''I might just give him a hard kick in the shins' - Gary Anderson jokes about potential tactic to stop unplayable Luke Littler

To stand a chance against Luke Littler in the semifinals of the Grand Slam of Darts, Gary Anderson will have to kick his upcoming opponent in the shins, 'The Flying Scotsman' joked after his victory over Gian van Veen.

Anderson is two wins away from a first individual major title since 2018, but will first have to deal with Littler to get into the final at all.

“Luke was different gravy, class. I might just give him a hard kick in the shins before I come on,'" Anderson joked in his press conference. “That’s being polite. Where I come from the shins is the last place you kick them!"

Then Anderson looked ahead to the clash against the 17-year-old teenage sensation in a serious tone. "It could be bad. If old Gary turns up he might not get what he wants. Santa doesn’t always turn up you know.

“The way it looks, he’s good. Let’s give it a go. The amount of 180s he had to his average, he should have been 125-plus. There’s a wee slippy in between to pick up on where he’s making his mistakes. There’s not many.”

Sunday afternoon, Littler and Anderson face each other in the semifinals of the Grand Slam of Darts. Both players are already assured of 50,000 pounds in prize money, which could rise further to 150,000 for the winner of the major tournament in Wolverhampton.