Van Duijvenbode to face darts idol Anderson from his own darts room: 'Of course it's special, he is one of my childhood heroes'

Dirk van Duijvenbode has the honour on Saturday evening to become the first darts player to play an online match against two-time world champion Gary Anderson.

Anderson revealed in an interview with Sky Sports that he has never played an online game yet. He will make his first PDC Home Tour appearance against Van Duijvenbode, as the Scotsman and the Dutchman kick off the 30th night of the PDC's digital darts event.

Due to internet problems, Anderson initially declined to participate in the PDC Home Tour. The Scotsman now has a better WiFi connection, which means that The Flying Scotsman can compete during the 30th night of the PDC Home Tour. For Van Duijvenbode it will be his second time involved, as he came second in the 23rd group. Some group runners up are getting a second chance because not all Tour Card holders have entered this tournament.

The Titan takes that experience to Saturday night, he said in an interview with Dartsnieuws. "You now know a little bit about what's going to happen. Last time it took some time to get used to it, because you have to say your score. Normally you'd rather not do that to stay in your focus. It is also difficult that you cannot see what your opponent throws. You only know if a double has been hit when your opponent says something. But apart from that it's a nice format.''

The fact that nothing is at stake except some prestige does not mean that Van Duijvenbode does not take the event seriously. His preparation does not differ much from the run-up to a Pro Tour tournament. "I take it seriously though. I'm going to practice for about two hours in advance. That may be slightly less than with a Pro Tour. But in general, my preparation is the same as with a Pro Tour'', Van Duijvenbode explains.

It will be a strange situation for the 27-year-old to play an online match against a darts icon like Anderson from his own darts room on Saturday evening. ''Of course it's special. I like playing against players like him. He is one of my childhood heroes.''

The Belgium duo Kim Huybrechts and Dimitri van den Bergh complete the group for the 30th night on the PDC Home Tour. Van Duijvenbode expects a tough challenge to come through this group. ''It's a tough group. If I defeat Gary Anderson, I've not done the job yet. Kim and Dimitri are also difficult to beat'', he added.