LET THE HOOD TIMES ROLL!

...but two-time champ Gary will be hoping it's not against him

- BY RICHARD LEWIS

WHEN Gary Anderson steps on to the Ally Pally oche, something inside him changes.

“I cannot tell you what it is,” said Anderson. “I get up on that stage, it is the biggest tournament in the world.

“You spend all year trying to get here, and at the end of the day look what darts has become. A million pound first prize.”

Anderson, 55, is just three wins away from banking the biggest cheque the sport has known but not for one moment, one single throw of a double top, would he be complacent that he can go all the way.

The reason is the player he faces at the Alexandra Palace in this afternoon's quarterfinal.

The Flying Scotsman is a double world champion, three-time runner-up and one of the greatest names in the history of the sport.

And his clash with Justin Hood is an example of the sport's remarkable journey to where it is now.