9 Dart hero Gary Anderson has kept his triple crown hopes alive by beating Joe Cullen 19-17 in one of the greatest games in the history of the World Matchplay to progress to the semi-final of the tournament in Blackpool. A feat that Anderson described as “the worse thing” he did during the titanic encounter.
Cullen had missed 2 match darts to win the game in normal time with one of the darts partly down to the fact that a rogue fly invaded the stage to obscure the “Rockstars” vision on Double 9 before Gary Anderson mopped up to send the game into extra time.
Anderson created history in leg 4 of the match pinning the first 9 darter at the World Matchplay since Phil Taylor’s perfect leg against Michael Smith back in 2014. After hitting 2 straight 180’s Anderson finished out 141 on Double 12 to hit the 9 dart leg and cashing £45,000 in the process, the second most lucrative 9 darter in PDC history behind Taylor’s in 2002 against Chris Mason which saw him pocket £100,000.
But despite the perfect leg by the ‘Flying Scotsman’ Cullen came back fighting, ensuring to the bouncing Winter Gardens crowd that he wouldn’t be a mere spectator to Anderson’s brilliance.
For the opening exchange the game was nip and tuck, with neither player being able to stem a two leg cushion for the opening half of the match up, seemingly a theme of the game.
That was until leg 19 when Joe Cullen started to put on the after burners against Anderson. Firstly, he pinned a 170 checkout to put himself in front 10-9, making Anderson as sick as a fish but then ‘Ando’ would be even sicker in the Blackpool heat as with Cullen’s last dart in hand in leg 20 broke the throw on Double 18 to 11-9 in front.
But Anderson fought back, showing the class of the two time World Champion he is firstly going back in front 13-12 at the last break and then converting into a 14-13 lead, leaving the 2 times World Champion just two legs away from a second World Matchplay Semi-final.
But Cullen came back again through the barrage from Anderson, after the Flying Scotsman missed two darts at tops to go within a leg of winning the match, Cullen stepped in and in ice cool fashion splitting double 9 to go single 10, double 4 to make it 14-14 and Cullen wasn’t done either, pinning a 71 checkout to 15-14 in front to go within a leg himself of making the semi-finals before drama ensued in Blackpool.
Cullen had 2 darts to win the match, missing his first effort at double 18 he had to readjust to double 9 and as he released the arrow a fly became visible distracting his vision with the dart going agonisingly wide within inches of the inside of the double bed.
Anderson would then step in to win the leg and to send the game into extra time, more drama at the Winter Gardens.
And the pair would again trade legs until 17-17, where Gary Anderson’s two bounceouts in succession proved irrelevant as Cullen notched tops to draw the game within a couple of legs from sudden death.
But Anderson would ensure that that fate would not be required. After firstly missing the bull for a 170 checkout, he hit double 8 to finish off a 25 checkout before rounding off the match thanks in part to Cullen missing 3 darts at tops to send it to a decided leg but Anderson stepped up to hit Double 20, the target Cullen missed to take aim in the semi finals.
Anderson said the 9 darter was always on the cards tonight when questioned post match. “I did (fancy a 9 darter). I text my manufacturer that I’m going to hit a 9 darter with the new set he gave to me.
“I was enjoying the game but double tops was killing me. But Joe stuck in and got the finishes, he made a few mistakes on checkouts but most were in legs where I had a dart at double. But I’m happy to get over the winning line.”
And the Flying Scotsman will take on Jeffrey De Zwaan in the last four as his fairytale run at the World Matchplay continued following a 16-8 win over World Number 8 Dave Chisnall, sending the 22 year old Dutchman into the semi finals of the tournament on his debut.
De Zwaan, a 300/1 no hoper with the bookmakers before the start of the tournament adds Chisnall to a list of casualties which include World Number 1 Michael van Gerwen and 2 times World Champion Adrian Lewis.
The Black Cobra did his damage in the back end of the game against “chizzy” winning 9 of the last 10 legs, turning an even game at 7-7 into his grasp in emphatic fashion, averaging 103 in the process.
The early exchanges of the game turned out to be a scoring fest with both players averaging 106 as deep as 13 legs into the match.
Chisnall lead the game by 4 legs to 2 and it looked like the St.Helens thrower would hold the upper hand in the game having outscored the Dutchman. But De Zwaan proved to be the more consistent player in the contest, maintaining his average throughout.
The key moment in the match was the 15thleg. Chisnall having missed darts at double to make it 8-7 in his favour, but De Zwaan would hold his nerve to go into the mid game interval leading.
Having held his throw in leg 16 of the contest, De Zwaan swung the game in his favour with a timely break with a 65 checkout taken out in 2 darts on Double top. That break, one of 8 De Zwaan hit in the encounter.
That would prove to be the turning point in the game as De Zwaan pulled away from the 4 time major TV finalist, going 5 clear at 12-7 courtesy of a 180 followed by the pinning of tops, taking total control of the game with a 105 average.
De Zwaan then went ahead 15-8, throwing for a place in the last 4 of the second biggest event on the PDC circuit and would dually obliged when Chizzy missed bull for a 124 checkout before De Zwaan hit 56 in two darts, winning the game and looking to the heavens as he booked his place in the semis.
The other two quarter finals of the World Matchplay take place tomorrow night as first Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright takes on Simon Whitlock with Mensur Suljovic takes on Darren Webster, who deposed of World Champion Rob Cross to reach this stage. The matches at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens begins from 7pm.
Henry Deacon Media 