Aspinall takes aim at World Series spot for Bahrain: "I have a holiday booked in January but I want to cancel it"

Nathan Aspinall was the last player on during a session which went on until just after midnight on Tuesday at the World Grand Prix but successfully saw off Michael Smith 2-1 in sets and will now face Danny Noppert in the second round.

"We are proper good mates off the oche (Smith). He's probably up there with the top three guys that I never want to play on stage on TV. He's been playing well but I know he doesn't like his format. As long as I kicked off and scored quite well, I said I'd win this game. It was patchy but when I was kicking off, I was following with a ton or 140," said Aspinall post match.

"If I'd have lost that match, it was one of those where toys out the pram. I'm quitting darts that kind of thing. I was the deserved winner, Michael wasn't really in that game. First round in this tournament is always hard but I've got over that now."

Speaking on the late finish, he admitted there are only so many darts he can throw and that it was difficult going on last only to find out later in the interview that he will play Noppert last on Thursday evening.

"It's hard because me personally three and a half hours usually before the match, when you're on last game no one wants to be last as games can run on. You look at last night, there were only two games that went 2-1 but it ran over by 50 minutes so I look at the schedule and see this and this. I'm not going to be on till 11:45 and I wasn't too far off. There are only so many darts which you can throw practicing."

But the hunger is very much back and he admits he'd cancel all holiday plans for a shot at playing in Bahrain on the newly announced World Series.

"I feel rejuvenated, I've got my hunger back. I feel like I did in 2018 when I'd just got my Tour Card back. I want to prove to everyone that I can be good and the results are speaking volumes. I can actually practice for more than hour as my wrist is nearly back to full. Nathan is not far off being his best.

"I have a holiday booked in January but I want to cancel it because I want to go to Bahrain."