Gary Anderson won the European Darts Grand Prix for the second year in a row as he brilliantly whitewashed Andrew Gilding 8-0 in Sunday evening’s final.
The two-time world champion rarely plays on the European Tour but defended his title in Sindelfingen in scintillating fashion, averaging 92 and hitting 52 per cent of his doubles against a beleaguered Gilding.
The victory will give Anderson greater flexibility in implementing a limited schedule for the rest of the year and should boost his hopes of qualifying for major tournaments like the World Matchplay and the Grand Slam of Darts.
Anderson had seen off world youth champion Gian van Veen on Saturday before overcoming world No 5 Rob Cross in the third round. A scrappy quarter-final win over Martin Lukeman was quickly followed by a comprehensive victory over Dirk van Duijvenbode as he powered into the final.
Gilding defeated Danny Noppert, Peter Wright and Luke Woodhouse as he soared into the showpiece but he missed 13 doubles as he suffered an embarrassing defeat in his bid to win a Pro Tour title for the first time.
A 141 checkout from Anderson in the fourth leg was the highlight of a comprehensive victory and the Scotsman clearly feels at home in Germany.
“Can I retire now?” the 54-year-old asked after the victory.
“I’m a very proud Scotsman and I get a lot of support in Scotland, but this has outdone them. This has been absolutely fantastic,” he said as the German fans cheered his success.
“I’m just glad that I can still come and play darts for these boys that are playing now. I have played for 30 years, I played with your Phil Taylors, your Eric Bristows, your Steve Beatons.
“These youngsters are coming up and darts is in a good place. We’ve got a lot of young Germans coming through plus Irish, Scottish, Welsh, English, Italians, French… darts is going to be fantastic in the next five years.”
Big names sent home early
The European Darts Grand Prix proved to be an event full of surprises with James Wade the only player currently in the top 10 of the PDC Order of Merit to reach the last eight.
With world champion Luke Littler opting not to play in the event, Luke Humphries was top seed and he was dumped out by Michael Smith in a 6-5 thriller in the third round.
Cross was beaten 6-3 by Anderson in the third round, while fellow Premier League players Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price, Nathan Aspinall, Chris Dobey and Stephen Bunting all exited at the first hurdle on Saturday.
Home hopes in Sindelfingen ended when Germany’s Martin Schindler was comprehensively beaten 6-2 by Van Duijvenbode in the third round.
Elten Safety Shoes European Darts Grand Prix: Sunday results
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Referee Huw Ware was not best pleased with the crowd during Friday’s PDC European Tour match between Martin Schindler and Callan Rydz
Third Round
Martin Lukeman 6-5 Raymond van Barneveld
Rob Cross 3-6 Gary Anderson
Niels Zonneveld 2-6 James Wade
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-2 Martin Schindler
Cameron Menzies 5-6 Peter Wright
Andrew Gilding 6-3 Danny Noppert
Luke Woodhouse 6-3 Ross Smith
Luke Humphries 5-6 Michael Smith
Quarter-Finals
Martin Lukeman 5-6 Gary Anderson
James Wade 5-6 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Peter Wright 1-6 Andrew Gilding
Luke Woodhouse 6-5 Michael Smith
Semi-Finals
Gary Anderson 7-2 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Andrew Gilding 7-3 Luke Woodhouse
Final
Gary Anderson 8-0 Andrew Gilding
Where was Luke Littler?
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Luke Littler was caught on camera playing football rather than darts this weekend
World champion Littler was the only player in the world’s top 20 who did not participate in the event.
He confirmed his withdrawal earlier in the week; a decision which was not seen as a shock due to the reception he has received from German crowds in recent weeks.
On the Premier League night in Berlin, Littler was greeted with hostility and then at the German Darts Grand Prix, which took place in Munich, he was once again booed.
After that event, Littler took to social media stating he would not play any more of the PDC’s European Tour events in Germany before the European Darts Championship in Dortmund at the end of October.
While his fellow darts professionals were battling it out in Sindelfingen, Littler was spotted scoring a penalty for Winton Yanited, the U18 Saturday League team of popular YouTuber AngryGinge.
Where does the Premier League head next?
The Premier League continues at the First Direct Arena, Leeds on Thursday May 8 as Van Gerwen takes on Humphries, while Littler faces Aspinall. Watch Night 14 of Premier League Darts, in Leeds, live on Sky Sports Action from 7pm and Sky Sports Main Event from 10pm – stream with NOW.
Sky Sports will once again be the home of the Premier League in 2025, with every night exclusively live along with the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and more! Stream darts and more top sport with NOW
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