FLYING SCOT’S ALL THE R-AGE
Gary eyes title treble
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GARY ANDERSON wants to prove yet again that age is no barrier to becoming a world darts champion.
The Flying Scotsman plays his first round match at the Ally Pally tonight when he meets the winner of the earlier qualifier between Canada’s Jeff Smith and England’s Luke Humphries.
He is 47 on Friday and if he wins the title he will be only the second man after Phil Taylor to lift the PDC crown three times.
Anderson, who became a dad for the fourth time with the birth of daughter Cheylea in October, has lost only one of his last 21 games in the tournament having been champion in 2015 and 2016 and runner-up last January.
He said: “It’s not a bad run, and my name is on the trophy twice.
“I have earned people’s respect and it took a long time. Some people thought it would come a bit earlier but I had to wait until I was 44 before winning the first one and every year it is getting harder.”
Anderson, one of the favourites for the title, has already set a date for retirement – a secret for now.
Date
Will he playing top-flight darts for the next 10 years?
“No, no,” said Anderson. “I have more or less got the date set in my mind when I am done.
“I have a date to say, ‘Right, that is it, enough is enough, it’s time to spend time with the family. I have the youngsters’.
“Instead of being 12 months away from home I will be 12 months with them – that will be fantastic.
“Will I come back and still play on if I fancy it? I might do, but I have a time and date in my head.
“When my daughter Cheylea is 20, I will be 67.
“It’s my first daughter and it has been kind of strange. Three boys and then the wee girl comes along. It’s all very different for me.”
Cheylea had to spend three days in hospital last month and Anderson tweeted a message of thanks when she was out.
Now it is full steam ahead for a man who felt relaxed even when Dutchman Michael Van Gerwen took away his title by beating him 7-3 in the 2017 final.
“Outside of Taylor’s 14 PDC crowns, Anderson, Van Gerwen, Adrian Lewis and John Part have all won it twice.
Anderson added: “I would have liked to have made it a third, but when I lost to Michael in the final that night I had the best sleep for donkey’s years.
‘‘It was like everything had lifted. I wasn’t bothered one bit.”