CASH IN THE ATTIC Aspinall dream will provide £100k deposit on new home
FORMER trainee accountant Nathan Aspinall sensationally booked his place in the semifinals of the William Hill World Darts Championship yesterday to bank the richest pay day of his career.
Aspinall guaranteed himself £ 100,000 by easily beating Northern Ireland’s Brendan Dolan 5-1 to reach tonight’s last four.
“Darts may go under the radar as a sport but it can change lives,” said Aspinall. “I have never had much money. I have two young daughters and it’s a deposit for a house.
“I am living the dream, I have gone up there with no pressure, I have exceeded my expectations, I played really well and I felt so relaxed.”
Aspinall gave up accountancy, where he was earning £25,000 a year, nine months ago to become a full- time darts player, and victory tonight would double his earnings.
However, just getting to the last four is not enough for the 27-year-old – he now has his eyes on the trophy and the £500,000 prize for becoming world champ.
Rob Cross, the defending champion who was knocked out on Friday night, won the world title in his debut at the Ally Pally and Aspinall said: “Why not me? I’m getting better and better.
“When I came here, I wanted to win my first game and give a good account of myself.
“Now I am really looking forward to the semi- finals – it is unbelievable.” Aspinall, who had an average of 99.72 against Dolan’s 93.87, sensed it might be his day when, during the first leg, he caught a fly on the oche.
“I let it go and I thought my luck might be in,” said Aspinall.
Dolan, 45, at his 11th world championship, was left chasing the game from the start and said: “Nathan was just brilliant. I told him at the end that I had no qualms about losing like that. He tore me apart.”
Stockport- based Aspinall landed a series of amazing checkouts, including one of 122 on the bullseye and a 132 on double 12.
A former world youth finalist, ranked 73 and a 500-1 outsider before the tournament began, he moved into a 4-0 lead before Dolan even broke his throw.
Aspinall was even averaging 115 at one stage in the third set.
He looked like achieving a whitewash when he clinched the fourth set but Dolan finally broke before taking the fifth.
It proved only a consolation as Aspinall sealed the match on double top.