HENDO TITLE DEFENCE STILL ON
21/02/2025 By Phil Lanning
By Phil Lanning
JOHN HENDERSON’S bid for back-to-back World Seniors Championships is still on after a nail-biting win.
Highlander beat Chris Mason 3-2 at the Circus Tavern, surviving a fierce fightback last night (Friday).
The Huntly star was cruising at 2-0 up before Mace The Ace came back to force a deciding set.
However, Hendo got over the line in the match that sent Mason into retirement.
Henderson said: “That was hard. We all know it’s Chris’s last swansong. I’m going to go back and talk him out of it and get him back.
“The way he’s playing at the moment, he’s got a lot to give the Seniors darts.
“So let’s hope we can talk him out of retirement. He’s got a lot on but the way he’s playing. He’s got a lot to give.
“I like to keep the crowd excited. Chris stepped up and I didn’t. It was just nerves getting the better of me a bit.”
Henderson now faces Derek Coulson in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
He added: “I’ve always been poor in my first games. Then I tend to settle down. So hopefully I can up it in the second round.
“Derek’s playing well. But up here every game is different. I’ll just prepare the normal way. Play what’s in front of me and hopefully it’s good enough on the day.”
There is a chance of a fourth successive win for Scotland after Robert Thornton’s two victories in 2022 and 2023 and then Hendo a year ago.
Thornton beat Darryl Fitton 3-1 to reach the quarters and fellow Scot Ross Montgomery also went through after beating John Part 3-2.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
