Gary Anderson is planning a big birthday bash at the Ally Pally.
The Scottish star begins his bid for a Paddy Power World Championship hat-trick when he faces Jeffrey de Graaf. Anderson is the biggest threat to the nuclear Lukes Littler and Humphries in the showpiece tournament due to a resurgence in form and he’s bang in the spotlight tonight.
Four years ago, he was stuck in digs on his todd as he hit the half century. This time, on the day he turns 54, Anderson will be in the midst of a typically-boisterous 3,500-strong party in the Palace. He smiled: “I can remember sitting in my hotel room on my own in Brent Cross on my 50th, not a soul to speak to, but it’s part of the parcel. I like it because it’s later on in the tournament. It means I’m not first out if it goes completely wrong!
“I might be wrong about this, but I’m sure I’ve played three games before Christmas in the past. Ask any of the boys, it’s just getting past that first round. There’s going to be some great upsets this year, I think.”
Anderson’s treble bid is realistic. Having stepped away from some events in the past two years and finding a perfect work-life balance, the clamour is now there for him to return to the Premier League in 2025. But Anderson insists it’s just no doable and he won’t budge on his stance, with long-distance treks to World Series events are also off the menu as he continued: “I couldn’t do your Australia and New Zealand, I cannot sit on a plane.
“Even if you go on holiday now, it’s got to be about a two hour flight, because I struggle sitting on planes. It’s the old legs get cramped up. If it was nearby and got invited, yes I would, but like I say, the reason that I’m saying that about the Premier League is because I physically couldn’t do it.
“I got the fishing lakes during lockdown and that’s all was in my head, get my lakes up running and do that, and all my concentration went into that, then running about with the kids, trying to see the kids doing their stuff and that and then playing darts. It was a mess, but now I’ve kind of got a nice little routine going. I’ve got my lakes, I’ve got the kids, I’ve got my darts, so everything’s kind of spaced out and it’s working all right.”
Anderson makes sure that his down time is just exactly that as he constantly references his lack of practice and easy-osy approach. The Tartan hero doesn’t hide the fact that his outlook may have cost him most glory in his career, but he’s content at this stage with those two World crowns already in the bag.
Anderson said: “It’s not cocky, but I’ve always just been able to walk up to the dartboard and throw. It’s always come very naturally to me.
“My biggest downfall is that I should have taken it a bit more seriously. It’s always been a bit of a jolly and a laugh for me, a game of darts. It’s been a great sport, I’ve seen the world with it and I’ve done alright with it, but I always treat it as more as a hobby than actually my job.”
Anderson applauds the upcoming changes to the Worlds which sees the field increase next year. He stated: “Every time they come up with a change, you think it’s not going to work and it does.
“There are 128 players in the pro tour alone, so should they all get a shot at the Worlds and play in that stage? Yeah. That’s what they all played darts for, is to get to that Ally Pally.
“The way it’s going now, you could have somebody ranked 128 get to the final. That’s how good the boys are nowadays. It’ll be a longer Christmas period, but it’ll be good.”