Van Gerwen insists there was “no need” for Anderson altercation in Grand Slam contest

Michael van Gerwen admits there was “no need” for Gary Anderson to accuse him of wrongdoing during their Last 16 clash at the Grand Slam of Darts.

Van Gerwen defeated rival Anderson 10-8 in a thrilling encounter at the Aldersley Leisure Village on Thursday, and the pair were seen exchanging words during the contest.

The incident came in the 12th leg when Anderson appeared irate at the Dutchman for talking to himself on the way back from the board.

Three-time Grand Slam champion MVG went on to clinch victory with a 100.4 average, and was quick to deny any use of deliberate gamesmanship.

“To be fair, there was not really any need for it,” said Van Gerwen.

“I just walked back and said something about myself, nothing towards him.

“He did it 20 times beforehand as well. If you’re going to count how many times he did in his live, you know the answer.

“What can I do? We all know his performance was back but also he can have little issues on the stage.

“I think there wasn’t a need for it, he’s started to play better again, it’s part of the game unfortunately, but in my opinion there was no need for it.

When asked if the incident played on Anderson’s mind for the remainder of the match, Van Gerwen replied: “Maybe, I hope it worked, because then he got himself out of the game.

“He never does it when he’s 8-4 up, that’s the weird thing, but that’s just my opinion.”

The match also featured a miscount from referee Russ Bray in leg 16, with a score of 78 from Van Gerwen called as 82, leading to the Dutchman taking out 78 to win the leg instead of the 82 required.

The error was not picked up by either the second referee, nor the two players, and therefore went unchallenged.

Van Gerwen will now face Michael Smith in the Quarter-Finals on Saturday night.

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