Nathan Aspinall has booked his place in the second round of the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam, but the Englishman admitted he was battling more than just Raymond Smith on stage. 'The Asp' found himself 4-1 down before roaring back to secure a 6-4 victory, revealing afterwards that illness left him repeatedly wanting to walk away from the match.
"Yeah, it's a big win, you know, there's so many parts in that game that I just wanted to quit and not win. Just go home because I feel pretty rubbish. But, you know, I'm a hypochondriac, it's probably not that bad, let's be honest with you," Aspinall told Online Darts post-match. Despite the discomfort, he found motivation in the support around him. "But, nah, you know, I had a lot of support, my mates out there, Kirsty (his wife) came with me. I know she didn't want to go home tomorrow, so I did what I always do, I dig deep in a battle. And, you know, he wasn't playing very well, so I thought I'd break him back at 4-1, I think he'll go. And he played rubbish last two legs and I won, so happy days."
Trailing 4-1, Aspinall sensed the pressure shift. "I think the shackles come off, the pressure's off, you know, you're not expected to win from 4-1 down. But then also as well, you know, sometimes it's like you feel sorry for yourself, like I've done all day. Everyone who's been around me today has stopped moaning, but I felt so sorry for myself all day," he said. "And it's like, I played one game here for £10,000, sort your head out, it's half an hour. And, you know, sometimes I think what my family could do with that and what holidays I could book. And, yeah, it just kind of gives me determination, you know. It was a gutsy performance to come back from 4-1 down and I'm very happy that I finished the game off with no dramas at the end."
The Amsterdam crowd played a major role in lifting him. "Remember Gezzy saying when obviously they started cheering for him, he hated it. He preferred to boo him because obviously you're playing for 5,000 people in that venue as well. But, yeah, of course I love playing on a stage. Everyone knows I don't particularly like playing on the floor," Aspinall said. "I love the louder the better for me. And, you know, I think tomorrow there will be been more in there. Just keep chanting, keep singing, shout, sing, do what you want. The louder the better because I don't think about my darts then. I get involved in my head. I sing the little songs in my head while I'm playing and it makes me relax. So, yeah, stage, love it."
Looking ahead, the world number sixteen has clear ambitions. "Well, you know, I think I've had a break. I've been playing for four weeks now. It's a long time now. Management's been a bit tight. But, yeah, I'm going to try and play as much as I can, obviously. You know, changing my mindset," he said. "I want to qualify for Minehead. I've got a bit to do. I'm in Den Bosch this week. Possibly might not have been if I lost that game. But, yeah, I'm in Den Bosch this week. But, no, I've got to play because, you know, as Vincent pointed out the obvious a minute ago on Dutch TV that I'm 16th. I'm playing Littler in the second round at the moment. Probably not ideal. You know what I mean? So I need to get up them rankings. I'm better than 16th in the world, you know, even with my bit of flaw in my throw. I'm a top ten player all day and I need to start proving that. I'm playing well. My averages, even when I don't think I'm playing well, are right up there. So let's go and do this. Win some tournaments. Push myself back in the top ten, top eight. Back in the Premier League. Back in the World Series. Life's good."
