Anderson to meet van Veen in PDC World Championship semi finals as Flying Scotsman makes Premier League feelings clear
‘The Flying Scotsman’ breezed past fan favourite Justin Hood in the quarter finals.
After Gary Anderson set up a World Championship semi-final clash with Dutch sensation, Gian van Veen, he insisted he has no plans to play in this year’s Premier League even if he goes all the way.
In what was on paper, his toughest match yet against Justin Hood, Anderson barely got out of second gear, as he won 5-2 to progress to the next round. The 55-year old had not only his opponent to deal with, but also the crowd, who were clearly on the side of ‘Happy Feet’.
The win means he now sets up a mouth-watering semi-final showdown against Gian van Veen, who beat 2024 World Champ, Luke Humphries 5-1 in what was a ruthless Ally Pally display. While the scoreline may flatter the Dutchman slightly as a lot of sets went down to a fifth leg, his healthy knack of performing during the deciding legs will be a worry for Anderson. In the other semi-final, reigning champ Luke Littler will take on Anderson’s practice partner, Ryan Searle.
Anderson dispatches fan favourite Hood
The happy-go-lucky approach from the world number 86, as well as his ambitions to open a Chinese restaurant made him an instant Ally Pally fans favourite. He was also one dart away from a 100% double success rate in his previous match against Josh Rock, giving Anderson a real threat.
Thankfully for the Scot, Hood wasn’t quite as lethal on the doubles in this one. There were no dramas in the first four sets that were all won on throw, but from there on in, Anderson won three on the bounce to sail through to victory. ‘The Flying Scotsman’ averaged just below a ton and had a 42.86% doubles success rate.
While it was an impressive display from Anderson, his Friday night opponent van Veen was nigh on unstoppable against Humphries. The 23-year old averaged over 105 and hit over 55% of his doubles. Before this year, he had never won on the Alexandra Palace stage, but he is now proving a force to be reckoned with now he’s got that monkey off his back.
Flying Scotsman ‘couldn’t give a monkeys’ about the Premier League
As the two time World Champ re-finds his form and edges closer to the Sid Waddell Trophy, it could mean a return to the Premier League. Anderson has been on record saying he wouldn’t compete in the competition again, due to it clashing with other events. Despite looking back to his best on the Ally Pally stage, he still maintains he wouldn’t compete in the Premier League, even if he automatically qualified.
He told TalkSPORT: “I'm quite happy, I need to concentrate on my rankings. "If I done the Premier League, Europeans gone, Players Championship gone. I couldn't give a monkeys [if I'm world champion]. I can't do it, it's been great the years I've done it.”
‘The Flying Scotsman’ began the World Championships 14th in the PDC Order of Merit, but has now climbed to sixth already. If he reaches the final, he will more than likely be in the top 4, which would make him one of the automatic Premier League entrants, while a third World Championship title could see him go to world number one.