"I spent two days in the hotel room getting stiff" : Andrew Gilding leaves speculation surrounding his World Matchplay preperation

Andrew Gilding progressed to the World Matchplay quarter-finals last night after a convincing 11-5 win over Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode. The Englishman averaged an impressive 100, hitting 11 doubles from 21 attempts.

However, it was Gilding’s post-match interview on the winter gardens stage that has caught the attention of the fans. Goldfinger responded to the question what the secret to his success in Blackpool has been. “I spent two days in the hotel room getting stiff.”

One fan even quoted “Andrew Gilding spent two days in the hotel doing WHAT?!”, leaving speculation surrounding what he meant.

The interview has received a lot of traction online with Sky sports reporter Polly James stating on a social media post that she found it difficult to keep a straight face.

Gilding went on to clear up in a later interview that he was “stiff after two days because I've just been watching Netflix.”

The world number 25 also added “We went out for fish and chips but that’s about it really,” and when asked what contributes to his success at Blackpool after reaching his second quarter-final at the Winter Gardens. “All the Goldfinger scarves. I’ve got a lot more support over the years… it’s amazing, I can’t believe it. thump my chest for it.”

Andrew Gilding will go on to face world No.2 Luke Littler in the quarterfinals. The pair have not yet matched up this year, however Gilding will be hoping he can replicate their last meeting that saw him pick up a 6-4 win at Euro Tour event back in October 2024.

Littler comes off the back of an impressive fightback against Jermaine Wattimena, where he stunned the Winter Gardens coming back from 7-2 down to win 13-11 in an absolute classic that saw Littler win 6 legs on the bounce to claim his first lead in the tie.