Andrew Gilding sealed a convincing place in the last 16 of the Czech Darts Open with a 6-2 demolition of Nathan Aspinall on Saturday, setting up a showdown with Luke Humphries on finals day in Prague. The 55-year-old Englishman, nicknamed “Goldfinger,” made a flying start against the former World Matchplay champion, taking the first five legs to race into a comfortable 5-0 lead.
Aspinall managed to post two legs, but a serious fightback never materialised. Gilding closed it out in style, sealing the win with a 122 checkout to book his spot on Sunday’s action in the Czech capital. The victory was another seed to crash out in Prague, as the former UK Open champion continues his impressive run.
Gilding again drew strong support from the Czech crowd and admitted he is unsure why he is so popular in Prague. "This place absolutely loves me, I don't really know why that is, I get so much support, I just love being here," Gilding said after his victory. He is chiefly relishing another chance to perform in front of the passionate crowd, adding: "Hopefully I can go into tomorrow, have a good showing and who knows what will happen after that!"
That win over Aspinall sets up a far tougher task on Sunday afternoon, as Gilding faces Humphries in the last 16. Humphries is once more hunting the title in the Czech capital and is chasing a third straight title in Prague. Gilding gets his chance on Sunday afternoon to put a stop to that run.
The Czech Darts Open will be decided in full on Sunday. The afternoon session features the last-16 ties, while the evening session includes the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in sequence.
