Nathan Aspinall progressed to the third round of the World Darts Championship in routine fashion but his biggest fright came in the practice room.
'The Asp' was back in action on Monday night in the evening session, taking on the popular Leonard Gates and coming away with a 3-0 victory where he averaged 91.76.
The World No.15, who has been vocal about mental health problems and the need for the PDPA to step in, saw off Lourence Ilagan with a 3-1 win in the first round.
In his latest outing at Alexandra Palace, Aspinall felt he wasn't at his best and neither was Gates - but it was enough to get the job done fairly comfortably.
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"I felt a lot better in my first game," Aspinall admitted.
"Leonard is a lot better than that. I expected him to throw a bit more at me.
“But you know what, I am here to do a job. I won 3–0. I didn’t really produce my best stuff.
“I took my foot off the gas at 2–0 but a win is a win, and I am back after Christmas. I’ve won two games, and I dropped one set by playing pretty average.
“I’m enjoying my games on the stage and this crowd is unbelievable.”
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There was never really too much danger for Aspinall at the oche but it was a different story moments before in the practice range, when Gates scared him wearing a Chewbacca mask.
The Stockport thrower wasn't afraid to admit that he was left terrified as a result of the prank.
"Have you heard what he did in the practice room?" Aspinall explained on the Soulger's antics.
"He turned up, tapped me on the back, and he had a Chewbacca mask on.
“Honest to God, I can’t say it, but I pooed my pants. I was a bit scared. He is a great guy. I played him last year.”
What's next for Aspinall?
Aspinall, a two-time semi finalist at the World Darts Championship in 2019 and 2020, is guaranteed to earn £35,000 after getting to the third round with relative ease.
Next up for the 34-year-old is a tricky contest, however as after the Christmas break, he squares off against Dutchman Kevin Doets - a man who does have his number when it comes to their meetings.
The 27-year-old has beaten Aspinall in five consecutive games in various competitions, with the latter's most recent victory coming back in 2019 in a Players Championship fixture.
Aspinall has acknowledged his poor record against his next opponent, who he will face in a best of seven sets clash after the Christmas break between the 27 and 29 December.
“Kevin is great and I don’t have a very good record against him, and I think he knows that because he has been talking to me in the hotel," Aspinall said.
“But rest assured, I am going to enjoy Christmas with my family.”
Aspinall reached the quarter finals of the World Darts Championship last time out, losing 5-2 to eventual winner Luke Littler.
Topics: Darts, World Darts Championship
Josh Lawless