The Flying Scotsman, Gary Anderson, survived an afternoon of attrition, anguish and glorious excess to finally extinguish the indomitable resistance of Jermaine Wattimena in a contest that flirted outrageously with the boundaries of modern Ally Pally folklore.
Pedigree met momentum. Silk collided with steel. And across seven ferociously contested sets, the result was a thriller worthy of the grandest billing. With the opening matches dispatched at something approaching sprint pace, the crowd sensed it. They didn’t want efficiency – they wanted theatre. Anderson and Wattimena obliged.
The Scot claimed the opener, Wattimena scoring with venom but finding his doubles temporarily traitorous. The Machine Gun responded instantly, levelling without concession and making it clear this would not be a coronation, but a battle. Then came a moment of time travel.
In the fourth, Anderson rolled back the years with a staggering 121.28 set, tungsten thunder echoing through North London as he surged into a 3-1 lead and placed one foot on the threshold of victory. A year ago, that might have been curtains for Wattimena. Not now. This version – honed, hardened, transformed – refused to blink. His scoring never dipped, his nerve never frayed. When Anderson faltered on a couple of doubles that would have ended it, the Dutchman pounced.
Momentum shifted. Belief surged. The contest thundered into a deciding set, the audience fully sated and begging for more. And then… history stirred. Six years ago. Same stage. Same players. Same scoreline. A 4-3 Anderson win, sealed 5-3 in overtime. Surely lightning couldn’t strike twice? It did.
Leg for leg they held. Tension tightened. A nine-darter loomed, danced, then cruelly evaporated as Anderson agonisingly missed the double. Eventually – after chaos, courage and no small amount of chaos again – the two-time champion steadied himself, claimed the vital break, and finally slammed the door shut on one of the matches of the tournament. Next up? Possibly Michael van Gerwen – assuming Arno Merk doesn’t author seismic shockwaves later this evening.
Earlier, the tone could not have been more different. Former world champion Rob Cross delivered a clinical reminder that reports of his demise remain wildly premature, dismantling Damon Heta in ruthless, straight-sets fashion. While England are currently being flayed by Australia Down Under in The Ashes, this particular sporting skirmish saw the roles emphatically reversed.
Heta squandered opportunity after opportunity; Cross devoured them.Voltage was composed, assertive, merciless. Scoring strong. Finishing imperial. Every Australian misstep was punished with interest. The reward? Just a Luke Littler shaped obstacle. A mouth-watering last-16 duel between champions past and present.
Elsewhere, when Heavy Metal meets a Wall, the outcome is rarely subtle. Ryan Searle obliterated Martin Schindler with a performance of sheer dominance. After nicking the opening set against throw and recovering from a slip in the second, the Devonian detonated. Nine unanswered legs. Ton-plus average. One-way traffic. Brutal efficiency. Now awaits James Hurrell.
Searle has danced on the edge of round four before, never stepping beyond. This time, the door feels ajar.
As for Germany? What began as a hopeful ascent up Muswell Hill is rapidly becoming a retreat. Two of their strongest already gone. By night’s end, unless Gabriel Clemens and Merk can somehow topple Luke Humphries and van Gerwen, the cupboard will be bare.
Romanticism aside – that feels the likeliest outcome. Ally Pally, relentless as ever, spares nobody.
SUNDAY 28th DECEMBER – Afternoon Session Report
Martin Schindler 0-4 Ryan Searle
Damon Heta 0-4 Rob Cross
Gary Anderson 4-3 Jermaine Wattimena
—-Ends—–
Images: PDC
