to help protect their own integrity and the integrity of darts as a sport. Unfortunately, I did not do that and made a stupid mistake that I am rightly being punished for."

Nijman, who worked as an electrician during his ban, was allowed to resume competing in February 2023. He performed well on the PDC Development Tour, earning a spot at the PDC World Championship and gaining a PDC Tour card.

In October 2024, Nijman won his first senior PDC title by defeating Stephen Bunting 8-5 in the final at Players Championship 24. "I've felt like it was coming. I thought, 'Be patient and it will come,'" he said after clinching the title.

"It's probably the best months of my darting career. When I was playing the Development Tour last year I wasn't expecting to get a tour card. I knew I could win it when I was in the final. My goal was to get in the top 64 after two years; I'll probably get into it after one year so I'm very happy with that."

The Dutchman currently sits at No. 42 in the world rankings. However, if the World Matchplay debutant continues to progress in the tournament, he may climb a few places higher. There was an even more high-profile result elsewhere as former world champion Luke Humphries crashed out in the first round.

When asked if the win over Aspinall was the biggest of his career, Nijman told Sky Sports: "I think so. I won one game at Ally Pally, but this is probably more special than playing at Ally Pally, especially with the way I played.

"I'm very happy with the way I played and very happy with the win. I didn't feel too nervy. I played like myself. I'm just happy to be here. Now I've got to see it match by match."