Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson have endured a rocky road to top of darts
Thursday 11 February 2016 18:42, UK
Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson meet again this week and Sky Sports' Rod Studd reveals how they became two of the biggest names in darts.
World No 1 Van Gerwen and defending champion Gary Anderson will go head-to-head once again on night two of the Premier League in Newcastle, live on Sky Sports.
But the two champions did not always enjoy their current success. Darts expert Studd looks back at Anderson and Van Gerwen's difficult route to the top of the sport...
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The making of Michael
Michael van Gerwen started playing at the age of 13 and he was a teenage prodigy who was born to be king. He had a nine-darter and had won the World Masters in the BDO before he had reached his 18th birthday. After this wonderful start as a teenager, it looked like he would sweep all before him. But then he lost in the first round of the 2007 BDO World Championship against Gary Robson - a big mate of Gary Anderson - and he switched soon afterwards to the PDC.
What followed was a bizarre decline. Van Gerwen could not get going at all, and in the 2008 PDC World Championship, people will remember he missed double 12 to beat Phil Taylor. After that it all went horribly wrong and he had three or four barren years. He really looked like he was going to completely disappear off the darting radar and people were saying, 'What is all the fuss about?'
He really looked like he was going to completely disappear off the darting radar and people were saying, 'What is all the fuss about?'
During 2012, Van Gerwen would win some youth tournaments and he believes that helped to get his confidence back. Even though he was beating opponents that weren't Phil Taylor, he was winning titles.
He would go on to defeat Mervyn King in that year's World Grand Prix final - and that changed everything. He then reached the final of the Grand Slam of Darts straight afterwards and got to the final of the World Darts Championship, where he lost to Phil Taylor.
The fact that he didn't win those tournaments was immaterial as it was now evident that he had gone back to playing how he was at 16 or 17.
From then on, winning became inevitable because he was playing at such a high level.
Anderson finally arrives
Gary really came on the scene in early 2000s and was always regarded as a top operator in the BDO. Similar to Michael, everyone knew he had this latent talent and he promised a great deal, but never really delivered it on the big stage.
He threw his darts in the lake at the Lakeside time and time again. You just wondered whether he was going to do it or not.
He played eight World Championships in the BDO and lost in the first round five times. His best was a semi-final in 2003, when he lost to Ritchie Davies. For a man of his ability, that record was just inexplicably poor. He threw his darts in the lake at the Lakeside time and time again. You just wondered whether he was going to do it or not.
But then Anderson had a brilliant year in 2007, which really showed how good he was. He won the International Darts League and the World Darts trophy, which was where BDO players took on PDC players. In the final, everyone thought, 'Hang on a minute, this bloke is top class', because he beat Phil Taylor in a really good final.
Just like Michael, when Anderson switched to the PDC in 2009, it took him a bit of time to get going. His record in his first few PDC World Championships was ordinary, aside from a final defeat to Adrian Lewis in 2011. He also won the Premier League that year, but failed to really build on that successful 12 months.
Finally, in 2015, it all really clicked for Anderson as he won the World Championship, the Premier League, then defended the World Championship so memorably and wonderfully as well. The last 15 months or so have just been absolutely brilliant and he has established himself as the main challenger to Michael van Gerwen.
Watch night two of the Premier League this Thursday night, starting at 7pm on Sky Sports 1. Or watch for £6.99 without a contract, on NOW TV
