He’s just turned 55. He hasn’t won a major in seven years. He doesn’t practise anywhere near as much as he used to, wouldn’t do the Premier League even if he won the world championship, and secretly wouldn’t mind losing so he could get home to see the kids. And still. In this or any year, dare you count out Gary Anderson?
Over seven taut sets in which both players occasionally touched the hem of greatness, the 2015 and 2016 world champion edged out the rapid Jermaine Wattimena of the Netherlands, winning a nerve-shredding deciding set by five legs to three. The pace was pleasingly frenetic, the standard sublime, the cinema unrivalled. Remarkably it was exactly the same scoreline by which Anderson beat Wattimena in the same third round eight years ago. “I was getting palpitations, never mind flashbacks,” Anderson joked.
Probably he should have got the job done earlier, having missed match darts at 3-1 and 3-2. But Anderson’s loss was everyone else’s gain, as a dramatic final set led to Anderson going eight perfect darts into a nine-dart leg before finally sealing victory. His third-set average of 121.3 was the second-highest of anyone at this year’s tournament. A ridiculous 24 180s were hit in the match, and if he can tighten up on the outer ring then talk of a title challenge is not fanciful at this point. Next comes a possible last-16 tie against Michael van Gerwen, a game with all-time classic potential.
Meanwhile the 2018 champion Rob Cross whitewashed the hapless Damon Heta 4-0 to set up a fourth-round tie against Luke Littler. Cross has had a poor year, struggling with his mental health, but his first dart – which in fallow periods he often pulls low – looks to be back, and so are his doubles. Heta, by contrast, was poor on the outer ring, and Heta without his doubles is basically a comedy Australian in a funny hat.
But perhaps the most impressive performance of the afternoon came from Anderson’s practice partner Ryan Searle, who demolished the German No 1 Martin Schindler 4-0 with a 102 average.
“It didn’t feel like I was playing that well, I’ve got more gears,” said Searle despite winning 12 legs to two and looking utterly lethal on his favoured double top. Next he plays James Hurrell, the conqueror of Stephen Bunting.
