ONE HUNDRED AND WAITY!
Anderson through, but his entrance is delayed by Covid-testing technology
GARY ANDERSON revealed his delayed entrance at Alexandra Palace was due to quarantine after he was alerted to a Covid threat.
The Flying Scotsman opened his bid for a third title at the William Hill PDC World Championship with a 3-1 win over 750-1 Latvian outsider Madars Razma.
Already struggling with fluid and inflammation in his left knee, Anderson (right) was due to begin his campaign last Sunday.
But his match was put back 72 hours so he could complete the mandatory 14-day self-isolation after a contact returned a positive test for coronavirus earlier this month.
Had Anderson received his track-and-trace alert 48 hours later, he would have been ruled out of his 20th darts world championship.
He said: “They ey ping you and say, ‘ You’ve u’ve got to have two o weeks off ’ and you think, ‘ Yes, what a result!’.
“If we get told to do something, that’s the e rule. That’s what hat you have to do. W We stick to it, simple as that.
“I have a rough idea who I came into contact with – it might have been the police, Costa, McDonald’s – but I get back and I stay home.
I’ve been fine, but I know people who are close to me who’ve had it.
“Back home we do it right, we shop as little as possible, meet people as little as possible – and then you come to London, Tier 4, don’t touch the bannister, don’t touch anything... it’s a bit scary.” Anderson, 50 earl ier this week, headed home for C h r i st m a s in S Somerset, and will return to the PDC ‘ bubble’ in north London to be tested – with every other player – on Boxing Day.
Non- British players stranded in the UK for the festive season by Europe shutting its borders have not been so lucky.
Anderson is also booked to see a consultant about his dodgy knee on December 30, but may have to postpone.
“If I’m sti l l in the tournament, I can’t make it,” he said. “It will have to be next year now, but I don’t know what they can do for fluid and inflammation.
“It’s just because I’m 50 and I’ve spent half my life walking back and forwards to get my darts. I’ve had a sore back and sore knees. It’s been hell over the past couple of months.”
Ricky Evans set up an Ally Pally duel with world No.1 Michael van Gerwen and admitted: “I’ve just landed the hardest job in darts.”
Tw o of the fastest throwers on the circuit meet for the second year running after Evans beat Mickey Mansell 3-1.
Nathan Aspinall came from two sets down to pip two- time Lakeside world champion Scott Waites in a last-leg thriller.
The Asp looked on the way out when Waites pulled off a brilliant 125 checkout – bullseye, 25, bullseye – in the final set. But the Yorkshire carpenter’s form collapsed and Aspinall said: “I don’t like playing him because he’s so good!”.