Anderson enjoys darts again: "Thanks to Ryan Searle, he constantly drags me to the practice board"

One of the most naturally gifted players to ever pick up a dart, Gary Anderson famously hit a 180 with his first ever throw. In recent years however, he's found his love for the sport waning but now thanks in part to training partner Ryan Searle, the Flying Scotsman is on his way back.

It is mainly thanks to Searle that Anderson is gradually growing back to his top form. “Without Ryan… He's been dragging me out of my house to play darts since Christmas. He gets help from my wife, who wants me to leave the house again or something," Anderson told Het Nieuwsblad. "I'm enjoying it again, playing darts. That wasn't the case at all for the past three years. Then it becomes difficult, doing something that you don't like (anymore). But training with Ryan has really done me good. He is such a fantastic guy and also a great darts player. Ryan is going to go far, he is crazy good."

Anderson is currently 22nd in the world rankings, but aims much higher. “I don't know where that resurrection comes from. If my body were 36 years younger, maybe they should be scared again. But no, Ryan just helped me a lot. He pushes me and we also just play darts, pure and simple, every Monday and Wednesday night. Then we are busy for 1.5 hours and we throw 80-90 legs against each other. The next day I'm a little less happy because I can barely move, but it's worth it. I am also just excited again by a high finish or even just a double.”

Combining family life with his job as a darts professional has not always been easy. “Yes, I certainly had a young family in the beginning. I played in the Premier League, the big tournaments, the floor tournaments and the European Tour. I just didn't see my kids anymore, so I made that choice. I wanted to spend more time with them, especially during and after corona."

"It also saved me a lot of travel kilometers," continues the 52-year-old Scot. "I don't like to travel, that's bad for the head. And it didn't bother me that I hadn't won a tournament for a long time. I just didn't train. Sometimes I wouldn't have held an arrow for seven weeks and then go throw it somewhere. had been six months between tournaments, I wouldn't have held an arrow for six months. I started playing darts as a hobby and it always has been. Until it suddenly started to feel like work and I hated it. Until I feel like it again in get, courtesy of my wife and Ryan Searle And look, we're happy again Gary.”