'There’s life in the old dog' - Gary Anderson makes admission after Grand Slam win over Gerwyn Price

Anderson, a two-time runner-up at the Grand Slam, defied eight 180s and a 103 average from Price to continue his bid for an elusive Grand Slam crown on a high-quality night of action in Wolverhampton.

Day Five of the £650,000 event saw the knockout stages begin on a bumper night of action at WV Active Aldersley, and it was Anderson who stole the headlines in a repeat of the pair’s infamous 2018 final.

Price – who registered consecutive 110 and 112 averages in the round-robin phase – drew first blood with a 14-dart hold, only for Anderson to seize the early initiative with a run of three straight legs.

The Welshman responded to restore parity at three apiece, only for Anderson to win four of the next five legs to regain control – sparked by a superb 12-dart break in leg seven.

The Scot maintained his charge by crashing in consecutive maximums to stretch his lead to 8-4, although Price refused to relent, registering back-to-back 13-darters to put himself back in contention.

Nevertheless, Anderson halted Price’s charge with a brilliant 11-darter in the penultimate leg, which he followed with a comfortable hold of throw via double six to cap off a virtuoso display.

“There’s life in the old dog yet,” joked Anderson, who averaged 104.96 to set up a mouth-watering quarter-final showdown against Luke Humphries.

“Gerwyn has been playing very well. Hitting 110 and 112 averages is a hard job to do, but I’ve hit a 102 and now a 104, so we’re getting there.

“I’m playing well on the practice board, I’m playing well on the floor, and that was the most comfortable I’ve felt on the stage for a while.”