"If I lose that game I'm getting absolutely abused on social media" - Nathan Aspinall breathes a sigh of relief having seen off Beau Greaves in last leg decider at the Grand Slam of Darts

Nathan Aspinall cut a very relieved figure Saturday afternoon after his first group match against Beau Greaves at the Grand Slam of Darts. The reigning World Matchplay champion edged past the Women's World Matchplay 5-4 in a thrilling encounter.

Afterwards, Aspinall breathed a sigh of relief for Online Darts' cameras. ''That was horrific! I hated every second of it," laughed the 32-year-old Englishman. "I've got to give credit to Beau. She was the name in pot 4 that no one wanted and she's a credit to the women's game, a credit to darts as a whole and she put me through the ringer tonight."

As with almost every match between a man and a woman, the crowd sided with the lady, and Aspinall was constantly being booed. ''My condolences to Damon Heta and Ricardo Pietreczko because I'm English and I was getting stick tonight. Them being Australian and German they might get it quite bad the next couple of days."

Although often a fan favourite, being on the other end of the coin didn't bother Aspinall too much. "They weren't that bad until obviously, the crucial times which is what happens. But no, they pay their money, they pay my wages so they could do what they want,"he concludes. "If I lose that game I'm getting absolutely abused on social media."