"Gary obviously had something to prove here today" - Andrew Gilding falls short against a rampant Anderson in European Darts Grand Prix final

Andrew Gilding fell short on Sunday evening in his bid to claim his first-ever European Tour title. The former UK Open champion suffered a heavy 8-0 defeat to Gary Anderson in the final of the European Darts Grand Prix in Sindelfingen. However, Gilding is not dwelling too long on the disappointment, choosing instead to take encouragement from reaching another big stage final in his career.

Gilding had looked set for a strong performance in the decider. ‘Goldfinger’ produced some superb darts throughout Sunday’s action, knocking out Danny Noppert, Peter Wright, and Luke Woodhouse in succession to book his spot in the final. His most impressive display came against Noppert, where he averaged a remarkable 110.77 — one of the standout performances of the weekend.

But in the final against Anderson — who successfully defended his title at the European Darts Grand Prix — Gilding appeared to run out of steam and was unable to mount much resistance against the two-time world champion. His wait for a maiden European Tour title continues; he also fell short in the final of the Belgian Darts Open in 2022.

Although this season has not been the strongest of his career so far, Gilding hopes this deep run will give him renewed confidence for the months ahead. “I did say earlier I was going to lift the trophy, but Gary obviously had something to prove here today,” joked the world number 28 when speaking on stage after the final. “In the last couple of European Tour events I went out in the first round, so this is huge for me.”

The European Tour now takes a short break. The next event on the calendar is the Dutch Darts Championship, which takes place from May 23–25 in Rosmalen. Josh Rock will defend his title after beating Jonny Clayton 8-4 in last year’s final.