Gary Anderson has seen just about everything darts can throw at him, but even the two-time world champion draws the line at one partnership: teaming up with his own son. The Scot was speaking at the launch of Unicorn's new 2027 collection in an extensive interview with Online Darts, where the conversation turned to 12-year-old Tai Anderson and whether a father-son doubles run might ever be on the cards.
"No, because we'd end up falling out after nine darts have been thrown," Anderson joked. "He'd be moaning at me or I'd be moaning at him. I don't think we could play pairs. We'll have a wee chuck now in the house and within three minutes all hell breaks loose." Tai is already producing eye-catching numbers for his age, though his father insists he has had precious little to do with it. "He's doing all right," Anderson said. "To be honest, he's not got the greatest role model for practising, and he doesn't do it. He was away playing last night and I think I saw him throw for about two minutes before he left the house."
Despite owning one of the most natural throws in the game, Anderson says he has never coached his son. "He's had the same throw and I've never shown him a thing," he said. "I don't know if he's doing it just to cheese me off, but he's winning and he's doing all right. He's only 12. I say that to him: 'You're just a kid.'" And his advice doesn't always land at home either. "I'm just Dad that knows nothing," he joked. "You try to help them, but these kids just do not listen."
Tai isn't the only young Scottish player on Anderson's radar. Mitchell Lawrie has emerged as one of the country's most highly rated prospects and turns 16 in November, potentially opening the door to a move onto the professional circuit. "I'd like to see him play. He's definitely good enough," Anderson said when asked whether Lawrie should pursue a Tour Card. "Would it be a bit too much? I don't know. It's entirely what his head's like. He could come straight across and just ramp it. He could do really well." But Anderson sees no need to rush. "He'll be 16, so he's got at least another 30 years in front of him," he added. "It's a long, long road, but it's entirely up to him what he wants to do. Whatever he feels comfortable with, that's what he should do."
Looking back on his own journey, Anderson marvelled at how far the sport has come. "The way darts has progressed over the years, from playing in the wee pubs... when the Premier League first started it was little venues, boozers," he said. "Look at it now. Tens and tens of thousands of people watching. It's come on leaps and bounds." He also cleared up one of the more unusual tales from his BDO days, when he developed a reputation for throwing sets of darts into the lake at Lakeside. "I used to do it anyway," he explained. "I actually won the Gold Cup and the winning darts went into the lake anyway. I used to do it for a bit of fun. Everyone says it was me being too bad-tempered, but it wasn't. We used to have a bit of a laugh. End of the year, the darts were in the lake, win or lose."
For all his achievements, Anderson remains reluctant to place himself among the greats. "I don't like talking about it," he admitted. "If you mentioned darts, I'd be saying Taylor, Bristow and that. I wouldn't even think about mentioning myself. But I've done all right, Phil. I've done all right." Anderson won back-to-back World Championships in 2015 and 2016 and collected major titles across one of the strongest eras the PDC has seen, yet his own assessment stays understated. "I've enjoyed it," he said. "There's been ups and downs, goods and bads, but that's the way the road of life takes you. I have enjoyed it."
Phil Taylor naturally stands out among his favourite rivals. "I think it would have to have been Taylor, just playing Taylor," Anderson recalled. "I always said I was going to beat him. Everyone said, 'You're winding us up.' The first time I played him, I beat him in the final. I said, 'That was me, I proved my point,' but he battered me for the next five years afterwards." Adrian Lewis also earned special mention. "I loved playing Adrian Lewis because it was a proper game of darts," Anderson said. "Just go up there and play the game. To me, that's the way it should be." On whether Lewis might make a sustained return, Anderson added: "I hope so, but I don't know. He keeps saying, 'I ain't coming back.' Whatever he chooses, I wish him all the best. Great, great talent and one of the most natural darts players there was."
