I want to be a first and last winner
GARY ANDERSON hopes to become the first name on the PDC’s Low6 Home Tour trophy tonight – and the last.
The Scot goes into the championship final group with the only perfect record – played nine, won nine.
But the two-time world champion hopes he will not be defending the title next year because that would mean darts had been driven behind closed doors by the coronavirus plague again.
Ando only joined the Home Tour at the last minute after he initially withdrew because of insufficient broadband width at his house in Somerset.
He said: “It’s strange to think I could be the first name on the trophy – and I hope I’m the last. If we’re playing this tournament again in 2021 we’ll know the virus is still around.
“I’m still getting used to the set-up because I’m useless with technology. Playing at home over the internet, using screens and tablets to find out how the other guy is doing, has been weird and I’ve found it quite difficult at times.
“But now I’ve come this far it would be nice to win it – and maybe in years to come we’ll look back at 2020 as the summer we were locked down.
“I was the first winner of the Phil Taylor Trophy when it was named after him at the World Matchplay so maybe this is a chance for another first. But I’m really looking forward to getting back on stage – I want the hunger back.”
Playing on stage soon will not be an issue but an announcement is expected within 24 hours about next month’s World Matchplay in Blackpool which is likely to go ahead behind closed doors.
Anderson added: “As it stands the players coming from overseas will have to go into quarantine for two weeks when they arrive in the UK.
“Even if you’re only coming over from Holland, that means you have to spend two weeks in a hotel before you come out to play – and not many hotels are open yet. Where are they going to stay?
“And how are players based in Britain are supposed to get to the venue if there are no hotels available? Do we drive ourselves to the venue.
“If they move it to later in the year, so be it – but there is already going to be a heck of a lot of darts at the back end of the year and you wonder if there will be enough hours in the day for all of it.”