Peter Wright has credited Gary Anderson with helping him prepare for the Darts World Cup semi-final against England.
Backed by members of the Tartan Army singing in the stands, the Scottish pair survived a Swedish threat to reach the Old Enemy Showdown, with Anderson emerging as a hero after pulling a struggling Wright through a nightmarish showing and fending off the Scandinavians.
Scotland won the first leg but then trailed and lost much of the time. With two legs to go they were on the verge of being eliminated by a fired-up underdog Jeffrey de Graaff and partner Oskar Lukasiak. But Anderson equalised with a 117 finish in the penultimate leg and then pinned top to win under intense pressure. Wright said: “Gary’s the best. I really like him and when I’m playing badly he gets me out of a jam.”
“I was disappointed I couldn’t support Gary but he gave it his all. His shoulders are as big as the stage and he supported me. But no Scotland, no party. Now we’re going to smash England!”
Scotland will face two-time world champions in Luke Humphries and Michael Smith in a final to be decided by Belgium or Austria. “My first dart was off the mark but my last dart went in and I managed to win,” Anderson added.
“Sweden are great but we’re still in the mix. We’ve been taking it easy since we got here but that’s completely the wrong way to go about it so we’re just on the training board now.”