By Will Schofield

Copyright dailystar

Michael van Gerwen had barely unpacked in Leicester before he crashed out of the World Grand Prix at the first hurdle.

Dirk van Duijvenbode dumped out his compatriot – who never really got going – in Leicester. The six-time champ couldn’t get near Big Dirk, who needed five match darts to claim his first ever TV win over Mighty Mike.

“The game is up for Van Gerwen,” Sky Sports’ Dan Dawson as Van Duijvenbode took his final steps to the oche. “That is a big win for big Dirk! Van Gerwen was very nearly whitewashed for the second straight year.”

Van Duijvenbode had a match dart to whitewash the Dutch great – but Mighty Mike was handed a lifeline. He would finally get on the board, but with the darts in Dirk’s hands – it was only ever going the way of the Titan.

“It was just a really inconsistent performance from the World No.3 and its yet another year he goes home early from the Grand Prix,” one fan posted.

“What the hell has happened to Van Gerwen? Looks a shadow of his former self,” a second said. While a third added: “I genuinely miss the days Michael Van Gerwen used to be good at darts.”

“Van Duijvenbode has played alright, but the way he won that first set was more commanding than the performance up to now has looked,” another admitted.

It’s a huge disappointment for Van Gerwen who was starting to look to get back to his best. He overcame Luke Littler 11-7 in the World Series final to lift his first televised title in two years on September 14.

This is a breaking sports story and is being constantly updated with the latest news, pictures and videos. Please refresh the page regularly.

You can also get email updates on the day’s biggest sports stories straight to your inbox by signing up for our sports newsletter.

Get all the very best sports news, pictures, opinion and video by following Daily Star every time you see our name.

Follow Daily Star on Google News – CLICK HERE and click the star

Follow Daily Star on Apple News – CLICK HERE available on Apple devices

Follow Daily Star on Flipboard – CLICK HERE and click follow

You can also sign up for Twitter alerts for breaking news by following @‌DailyStar_Sport and follow us @‌dailystar for all the latest updates.

Keep up-to-date with your must-see sports stories, features, videos and pictures throughout the day by following us on Facebook at Daily Star Football | London