"He becomes unplayable at times": Chris Mason believes Andrew Gilding should be in Premier League contention
PDC
The PDC are set to snub Andrew Gilding for the upcoming
Premier League, even if he is to win the World Matchplay in 2025. Gilding, known as ‘Goldfinger’ is a former UK Open champion
and started his run in Blackpool with a tight 12-10 win over Damon Heta. He
averaged 101.82 and threw a ridiculous ten 180s.
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Former BDO and PDC tour player Chris Mason believes ‘Goldfinger’
will still “not get into the Premier League” despite winning the Phil Taylor
trophy. Gilding has had an impressive year so far, reaching the
final of the European Darts Grand Prix, paired with a few good runs in the Players
Championship.
Mason was full of praise for Gilding: “He is an unbelievable
player. Prior to him winning that UK Open he was hitting 108 and 110 averages with
ridiculous regularity. So, when he won it, I think a lot of people within the
media expected me and Paul to be shocked. We weren’t we were like look at the numbers pal. They don’t
lie. It might be in a different environment but if you can do it, you can do
it.
“He becomes at times unplayable. That match is how you play the Matchplay.”
Former Players Championship winner Paul Nicholson was a fan
of Gildings performance but believes he has been performing around this level
for a while. “If you dig really deep you know
Andrew has been doing stuff this year and making the thick end of tournaments.
I know he didn’t win the European Darts Grand Prix, but he got to the final match
and ran into Gary Anderson where he had run out of steam. He’s having the time of his life” Nicholson
claimed.
Gilding is set to face Luke Littler
in the next round of Match play, looking to progress to another semi final.
Last time out Gilding beat Littler 6-4 and will be hoping for the same outcome
over this longer format here in Blackpool.
👍 | Andrew Gilding's 64.56% win rate in 2025 is his best in a calendar year in over a decade. The last year that he recorded a higher win rate in was 2014, when he won 65.52%of his matches.
— Betfred (@Betfred) July 25, 2025
Aging like a fine wine. 🍷 pic.twitter.com/DydlRCdzr6
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Connor Prescott, a rising sports journalist contributing to both DartsNews.com and Tennisuptodate.com, two respected independent platforms in the world of digital sports media. Having recently graduated with a degree in Sports Journalism, i bring a fresh, informed perspective to the field showing a combination academic training with real-world experience.
At DartsNews.com and Tennisuptodate.com, i play a role in producing engaging and factual content. My work consists of breaking news, feature writing, player interviews, and live blogs, helping to ensure both platforms remain trusted sources for fans around the world.
With a background that also includes experience in covering basketball, football and darts i have developed a well-rounded understanding of the broader sports media landscape. I have a passion for storytelling, and a willingness to learn and grow make me an emerging voice in modern sports journalism.
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