"Standing in queues for three and a half hours… I can’t do that": Gary Anderson latest to ponder European Tour boycott amid passport frustration

In Taunton, at Somerset County Cricket Club, Gary Anderson recently spoke to Online Darts. The two-time world champion has not featured on the European Tour in recent weeks, but he is certainly not out of the picture. On the contrary, Anderson is busy, sometimes too busy, and that does not always align with today’s packed darts calendar.

“It’s alright,” the Scot says matter-of-factly. “I’ve been missing for a few weeks, but I’ve just been busy with other things. So it’s nice to get back playing.”

Anderson’s absence had not gone unnoticed. Fans wondered whether he had lost interest in the European Tour, but according to Anderson, that is not the case. “I enjoyed it, until I went to Poland and it took us three and a half hours to get through customs. That was it, I lost the plot after that.”

The frustration is clear. While travel has always been part of the job, Anderson feels certain aspects are becoming harder to deal with like Jonny Clayton. “It’s hard enough having to travel now, but standing in queues for three and a half hours… I can’t do that. If it’s another three and a half hours, you won’t see me.”

He contrasts that with how he believes things should work. “We’ve all got passports, quick look at it, ‘on you go, have a good time.’”

Despite the complaint, Anderson still takes things in his stride. “It was cold over there as well. Lovely. It’s cold tonight, but it’s alright.”

Despite limited appearances, Anderson once again impressed at the World Championship, reaching the latter stages. For him, the explanation is simple. “Just luck, I think, luck of the draw for me. It’s the biggest tournament on the planet, isn’t it? That’s the one you want to do well in, and I don’t know why it happens, but it just seems to fall into place.”

With more ProTour events coming up, he admits there is still work to do to get back into rhythm. “I hope so. I’m panicking about tonight, I’ve not even practised yet, and it’s been since Poland that I’ve thrown a dart, so God knows what’s going to happen.”

Anderson was not selected for the Premier League, something he had already distanced himself from. “Yeah, probably, they might have asked me so I could have said no, but listen, I wouldn’t be doing it anyway.”

The reason is straightforward: the schedule is too demanding. “At my age now, and with the amount of tournaments that are on… the boys that are doing it are all youngsters, and if they’re pulling out of events already, it’s a heavy schedule.”

He still keeps an eye on developments, particularly the rise of Josh Rock. “I’ve got a lot of time for Josh. He’s going to be a top-four player very shortly in the future of darts.”

But he also warns about the dangers of the Premier League format. “If you don’t get a win in the first couple of weeks, you get into that bubble where you just don’t win, and it’s a nightmare. I’ve done it myself.”

Anderson is well aware of the wave of young talent emerging, including fellow Scot Mitchell Lawrie. “He’d better hurry up, because I’m not going to be hanging about forever.”

He is impressed by what is coming through the ranks. “All the talent in the world, another youngster. There are going to be so many over the next four or five years coming through.”

That shift will inevitably redefine the established names in the sport. “It’s going to be your Michael Smiths and your Nathan Aspinalls that are the old boys, with the amount of youngsters coming through.”

Anderson himself takes a relaxed approach to it all. “I’ve not got a clue what’s going on in the rankings. It’s a numbers game, the youngsters are going to come through. I’ll be classed as a dinosaur.”

A lighter moment came when discussing his unexpected online exposure at the Masters. Anderson remains completely unfazed. “I don’t watch it, so I don’t know. I am useless with that stuff.”

His YouTube habits are a long way from darts highlights. “I watch things like old Japanese craftsmen making things out of wood, carvings and that. Or if I need to tie a new fishing knot, that’s it.”

For the World Cup of Darts, Anderson is likely to represent Scotland alongside Cameron Menzies. “At this moment in time, yeah, we’ll give it a go, babysitting Cameron.”

Beyond that, his schedule remains flexible. “If I knew, I’d tell you. I’m busy away from the darts, so if I can squeeze it in, I’ll play.”

Although he plays down expectations, Anderson knows the quality is still there. “When it goes, it goes alright, but it’s not all the time.”

He points to a recent example to underline that point. “I was 4–2 down, he was averaging 116, I was on 128, and I still ended up winning 6–4. So it’s still there.”

The rise of Luke Littler has drawn inevitable comparisons with legends such as Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen. “Oh, he’s good, isn’t he? The way he’s winning tournaments, he’s racking them up like what Van Gerwen did, like what Taylor was doing.”

As for whether records could be broken: “If he wins every year now for the next 14 years, he will.”

A light-hearted story about his son Tai brought the interview to a close. “I asked him if he wanted to stay and watch the next game. He said, ‘Paul Lim.’ I said, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘He’s a legend, Dad.’”

And Anderson’s own status? “I said, ‘What am I then?’ He said, ‘You’re just an old man, Dad.’”