Gary Anderson faces 23-year-old Dutch star Gian van Veen for a place in Saturday’s coveted PDC World Darts Championship final
Fan favourite Gary Anderson is just two matches away from becoming the oldest winner of the PDC World Darts Championship after breezing past newcomer Justin Hood in the quarter-finals. The ‘Flying Scotsman’, who is now 55, has shown that age is no obstacle to success, having already bagged £200,000 in prize money on his journey to the semi-finals with victories over players such as Jermaine Wattimena and long-time rival Michael van Gerwen.
The two-time back-to-back world champion will go head-to-head with 23-year-old Dutch European champion Gian van Veen tonight with a place in Saturday’s grand final and a chance at the whopping £1m winner’s cheque up for grabs.
Regardless of the outcome, Anderson can rely on the steadfast support of his wife Rachel, whom he secretly wed in an unexpected ceremony abroad in 2022.
Guests were reportedly invited under the pretence of celebrating the darts star’s 51st birthday, only for the couple to announce that the party had actually been organised for their wedding. Anderson later shared the news on social media with two beaming photos of the newlyweds and their children Tai, 11, and Cheylea, 8.
These days, the world No. 14 resides with his family in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, where he runs a fishery featuring four expansive lakes filled with carp and other prized specimens. Anderson has confessed he’s most pleased when holding a fishing rod – which might explain why he’s reduced his darts commitments in recent years, missing tournaments like the Premier League and numerous European Tour events.
READ MORE: Michael van Gerwen points finger of blame as Gary Anderson makes ‘rotten’ commentREAD MORE: Gary Anderson reveals fiery backstage clash with opponent – ‘I know what I think’
“Well, when I am not busy at the lakes, I squeeze in a few tournaments in between,” the smooth-throwing Scot revealed to Online Darts earlier this year. He’s even acknowledged that fellow tour professional Ian ‘Diamond’ White ignited his passion for angling, explaining to the Weekly Dartscast: “It was funny because it was actually Whitey’s fault – he kind of started it off. I used to fish when I was a youngster – salmon, trout, flyfishing.
“I hadn’t fished for years and we were at Blackpool staying out at Ribby Hall with Ian. He said, ‘Oh, there’s a couple of lakes here,’ so we ended up doing a bit of fishing. I really enjoyed it. The next year we did the same again, stayed at the same place, had a couple of days fishing, really enjoyed it, and then I ended up buying a fishing rig. That’s how it all started. I just like it. I like being out in the fresh air.”
Operating the fishery leaves Anderson with precious little time to hone his skills at the oche, but when he does manage a few legs, he frequently squares off against neighbour Ryan Searle. The duo could potentially face each other in Saturday’s thrilling final – although ‘Heavy Metal’ first has the formidable challenge of going head-to-head with world number one and current champion Luke Littler in the semi-finals.
