"When it went 2–2, I just shouted at myself to pull my finger out" - Ian White 'knackered' after gritty victory over King at PDC World Darts Championship

The feeling of winning at the PDC World Darts Championship does not get old for the experienced Ian White who defeated fellow veteran Mervyn King 3-2 to advance into the second round.

It was a contest which did not possess much quality, with both players struggling on the outer ring. White found himself better off, leading 2-0. While he plateaued, King got better and twice came back from 2-0 down to take the set. However, White found the level he desperately needed late on to wrap up what was a tense match.

White regretted not getting it done earlier, but was relieved to get the job done. "Knackered. I should’ve taken it a bit earlier on and finished, but you know what Mervyn’s like — you give him a little gap and he takes it, and he comes at you," he told Dartsnews.com in the press conference after the match. "It was a bad game between the two of us, but you take each game at a time. We can go out on a 110 average and then also an 80-odd average. I'm not interested in stats — you win that game, you're through."

White was 2-0 up in all bar the first set. He should have wrapped the game up much earlier, but a little added motivation got him over the line. "When it went 2–2, I just shouted at myself to pull my finger out — come on, put him under pressure. Because if I can put him under pressure, he was missing loads of doubles. He’d done exactly the same to me in those other two sets — I missed doubles. I'm 2–0 up in two sets and still can't get over the line."

He will face against the 2018 World Champion Rob Cross, who in turn is struggling for form. It will be competed on Sunday, 21 December.

It is an incredible 14th venture to Alexandra Palace for Diamond. His best result came in 2014 when he made it to the quarter-finals. The feeling of competing in the World Championship has not worn off for White yet, who still feels the value in every win.

"This is what you play for all year. You want to get here and win. Whether you become world champion is a different matter, but keeping that tour card, enjoying the darts, making a living — that’s what it’s about," he stated.

Sitting in 49th in the PDC Order of Merit, White could be in a position where he is dragged into a battle for the right to keep his tour card, something he has retained since 2011.

"Well, we've talked about it many times — about what happened in COVID. I think they should’ve frozen rankings, but they didn’t want to do that," he acknowledged. "So yeah, I’ve just got to stay there. At the moment we’re riding this big wave — you've got Luke Littler and he's doing everything right for us. So it’s about being part of it and pushing your way up as high as you can."

Part of the reason for his demise was his hate for technology and a lack of practice in lockdown. "I got lazy through COVID. I decided not to play any of these online darts and I didn’t practise a lot," White confessed. "I'm not into technology — I hate apps, I hate anything like that, so I couldn't do online stuff. Meanwhile these young ones were playing non-stop — even Michael Smith. I just couldn’t be bothered. I thought I would carry on from where I left off. I'm telling you now, it doesn't happen."

The thing which could get White back to form is a run at the World Championship. "It’d be nice — it would give you a lot of confidence. People will be looking at you. I’d like to get it after Christmas again. So hopefully I’ll win the next game and then come back after Christmas. I just enjoy the game now — have a bit of a laugh with Gary and Mike, have a bit of fun."

There has been a huge influx of younger people being immersed in darts, led by world number one Luke Littler. However, 55-year-old White is not fazed. "We're still here. We’ve still got tour cards. Plenty of people have come in and gone back out — we’re still here," he said. "If we’re here every year with tour cards, we’re doing something right. Whether you're number 1 or 64, you're doing something right. You’re still putting good games in — you might not show it today on TV, but like I said, I’m not into stats. Getting that win — you're through."

White dismissed any credit in this boost in people following darts, passing it over to the PDC. "It's hard not to look. These young kids are coming through playing good darts and enjoying it — but they've got no… how can I say it? They still live at home. They’re still with their families. Wait until you’ve got a mortgage and everything changes. But look, the PDC have put stepping stones in place — Development Tour, Challenge Tour — we never had that. You paid £10 entry and just went for it. They’ve put everything in place for these kids now and it's great."

The talk of the town has been the winner at Ally Pally receiving a whopping £1 million in prize money. It shows how far the sport has come, something White never thought he would see. "Never. Not in a million years," he stated. "Barry’s done well with it, the sport’s getting bigger, you guys are pushing it on social media — it’s getting bigger and bigger. To be part of it, to be on that stage — it’s great. We talked about that backstage: just being part of it is nice."