The darts calendar sailed through the pacific this year without much incident – but that was not the case ten years ago.Michael van Gerwen once saw a match halted Down Under when rioting fans in fancy dress brawled and threw chairs.GettyFans lobbed chairs in a chaotic final night of the 2015 Darts Invitiational Challenge[/caption]The chaotic scenes unfolded at the Darts Invitational Challenge back in 2015, when ‘Mighty Mike‘ took on Simon Whitlock in the final at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium.Wild costumes and slightly over-the-top behaviour have become a regular fixture among darts crowds over the years, with the World Darts Championship showcasing the best of this each year.But a totally different side was on show a decade ago, with the situation in the 56,347 capacity venue getting out of hand.So much so that the final showdown between then-world-no.1 Van Gerwen and home favourite Whitlock was forced to stop and take a back seat.Police had to be called to intervene, but they were unable to get there in time to stop the entire seating area being wrecked by fans.According to those in attendance, the unsavoury scenes began when some people in the crowd tried to build a pyramid out of chairs. But things clearly didn’t go according to plan, with footage instead showing plastic chairs being hurled and tables overturned.People were said to be jumping on the tables until they broke in half, while groups of people also grappled with one another.And after security guards tried and failed to calm things down, dozens of riot police were brought into the stadium.Eventually, the situation settled down and play was able to resume, with Van Gerwen winning the final 9-8.GettyMichael van Gerwen kept his cool after chaos ensued at the Darts Invitational Challenge[/caption]GettyDetailed fancy dress outfits did not prevent fans from engaging in seemingly playful brawls,[/caption]GettyBut the situation got out of hand, with security and police having to intervene[/caption]Not only did the Dutchman have to contend with an unprecedented break in play, he also had to show real steel to come back in the clash, having trailed 5-1 and 8-4 before claiming victory.His victory was made all the more impressive by his ability to shut out all the chaos which had unfolded around him.Several members of the crowd later spoke about the incident to media outlets, with many shocked by the wild scenes.One witness, Andrew Portbury, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: “There were entire rows basically demolished, chairs being put on piles and tables started getting involved“People were diving on top of the tables and it just became this huge mess very, very quickly.”Another attendee said to The Age newspaper: “It was an absolute mess, drunken idiots that were getting bored and looking for a bit of excitement.GettyPlenty of boisterous crowd members were spotted holding chairs above their heads[/caption]“It was like a proper riot mentality. The security guards couldn’t get a handle on it, it was a real uphill battle for them.”On Van Gerwen, they added: “The look on his face after he won, it was a look not of victory, but one of pure disgust.”Speaking to The Age, stadium communications manager Bill Lane confirmed that forty fans had been ejected, with three receiving treatment for minor injuries.And Lane revealed the ugly scenes had even placed the possibility of future major darts championships being held in Melbourne in doubt.He said: “The night started really well but unfortunately a small minority did behave poorly.“There will be a major debrief and we are talking with police and our own security contractor. “We won’t shy away from what happened and invariably we learn something from every event.”Lessons certainly seem to have been learnt, with the the Melbourne Darts Masters becoming a regular fixture on the PDC calendar between 2017 and 2019.Luke Littler grabbed all the headlines on the other side of the world this year – winning both the Australian and the New Zealand Masters.