Burnham-On-Sea’s Mayor has congratulated town darts star Gary Anderson after he won his second consecutive World Darts Championship on Sunday evening.
He beat Adrian Lewis 7-5 to seal back-to-back world titles at Alexandra Palace, becoming only the fourth player to successfully defend their first ever world title.
Burnham’s Mayor Michael Clarke, pictured here with Gary and Mayoress Maria Clarke, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “This is superb news to start the year – it’s a proud moment for Gary and for Burnham.”
“We send Gary our congratulations. Winning the world title for a second time is a huge accomplishment, particularly when it has been such a tough tournament.”
Gary’s family and supporters in Burnham cheered him on during Sunday evening’s final, which was watched live by millions of TV viewers on Sky Sports.
Gary hit a 170 finish in the penultimate leg to end his opponent’s fightback in a close match that was fraught with tension.
After hauling the enormous Sid Waddell trophy over his head, Gary admitted it had been a tough match: “It was a scrape from the word go tonight. There were some good darts, and some really bad ones. I’m getting old, I’ll take a scrape. I’ve got it for another 12 months at least.”
Anderson easily beat semi-finalist Jelle Klaasen on Saturday night during a 6-0 win to set-up the final showdown with Adrian Lewis.
Gary booked his place in Saturday’s semi-final despite a sleepless night before his win over James Wade. The reigning champion admitted he had just two hours sleep before his 5-1 quarter-final victory on Friday afternoon after being woken up by noisy New Year celebrations.
Gary lives in Burnham-On-Sea with his partner Rachel. He has three sons: Ryan, Joel and Tai.
Having previously worked as a builder, he and his partner Rachel previously ran the Wellington Arms public house in Rooksbridge, near Burnham, until a couple of years ago.
Gary was given a civic reception by Burnham and Highbridge’s Mayor last year following his 2015 triumph – see the link below. There’s no word yet on how the Town Council will mark his latest victory.
Also see:
Celebration held for Burnham’s world darts champion Gary Anderson
