Gary Anderson was spurred on to win his first World Championship title by the memory of his brother and father who died within months of each other.

The Flying Scotsman revealed he ignored jibes from those who derided him as he struggled to recapture the form that made him 2011 Premier League champion.

Anderson, 44, lost his brother Stuart, who died of a heart attack aged 35 in the autumn of 2011, and his father Gordon the following spring. He admitted that afterwards he could not face throwing arrows and it coincided with a slide down the world rankings.

But he learned to love the game again and had the last laugh by beating Phil Taylor to lift the Sid Waddell trophy and £250,000 in winnings.

‘It’s hard to concentrate on darts when you have that going on,’ said Anderson. ‘People were saying, “He is finished”, but I couldn’t give two monkeys what they think. There are some horrible people in the world that keep sniping at you — I just got on with it.’

Anderson overcame the greatest player in darts history to win Sunday’s final 7-6. His victory came a year after he vowed to return to the top, something he achieved by stripping his regime back to basics, including games in the local pub with teenage sons Ryan and Joel 

Darts is a job, like anything else. If you are a painter or a joiner, there are days you wake and think, “I don’t want to go to work”. It is hard to get going with people on your back but I went back to my old way of just throwing darts, not listening to anybody and enjoying myself. I played in the pub, where it all started.

Teetotal Anderson celebrated his famous victory with a coffee and a sleep before returning to his Somerset home with partner Rachel. He was looking forward to seeing nine-month-old son Tai.

‘I’m not going to treat myself with the prize- money,’ he said. ‘I’ll just get the tools out and do a bit of DIY. I know (fellow darts player) James Wade loves working on cars, I like doing jobs around the house to chill out. I was in the building trade for 20 odd years so it is nice to get your hands dirty. I’m a normal person, I’m not a prima donna. I am the same boy that was on the building site, even after this.’

Anderson has overcome his fair share of obstacles, including becoming increasingly short-sighted. The mental arithmetic has also tripped him up on occasion.

‘I am one of the worst counters on a dartboard,’ he said. ‘I made a mistake in the semi-final and had to be corrected. But it’s great for kids learning maths.’

 
Also -

NEWLY-crowned PDC World Champion Gary Anderson has challenged BDO ace Alan Norris to bring double darting delight to Somerset when he starts his bid for global glory today.

Somerset-based Scot Anderson thwarted Phil Taylor’s goal of a 17th world title at Alexandra Palace, London, on Sunday, triumphing 7-6 in an enthralling final to lift his first.

With the 2011 finalist and Premier League winner admitting his weekend success was yet to sink in, the sport’s attentions switch to the Lakeside, Frimley Green where the BDO’s best battle for the trophy won 12 months ago by rising PDC star Stephen Bunting.

Yeovil-born-and-raised Norris was runner-up to The Bullet an

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