Winmau have responded to Gary Anderson's blistering criticism of the Blade X dartboard after the Scot branded the boards “absolutely rank” following Scotland’s 8-0 win over Norway at the World Cup of Darts. Anderson and Cameron Menzies had just produced one of the performances of the tournament in Frankfurt, averaging 99.37 in their first World Cup match together and reaching the quarter-finals in emphatic fashion. The post-match focus quickly moved from Scotland’s whitewash win to Anderson’s equipment complaint, with the two-time world champion saying he had changed points because of how the darts were entering the board.
“I have had to, because the dartboards are absolutely rank. They are the worst dartboards ever,” Anderson said after the match. “Do not just quote me on it. Ask anyone on the circuit who is playing. Even ask the PDC. Even ask the dart manufacturers. They will tell you the boards are absolutely shocking.” Anderson added that the problem had affected his set-up. “The darts go in straight,” he said. “I have had to go to the black points just to get a bit of an angle on the points.” Asked whether the switch had helped, he replied: “It is supposed to, but they are still going in a bit straight. We have been at it for months. We have been talking about it. Not a player on the circuit is happy with these dartboards. That is why I have gone to the black points.”
Winmau have now issued a response to Oche180, defending feedback on the Blade X while acknowledging Anderson’s comments. “We noted Gary’s comments following Scotland’s fantastic performance at the World Cup of Darts,” Winmau said. “Feedback from other players and our partners at the PDC on the performance of the Blade X has been positive.” The manufacturer also pointed to data supplied through the PDC’s official statistics partner, although it stressed that the data was not directly connected to Anderson’s specific remarks. “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.” Winmau finished by saying it would continue working with the PDC and players over equipment standards. “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.”
Anderson’s criticism came after an otherwise dominant Scotland performance. He and Menzies beat Norway’s Cor Dekker and Kent Sivertsen 8-0, with Scotland averaging 99.37 compared to Norway’s 83.82 and finishing at 66.7 per cent on the outer ring. Menzies had been making his World Cup debut for Scotland alongside Anderson, with the pairing replacing the familiar Anderson-Peter Wright combination that previously won the tournament in 2019 and 2021. Scotland were ruthless from the start. Menzies set up double 16 for Anderson as they moved 4-0 ahead without missing a dart at double, before the pair broke again with a 110 checkout and later moved 7-0 clear with a 64 finish. They eventually completed the whitewash after returning from a missed 124 to finish on 25.
Anderson said afterwards that he and Menzies had quickly settled into the tie. “Like I said to Cammy, I think there were maybe only three or four throws where we did not hit 100 or more, even with the checkouts,” he said. “We might have missed a couple at doubles, but it was ton, ton-40, and it went well.” Menzies was quick to praise Anderson’s role in the win, saying: “Gary was brilliant. He was on fire. I felt like I was actually going to go missing from the board at one point because Gary was just flying. He made my debut the easiest debut on any big stage of my life.” Scotland now move on to face the Republic of Ireland in the quarter-finals, with Anderson and Menzies having delivered the result they needed before the board debate became the main post-match talking point.
