Burnham-On-Sea darts star Gary Anderson crashed out of the World Darts Championships in the quarter finals on Friday night (December 29th).
Phil Taylor held off a spirited fightback from Gary to claim a 5-3 victory at Alexandra Palace.
Burnham-On-Sea’s two-times world champion Anderson beat Taylor in the 2015 final but he was in danger of being blown away after falling 4-1 behind in double-quick time.
However, Gary rallied and threatened to take the match into a decider at 2-2 in the eighth set, only for Taylor to hold his nerve to find double 10.
“It was a struggle, my energy levels went down towards the end,” Phil Taylor told Sky Sports. “But I just knew I had to keep putting him under pressure.”
“Gary’s done a lot more work than me this year. He’s been everywhere, done everything and has a young baby, so it’s difficult for him.”
“It’s the greatest feeling in the world hearing the fans chant my name and I’m going to miss it after this week,” he said, referring to his looming retirement from the sport after the championships.
There was no sign of the back pain that reportedly blighted Gary on Thursday night in his third-round match.