GILDING KO's ANDERSON! A huge upset as Andrew Gilding dumps Gary Anderson out of the World Grand Prix and reaches the quarter-finals for the first time! 📺 bit.ly/WGPLive | #WGPDarts R2
From worker in abattoir to major winner with cult following: Andrew Gilding meets world number one at World Grand Prix on Friday night
PDCFriday, 06 October 2023 at 15:30
Andrew Gilding has already beaten Rob Cross and Gary Anderson at the World Grand Prix, but can he also hand the World Number One an upset? On Friday night, 'Goldfinger' takes on Michael Smith in the quarter-finals.
"I never thought I would win a major tournament, and now I'm dreaming of winning another, but Michael is playing well. He is so natural and it will be hard to beat him," said Gilding to Sky Sports.
The 52-year-old experienced the absolute highlight of his darts career earlier this year by shocking Michael van Gerwen to win the UK Open title in March.
It earned Gilding the top prize of £110,000, which has now nestled him in the top 20 of the world rankings. A late bloomer in the sport, Gilding has worked in an abattoir and a chicken factory and only got into the sport after joining a pub team after dealing with depression some 20 years ago.
At the time, he bought a set of gold Phil Taylor Phase 5 darts, which also earned him the nickname 'Goldfinger'. Before capturing the UK Open title, Gilding lived in a one-room flat owned by Suffolk council but now he can afford something bigger.
"In all my games lately, I've just been capitalizing on my opponents' mistakes," admitted Gilding.
"I did the same in the UK Open, to be honest. I didn't play that well through the tournament, I was just there when I needed to be.
Gilding has developed a cult status among darts fans since he won the UK Open and fans are calling for him to be included in next year's Premier League Darts.
"It's great, I like it. I notice in the crowd now that there's people cheering for me and I try to acknowledge them," he added.
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- When Littler has at least five ranking Majors he’s in the discussion, until then, forget it.Mysstree14-11-2024
- This is the difference between other players and Phil Taylor. Phil would be completely motivated even before his walk on and didn't need anything else to do so.richieburnettrocks14-11-2024
- Still impressive though. Also literally everyone cares about averages that's what makes darts fascinating.medinabello14-11-2024
- BS he won a Euro Tour during this down period something that not many players can say. Dobey, Noppy, DvD, Ross Smith to name just a few.medinabello14-11-2024
- Maybe the supposed top players are burnt out from the endless travelling and tournaments, I just don't think they have the dedication or outright desire to win. I think they are more interested in the money and being popular, just keeping their rankings steady. The only thing that mattered to Phil Taylor was winning, not winning a few games to top up the money pot and seeking the fans attention. Maybe there is too many tournaments now and the enthusiasm is gone. This year especially has seen so many different winners and unexpected draws and line ups.richieburnettrocks14-11-2024