Gary Anderson lashed out at psychological tactics employed by his former protégé Adam Hunt at the PDC World Championship. The two-time World champion secured a nail-biting deciding set victory against the youngster he once coached on Saturday afternoon, and acknowledged there were nerve-wracking moments before his Ally Pally success.
Anderson was also distinctly unimpressed with the chatter and behaviour displayed by Hunt throughout their encounter before delivering the decisive finishing blow. The Scottish legend initially admitted the 3-2 comeback triumph was far from pleasant as he said: « Oh, aye. Risking a heart attack, yeah I love every minute of it!
« I was mad at myself. It started off great in the first set, then I just went absolute to mush. The second and third, they were all over the bloody place. But I got back to 2-2, I started to take my time and actually look at what I was throwing at and it kind of worked, so I got over the line. »
Anderson also revealed his annoyance at Hunt’s conduct and comments during their clash. When questioned whether some celebrations from his rival had motivated him, he responded: « Yeah, there was a couple of legs that I threw away. There’s nothing worse than somebody pinching a leg off you and giving it licks and you think, right, okay, that’s not going to go well. »
When pushed about whether opponents raised their performance levels against him, Anderson added: « He’s never played like that for the last 12 months. At the first break, he popped his head into me, ‘When was the last time you played like that?’
« I went, ‘I play like that all the time, son. It’s as simple as that. I went, ‘Cheeky little…’ We talk about mind games, but when was the last time you played like that? I probably forgot more about darts than what he ever knows. It’s not a thing. I’ve played darts a long time. I still bang in the 110 plus averages. So, yeah, I can still play the game how it should be. »
When pressed on whether he believed it was a deliberate ploy from Hunt, Anderson continued: « I don’t know, that’s up to you to decide. I know what I think. But I can’t say because I get into trouble every time I say it.
« I just want to play darts. It’s not rocket science. You throw your darts and you get out the boy’s way to let him throw. That’s it. It’s the easiest game in the world to play. End of. When you see them sauntering up to the dartboard and taking 10 minutes to take their darts out, is that darts? That’s why I don’t watch it. »
Ultimately, Anderson managed to clear his head to secure victory. He added: « If you think, you lose. That’s a darts player’s secret. When you play any kind of sport, I think if you think into it and get into it, then it’s not good for you.
« So you try not to think. I just want to keep going so I can get a shot on the new stage next year. If it’s ready on time, it’s a lot of work. »
Anderson is now set to face either Simon Whitlock or Connor Scutt in the second round. Speaking about his potential opponents, he said: « I’ve known Simon for donkeys. Connor, I’m a big fan. I get on well with Conor. Cracking little boy. He’s a worker. He puts the time in on his dartboard. »
The second-round match is scheduled for Monday week, and in the meantime, it’s back to hard graft at the fishing lakes for Anderson. He said: « I’m going back to work tomorrow while you all enjoy yourselves and have a jolly. Rachel’s going in about six in the morning.
« I’ll be in about half seven, eight o’clock until six o’clock. The body’s still done. I’ve got a lot of chainsaw work to do after this tournament. But we’ll wait until the end of it. We’ll carry on with the win. »
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