Latest news with #Matchplay
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Two-time world champion fires dig at Luke Littler and Co with damning verdict of darts' ‘boring' new stars
GARY ANDERSON has called on darts players to 'have fun' again after slamming the sport's new stars as 'boring'. The Flying Scotsman, 54, beat Luke Woodhouse 10-5 in the first round at the World Matchplay on Sunday - but he was far from chipper in his post-match interview. 2 Anderson misses the "good old days" of darts Credit: Getty 2 Anderson alluded to Littler and the new darts stars not having the same "banter" between them Fresh off his victory, Anderson was asked by And the Scotsman took his opportunity to bring up the shift in darts in his response, even calling out younger players for "walking round with 'their bloody headphones in'. He said: 'I was sitting thinking the other day, having a talk with [Ian] White, [Adrian] Lewis, [Phil] Taylor, [Kevin] Painter, we used to sit and have a cracking laugh. 'Nowadays, I'd rather sit like this. Nobody talks to anybody. You don't have a good laugh, you don't have a bit of banter. You need to have a laugh. READ MORE 'Doesn't matter what you do in life, on a building site, office, you've always got to have a laugh. Nowadays, there's not much of that going about.' He continued: 'The youngsters are boring. Absolutely boring. 'You talk to them, they're too busy looking at their phone. 'They're sitting on their phones with their bloody earphones in. Don't talk to you. It's a completely different life.' Most read in Darts BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The 2015 and 2016 PDC World Championships winner is competing with Luke Littler and the other new wave of darts players at the World Matchplay Darts. 18-year-old Littler - who narrowly missed out on a Luke Littler reveals gruelling new training regime that saw him almost break darts record And while Anderson understands the new stars are making sure they reap the rewards of the rise of darts' popularity, he still wants them to let loose now and again. He said: 'The youngsters, they're here to do their job. They've realised they've got a great chance in life to make a lot of bloody money , buy their first house, then their second house. 'But they need to calm down and think: right, this is my job. That's it.' Anderson's next opponent in the Matchplay will be either Ryan Joyce or Stephen Bunting. He faces the winner of their first-round match, which takes place on Tuesday.
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Two-time world champion fires dig at Luke Littler and Co with damning verdict of darts' ‘boring' new stars
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) GARY ANDERSON has called on darts players to 'have fun' again after slamming the sport's new stars as 'boring'. The Flying Scotsman, 54, beat Luke Woodhouse 10-5 in the first round at the World Matchplay on Sunday - but he was far from chipper in his post-match interview. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Anderson misses the "good old days" of darts Credit: Getty 2 Anderson alluded to Littler and the new darts stars not having the same "banter" between them Fresh off his victory, Anderson was asked by Darts Now if him being only the third seed to get through the tournament shows how much the sport has changed, given it used to be all the same faces reaching the later stages before. And the Scotsman took his opportunity to bring up the shift in darts in his response, even calling out younger players for "walking round with 'their bloody headphones in'. He said: 'I was sitting thinking the other day, having a talk with [Ian] White, [Adrian] Lewis, [Phil] Taylor, [Kevin] Painter, we used to sit and have a cracking laugh. 'Nowadays, I'd rather sit like this. Nobody talks to anybody. You don't have a good laugh, you don't have a bit of banter. You need to have a laugh. READ MORE LUKE OUT Luke Littler narrowly misses out on World Matchplay record after thumping win 'Doesn't matter what you do in life, on a building site, office, you've always got to have a laugh. Nowadays, there's not much of that going about.' He continued: 'The youngsters are boring. Absolutely boring. 'You talk to them, they're too busy looking at their phone. 'They're sitting on their phones with their bloody earphones in. Don't talk to you. It's a completely different life.' BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The 2015 and 2016 PDC World Championships winner is competing with Luke Littler and the other new wave of darts players at the World Matchplay Darts. 18-year-old Littler - who narrowly missed out on a competition record over the weekend - has already earned a crazy amount of money since his rise to fame 18 months ago. Luke Littler reveals gruelling new training regime that saw him almost break darts record And while Anderson understands the new stars are making sure they reap the rewards of the rise of darts' popularity, he still wants them to let loose now and again. He said: 'The youngsters, they're here to do their job. They've realised they've got a great chance in life to make a lot of bloody money, buy their first house, then their second house. 'But they need to calm down and think: right, this is my job. That's it.' Anderson's next opponent in the Matchplay will be either Ryan Joyce or Stephen Bunting. He faces the winner of their first-round match, which takes place on Tuesday.
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Luke Littler narrowly misses out on World Matchplay Darts record after beating Ryan Searle in 16 MINUTES
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LUKE LITTLER came close to breaking the World Matchplay average record as he blitzed Ryan Searle in just 16 MINUTES! The teen sensation won his first-ever clash on the Winter Gardens stage, smashing Heavy Metal 10-2 in Blackpool on Sunday. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Luke Littler blitzed Ryan Searle in just Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 2 The teen sensation won his first-ever clash on the Winter Gardens stage Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Littler delivered an average of 108.92, just short of Phil Taylor's 114.99 - but after five legs was flying at 121.21 per three darts. He said: 'It's been an up and down season so far. World Cup didn't go to plan for me and Luke (Humphries), tough conditions. 'But now it's the Matchplay and you're battling it out with the best in the world.' Littler flew out of the blocks, ripping into a 5-0 lead in just SEVEN MINUTES and hitting five out of six shots on the doubles. READ MORE ON LUKE LITTLER LUK AT THAT Littler reveals new look for World Matchplay Darts as fans are left divided It took Searle six legs to get a double on the board after The Nuke piled on the pressure including a 126 checkout but his finishing just dipped off slightly in the latter stages. Littler told Sky Sports: "I was well up for it tonight, I just wanted to get that win, get that winning feeling and I did it. "I'm so glad to get that win, get that winning feeling and I can't wait to come back. "I felt very comfortable, I have been practising so much. I've just been putting in hours and hours. I'm glad it's paid off. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS "All eyes are on me now, just take it game by game… I can't wait to get back on stage." Gary Anderson also put in a comprehensive showing to secure a 10-5 win over Luke Woodhouse. Anderson progresses to play Stephen Bunting, who scraped through with a 10-8 win against Ryan Joyce.
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'I won the World Matchplay 16 times - this is how I gained an edge over other players'
Phil Taylor will forever be synonymous with the World Matchplay, even discounting the fact that the iconic competition's trophy is named after him, and he's opened up about why he was prolific in Blackpool Few have hit the jackpot in the Las Vegas of the North as often as Phil 'The Power' Taylor. Darts' greatest thrower forged an inseparable love affair with Blackpool and the World Matchplay during his years presiding over the PDC, winning the competition an unfathomable 16 times. Taylor has often admitted that while the World Darts Championship may be the largest event on the darting calendar, the Matchplay is its darling, partly down to the time of year it is staged. Just two words were needed from the 16-time champion of the world to describe how he views the Matchplay: "My favourite." He continued: "One of the reasons why I love the Matchplay so much is that it was played in summer. The World Championships are in the middle of winter. And it's freezing. "You can't go out. You can't do anything. You've got your heating on. Whereas in Blackpool, the windows are wide open, and you can sit outside. You can sunbathe if you want! It was fantastic." Taylor first tasted Matchplay glory during its second ever running in 1995, and kept up the habit of making the Winter Gardens a happy hunting ground. Winning at any venue in any sport 16 times is no mean feat, and Taylor shed some slight insight into what made him so potent when it came time to defend or regain his title in July. "I was one for always pushing forward," added Taylor. "So, I always took a mattress topper with me, a single mattress topper, no matter where I went in the UK. I took my own pillows, because I've got good pillows. I took cooking equipment into my room sometimes. I didn't want to risk anything. World Matchplay Darts 2025 preview ON SALE NOW Warm up for the World Matchplay darts at the famous Winter Gardens with our 48-page preview publication, which is available to order now The height of summer, darts, Blackpool. It can only mean one thing - the World Matchplay at the famous Winter Gardens. You can get ready for one of the highlights of the darting year with our special preview publication. "I watched a program about bodybuilders, and they never ate out of restaurants when they were ready for a competition, just in case they got food poisoning. So, I thought, 'That's clever. They're right.' I'd go to the butcher and buy fresh meat and fresh eggs, things like that, and cook my own food. "I watched cyclists and saw what they did. A cyclist would take a mattress topper wherever they went and make their bed exactly how they would at home. I thought, 'That's bloody clever, that.' "Then, I'd go out and buy three or four pairs of the same shoes. So, I'd wear one pair on the Monday, because the soles would be fresh and then wear another pair on Tuesday, Wednesday, and then revert back to the first pair. Just little things like that might give you that one per cent extra." Despite the Winter Gardens gifting Taylor a great deal of memories that will last a lifetime, one particular victory at the iconic venue's oche stands out. "I think my favourite win there of all time has got to be the last one when I was retiring," he admitted. "Because that was, I think, the hardest rounds I've ever played." Before The Power stepped away from the PDC in early 2018, he made what was expected to be his final appearance at the Matchplay in July of 2017, and, aged 56, he didn't disappoint. "It was Gerwyn Price in the first round. Raymond van Barneveld, Michael Van Gerwen, Adrian Lewis and then the final was Peter Wright. It was a tough," added Taylor. The Power swept through the field eight years ago, and added one last notch to his Matchplay belt by destroying Wright 18-8 in the final, averaging a whopping 104. "I think the odds were about 40 or 50 to one to win the tournament. Then coming back and doing that, winning it. I won it quite easily, to be honest!" he quipped. "I was relaxed. I never felt under pressure there. Never once felt anything. The weather was fantastic. You'd just toddle down the venue in the afternoon, and then just have two or three hours' practice, then go on stage. It was lovely." In light of his affinity for the Matchplay, the competition's silverware was renamed the Phil Taylor Trophy after his PDC swansong in 2018, but physical accolades aren't really The Power's thing. When asked where he was when he found out the PDC would rename the Matchplay trophy after himself, Taylor lightheartedly replied: "I don't know actually. I'd probably have been at home! "It's lovely, though. Absolutely lovely," he continued, touching on having the accolade named after him. "They gave me the original Matchplay trophy, you know, which Target [the manufacturer who sponsors Taylor] have got. "Because I don't really have trophies or anything. My grandkids have got them, or my daughter's got them, or somebody's got them. But I haven't got any trophies. Barry Hearn always used to say to me, 'You can't eat trophies.' He'd say, 'Money's better in the bank. You can eat with that. You can buy food with that.'" In May, Taylor officially hung up his darts for good, stepping away from all forms of throwing. Looking back on his career, though he won all there was to win, he still feels he could have been triumphant more often. "I did all right [at the Matchplay]," he joked. "I did okay. Looking back now, I think I could have been better. You know, once you're retired, you can look back at your career and think, 'Do you know what? I wish I'd have tried that, I wish I'd have tried this.' "But, it's too late now, it's been and gone. But I always think I could have done better. Definitely [could have won more] World Championships. I probably could have done 20, I think. But we did okay. "I haven't even got a set of darts now. Or a dartboard. I've got a dartboard in the back room. But it's still in the box. I was so dedicated and everything. I've never missed darts once, though, honestly," he continued. "I couldn't perform like Phil Taylor could perform. So it broke my heart a little bit. My body had changed. "I mean, I'm 65 this year. It got harder and harder for me, and I couldn't perform. And people were paying money to come and see me, all these supporters and everything. It broke my heart not to perform like I can. And I thought, 'I can't do this anymore. This is not right.' If I do something, I have to do it properly. I'm a bit of a perfectionist. "So, I do other things. I enjoy my life now. I see my grandkids a lot more. And the best thing in the world is staying and sleeping in your own bed. Which I'd never been able to do for 30 years, and I love it!"
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Darts star who struggled at World Matchplay shows true colours with Luke Littler admission
John Henderson only won one match at the World Matchplay in his career, but the Scotsman has hailed the event as one of his favourite PDC tournaments and heaped praise on Luke Littler John Henderson has praised the World Matchplay as one of his top PDC tournaments, though he conceded that the event's iconic venue could have benefited from improved air con. The World Cup-winning Scot appeared on the Winter Gardens stage five times from 2011 to 2019, and despite only securing a single victory against 2005 champion Colin Lloyd, he regards the tournament as 'fantastic.' Current world champion Luke Littler is set to compete in Blackpool with high expectations of adding to his impressive list of achievements. Despite a disappointing first-round exit in his Matchplay debut, Aberdeen's Henderson believes Littler will enter the fray with a fearless attitude. "I always found the Matchplay... I think Winter Gardens was probably one of the best venues, but I struggled because of the heat," Henderson, who is regularly seen competing in the MODUS Super Series broadcast live on Pluto TV, told the Express. "I mean, Blackpool in the middle of July, and the Winter Gardens was, it was like an oven and absolutely roasting. I've lost a lot of weight since the last time, so I might have handled it better now, but then I used to sweat a lot and struggled with the heat. "The tournament itself was fantastic, it really was. My record's not great. I think I only won one game there against Lloydy. I always mention it when the Matchplay comes around. World Matchplay Darts 2025 preview ON SALE NOW Warm up for the World Matchplay darts at the famous Winter Gardens with our 48-page preview publication, which is available to order now The height of summer, darts, Blackpool. It can only mean one thing - the World Matchplay at the famous Winter Gardens. You can get ready for one of the highlights of the darting year with our special preview publication. "But no, even though I only won once, it was one of my favourite tournaments. It was great, the crowd were magic, they were so close to the stage, everybody's out there. There are a lot of folk on holiday, plus there were a lot of Scots who used to come down to support the boys, so it was good. "Luke will go up there with no fear like he normally does. Just another game of darts, and that's the way he looks at it, another game of darts. His attitude's fantastic, he's got a great attitude towards the game." When questioned about the influence The Nuke has had on darts since bursting onto the scene, Henderson was eager to praise the teenager and admitted he's relieved his own time amongst the PDC elite is nearly finished. "There's only one word to describe him - he's just a beast," Henderson continued. "He's just phenomenal. Obviously, [a player like] Luke is only coming along every so often, but it really has progressed as the younger generation coming through, I think everybody's buying dartboards now, there's academies up and down the country now. "Luke has certainly put his mark on the sport, there's no question about that. I don't know how much practice he does at home, but he doesn't seem to practice too much when he gets to the venue, and he goes and does what he does on a stage. He's obviously been born with a talent, and it's amazing what he's done, and he has made the sport even bigger. "Phil [Taylor] took it to a level I thought darts could never go to, and then obviously, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Peter Wright have come on, brought it to another level. "I think Luke's actually surpassed that again and brought it to another level. You just wonder where it's going to peak, and there are more and more youngsters, they're starting at six, seven, eight years old. "By the time they get to 12, 13, you never know, there's probably loads and loads of Luke Littlers out there. I'm kind of happy that I'm coming to the end of my career now, when you see the standard!"
