"Haven’t really saved any money, so I have to do it now"– 55-year-old Andrew Gilding making up for 'misspent youth'

At 55, Andrew Gilding continues to astonish himself and the darts world. The Englishman, nicknamed “Goldfinger,” produced one of the finest performances of his career at the Poland Darts Open. With an impressive 106.55 average, his highest ever on a European Tour stage, he launched his campaign in convincing fashion, and that after straining a muscle in his leg just before his walk-on.

Gilding was too strong for Jeffrey de Graaf in the opening round, winning 6–3. “Yeah, I’m not sure where that came from. Just before I did the walk-on in the practice room, I pulled a muscle in my leg, so I was in a bit of pain. I thought, ‘Oh, it’s going to affect me a bit,’ but obviously it didn’t," he said to Tungsten Tales.

It typifies the down-to-earth Brit, who rarely shouts from the rooftops. Even after a top display, he remains surprised by his own level.

Those who know Gilding understand he doesn’t complain easily. Still, he admitted the injury troubled him. “Yeah, it’s a little bit sore, but I’ll keep it if I need to, if I play like that.”

Little discomfort was visible on stage. His scoring power was impressive, his doubles landed at the right moments, and his pace was characteristically determined. The average he posted ranks among the highest he has ever thrown on a European Tour stage. “It must be my biggest average, I’m sure.”

Asked whether he had seen this level coming in practice, his answer was telling: “Not at all. Not at all. I never expect much with energy like that anyway.”

For Gilding, the European Tour events are hugely important right now. The prize money and ranking points are crucial for qualification for televised tournaments and majors. Last year he even reached a final on this circuit.

“At the moment, they’re very important because I’m right on the cusp of qualifying for these. A couple of days ago, I had to enter a qualifier for these and didn’t have any luck. This win today has definitely improved my chances.”

The qualifiers are known to be gruelling: long days, many matches, little margin for error. “It’s been a while since I had to enter a qualifier. I’d forgotten how rough they are because you’ve got a long day. I’ll just try and keep automatic qualification going.”

His goal is clear: secure automatic qualification and avoid the draining preliminaries.

During the last World Championship, Gilding spoke about his status as a late bloomer. At 55, he still stands among the world’s best and regularly leaves players decades younger in his wake.

“No, I misspent years. There’s a lot to do with it. I haven’t really saved any money, so I have to do it now.”

That remark says a lot about his motivation. While some of his peers wind down their careers, Gilding seems to have found a second wind.

When asked how many European Tour wins it would take to buy the bungalow next door, he replied: “What is it now, £35,000 to the winner? Probably about ten wins.” He added earlier that he probably wouldn’t have done it anyway and would “probably put it in a pension or something.”

Remarkably, his match began far from convincingly. De Graaf flew out of the blocks and put Gilding under immediate pressure.

“What went through my head was that Geoffrey really played well to start with, so I don’t think I did much wrong. I don’t think I thought about it at all. I thought, ‘He’s going to beat me 6–0,’ that’s what I thought.”

No panic, no drastic changes, just carrying on and waiting for chances. And they came. As the match progressed, the momentum shifted. Gilding found his rhythm, his trebles landed more consistently, and his experience told.

What is the big goal for this season? “The aim for me this year is just to get into the qualification spots for these Euros. That’s where the money is and that’s how you get onto the TV tournaments.”

It is a clear strategy: consistency above all. He was also asked whether, in this form, he could win another big TV title. His answer was brief and emphatic: “If I keep that up, yeah.”

The tournament took place in Kraków, a city that impressed the Englishman. “The atmosphere is fantastic. The noise, like I said on stage, when I was backstage, I couldn’t believe it. Then when I came out, there were that many people in the crowd making all that noise. That’s Kraków, I think it’s a beautiful city. Amazing buildings, the scenery and the snow. I love the snow.”

Although he wasn’t a home favourite, he received noticeable support. “Yeah, there were a few people chanting and calling my name, so I gave them a quick thumbs up.”

On the culinary front, he kept it simple. “No, I had a Chinese last night. But there were some Chinese dumplings, so that’s fairly Polish!”