Gary Anderson hits out during World Cup of Darts labelling move as 'absolutely rank'
Gary Anderson has hit out at the World Cup of Darts, labelling the move to use the new Blade X dartboard as "absolutely rank".In January, manufacturer Winmau extended its partnership with the PDC for another 10 years, announcing the new Blade X dartboard would be featured on the main stage.However, after Scotland's 8-0 victory over Norway in the last-16, Anderson hit out at the dartboard after being asked why he switched his points.He said: "I had to because the boards are absolutely rank. They are the worst dartboards ever.TRENDINGStoriesVideosYour Say"Don't quote me on it, you ask anyone on the circuit that's playing, even ask the PDC, even ask that manufacturer, they will tell you the boards are absolutely shocking."The darts go in, they're going in straight. I had to go to black points just to get a bit of an angle on the points. It's supposed to [help], but they're still going in a bit straight."We've been at it for months. We've been talking about it. Not a player on the circuit is happy with these boards, and nothing is getting done about it, so that's why I've gone to the black points."Winmau responded to Anderson's claims the following morning.LATEST SPORTS NEWSWorld Cup 2026 day four: Huge wins for Scotland and Australia, Germany and Netherlands playing laterTommy Fury beats strongman Eddie Hall in boxing's latest circus show as Tyson Fury cheers onIan Wright reunites with son live on TV after 18 months apart in emotional scenesIn a statement released to Oche180, the manufacturer said: "We noted Gary's comments following Scotland's fantastic performance at the World Cup of Darts."Feedback from other players and our partners at the PDC on the performance of the Blade X has been positive."Although not connected to Gary's specific comments, the independent performance data we received from the PDC official statistics partner regarding rejected darts has shown a meaningful reduction across the Premier League season compared to the Blade 6 Triple Core, itself widely regarded as the category benchmark prior to the release of the new Blade X."We remain committed to working closely with the PDC and any player to ensure the standard of equipment provided at these fantastic events continues to deliver the highest levels of performance."A total of 500,000 is at stake for the World Cup, with the winners sharing 100,000 along with the trophy.England stepped up after last year's early exit to progress into the quarter-finals in Frankfurt.Luke Littler and Luke Humphries were on the end of an 8-4 reversal to hosts Germany at the last-16 stage 12 months ago, but put those doubts to bed with an 8-5 victory.Humphries admitted if England were to go all the way on Sunday, it would be "even more special".He said: "[It] feels great, first and foremost, we just wanted to win tonight. Today was just get through the first game, however that may be, just to get over the line."That first win was very special because it was to end the drought, but I think this one maybe, if we were to win, would be even more special because there is so much pressure on us."I don't think there was that pressure on me and Michael Smith to win. I think people had us as favourites, but I don't think that there was this expectation."Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter
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