ANDERSON SHRUGS OFF HUNT MIND GAMES AND SHOULDER PAIN

GARY ANDERSON shrugged off Adam Hunt’s mind games despite nursing a painful rotator cuff injury.

‘The Flying Scotsman’ came back from 2-1 down to defeat Hunt in the opening round of the World Championship.

World No14 Anderson revealed he was rattled by comments Hunt made away from the cameras backstage during their encounter.

Anderson also accused Hunt of “giving it licks” throughout the match.

He said: “I started off great then I don’t know. Up here is a different thing. I missed double ten and all the other doubles.

“First game is always the hardest. I couldn’t get into a rhythm. One minute they are going alright, next minute all over the place. But we’re through. It’s good, gets the heart pumping.

“Risking a heart attack, yeah I love every minute of it! I was mad at myself.

“Yeah, there were a couple of legs that I threw away. There’s nothing worse than somebody pinching a leg off you and giving it licks and you think, right, okay, that’s not going to go well.

“At the first break, he popped his head and said, ‘When was the last time you played like that?’ I went: ‘I play like that all the time, son’. It’s as simple as that.

“I went, cheeky little… We talk about mind games, but when was the last time you played like that? I probably forgot more about darts than what he ever knows.

“It’s not a thing. I’ve played darts a long time. I still bang in the 110 plus averages. So, yeah, I can still play the game how it should be.”

When asked if Hunt was trying to play mind games, Ando replied: “I don’t know, that’s up to you to decide. I know what I think. But I can’t say because I get into trouble every time I say it.

“He’s fighting for his tour card and it’s probably the best he’s played all season.”

The two-time world champion also revealed he is carrying a painful shoulder niggle after injuring it while chopping trees with a chainsaw last year, ahead of Ally Pally.

He told talkSPORT: “I’ve had to change the stems on my flights because my shoulder can’t take it.

“It’s the rotator cuff and they say if I get that done it’s four to six months off which I should be jumping on for six months off!

“The darts that I am playing with are my usual darts with shorter stems and the plastic flights.

“They are going well. I started two weeks ago with them.”

Eight-time major winner Anderson will now play either Simon Whitlock or Connor Scutt in round two.

He added: “I’ve known Simon for donkeys.

“Connor, I’m a big fan. I get on well with Connor. Cracking little boy. He’s a worker and he puts the time in on the dartboard.”

Image by Taylor Lanning.