"If I can talk him into coming out of retirement I will!" - John Henderson pushed all the way by Chris Mason in 'Mace's final ever match

John Henderson remains on course for a second consecutive title at the World Seniors Darts Championship. The 51-year-old Scot defeated Chris Mason 3-2 in the last sixteen and now faces Derek Coulson after the latter defeated Tony O'Shea 3-0 in the second round, having also been responsible for the elimination of Mervyn King a round earlier.

Henderson quickly gained a 2-0 lead in sets, but saw a spirited Mason come back. "I'm glad to get through that game. It was a hard game. I started off so well, went 2-0 up and I'm thinking: 'right, just get this third set', but Chris improved,'" Henderson reflected post-match. "He deserved to get back into the game."

With Mason having announced this was the final tournament of his career, there was an added layer of intrigue when he was making his comeback. "It's his last swansong and he's playing for it and came back well. But I felt as though I fell asleep and let him back in it," Hendo continues. "Everybody's expecting me to beat Chris, he's more in the media rather than playing. But Chris can still play and I'll tell you, if I can talk him into coming out of retirement I will! Because he can still throw. But I get why he's giving it up."

As mentioned, Henderson is aiming for a second consecutive world title in the seniors this year. "The seniors is so hard. Anyone who can come across and thinks they can just walk it is totally wrong. It's so, so hard and the standard is just getting better," analyses the Scot. "The standard is fantastic, so it's making it so hard to win these big titles. But I'm enjoying the challenge."

As mentioned, in the quarter-finals, the Welshman Derek Coulson awaits for Henderson, having been the surprise package of the tournament so far.