Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP I was down to last £20..but now I’ve got my sights on a magic million
ASPINALL HOPES TO CASH IN AGAINST MVG
NATHAN ASPINALL will be shooting for £1million tonight – just a year after he was down to his last £20 in the bank.
The Asp is through to his second consecutive William Hill PDC World Championship semi-final after a hard-fought 5-3 win against Belgian Dimitri van den Bergh (the pair, below).
Instead of playing to pay the bills, Stockport’s rising star will become a darts millionaire if he topples three-time winner Michael van Gerwen in the William Hill PDC World Championship semi-finals.
And Aspinall, 28, has enjoyed such a rags-to-riches climb up the rankings that he admitted: “I used to throw darts to stay above the breadline – now I’m gunning for trophies and titles.”
Earlier this month, Aspinall revealed he was down to his last £21.98 in the bank – and to spend his last £20, a mate had to transfer a single PENNY into his account because the cash machine charged £1.99 for withdrawals. But look at him now.
Already guaranteed a minimum £100,000 payday for his run to the last four, he is within sight of the record £500,000 winner’s cheque at Alexandra Palace.
And if he makes it to the richest prize in darts history, it will take the UK Open champion’s earnings into seven figures in 2020.
Van Gerwen will have something to say about that tonight, after his 5-2 win against Darius Labanauskas.
But Aspinall knows he is on the cusp of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? territory, saying: “I’ve tried not to think about it, but I know what I am playing for.
“If I start thinking like that during the game, I will have to block it out because I am in a different situation now.
“Financially, I am secure – even though I am on £100,000 this year, I don’t need it.
“I am now playing to win that trophy, move my rankings up and, if I win £500,000, it will go down well at home.
“I believe I have the game to beat Michael.
He added: “It will be tough, but I beat him in Gibraltar the last time I played him on stage.
“I have the game to beat him, I have another level, I have so much more to give.
“I will have to do that to beat Michael. I believe I can.”