Jimmy Anderson reveals why he loves the darts
Friday 18 December 2015 15:32, UK
Jimmy Anderson has already paid a visit to Ally Pally because he loves the arrows so much!
We sat down with the England cricketer to get the bottom of his passion for the World Darts Championship.
Here's what Anderson had to say...
The first time you played?
My uncle had a darts board when I was really little, so I reckon I could have been three or four when I first played and ever since then I've really been into it.
Who do you have fond memories of?
I watched it regularly on TV. My favourites growing up were actually Dennis Priestley and Steve Beaton.
When do you play now?
Alastair Cook takes a travel board with him everywhere and we play as often as we can on tour, which kills time which we have a lot of.
Best darts player in the dressing room?
Alastair Cook is, probably. There's only two of us who are really keen darts players, a few of the lads are starting to get into it. But at the minute he's better than me.
Have you hit a 180?
I've hit a couple of 180s which I'm really happy about, but big checkouts? No. Doubles aren't my strength so they're very rare. I might have an easy two-dart finish.
Favourite tournament?
I like the World Championship but there's also something about the Premier League. You follow it week after week and when it gets tight, you wonder who will qualify. It's like a TV series where you get hooked and you're just waiting for the next episode.
Favourite player?
I like watching people who are quick and rhythmical, so Gary [Anderson] and Michael [van Gerwen]. I love watching Mark Webster as well. But I don't really have a favourite player, I just like watching a quick game and I'm always mind-blown when they add up so quickly or subtract so quickly to work out what finish they need.
Will you watch the World Darts Championship?
I think there's only a two-hour time difference in South Africa so hopefully I'll be able to keep up with it. I remember being in Australia when the Premier League was on at 6 o'clock in morning. I would leave my TV on the channel so the minute I woke up, it was on.
Fancy dress?
Fancy dress is not really my thing and I'm not very creative when it comes to thinking of something clever, so I'd stick a typical Morph outfit or something similar.
What music would you use?
I think it was Kasabian before, but I'd pick something that's got a good intro and that's quite noisy with lots of guitars.
What's more difficult - darts or cricket?
I think with cricket I've got a fair idea of what I'm doing but with Darts less so.
I felt good when I was downstairs practising, I hit a few decent scores and thought we were going to be alright. But as soon as I got out on stage my knees started shaking, my hands started shaking. I got to a point where I thought 'I just want to hit the board' and I did actually miss the board once.
And there was only a handful of people there, because they were just filtering in for the evening session but I felt horrendously nervous.
In comparison to bowling in front of a full house at an Ashes Test match? I'd take that any day!
Did you enjoy commentating?
We had Eric Bristow sat next to us and he sorted all the counting out. It was good fun. It was surreal but I loved it because I watch it all the time and I love the commentary, I think it's just fantastic. They add to the entertainment when you watch at home so it felt a real privilege to be in there.
Who are you tipping for the Sid Waddell trophy?
I'd love to think that Gary could defend his title but Michael seems to be in a serious bit of form and is almost untouchable at the minute. I've got a funny feeling, because Phil Taylor hasn't won a big tournament for a little while, I think he might just do something special.
You can watch the PDC World Darts Championship live on Sky Sports between December 17-January 3.
Non-subscribers can also enjoy daily, weekly or monthly access to Sky Sports Darts and Sky Sports other six channels contract-free with NOW TV.
