Gary Anderson thrills fans in Aberdeen
Anderson bounced back from his loss to van Barneveld on the opening night of the Premier League a week ago with a heavy-scoring display against Whitlock – although he was left sweating following missed doubles before he finally closed out the win.
Whitlock led 2-0 and 3-1 only to see the home hope – roared on by a sell-out 4,000 crowd at the AECC – take five straight legs in moving 6-3 up. Whitlock took out a second 98 finish of the game as he hit back to take the next two legs and force a decider as Anderson missed six darts to end the contest, but the Australian missed tops for the match as the 2011 champion took out double 12 for the win.
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Hide AdEarlier in the night, van Barneveld continued his love affair with the Scottish crowds by averaging 100 in a superb 7-2 rout of newcomer Wes Newton.
The five-time world champion – who hit a nine-darter in Aberdeen three years ago – took out three ton-plus finishes to remain unbeaten after two games of the new season.
Andy Hamilton, a semi-finalist in last year’s Premier League, held off a fightback from 2009 champion James Wade as he took a 7-4 win.