John Henderson’s place in Scotland’s World Cup of Darts line-up has been endorsed by none other than Gary Anderson.
Henderson, along with Peter Wright, won last year’s tournament after memorably beating Australia in the final. Anderson had been originally due to compete but his withdrawal on the eve of the tournament meant a late call-up for the popular Henderson, and he took his chance with both hands.
Ahead of this year’s event, in Frankfurt from June 16-19, it has been confirmed that Henderson will again partner world number one Wright, despite not being the second-ranked Scottish player, which is Anderson, nor the third. However, PDC chief executive Matt Porter says it is only right that Henderson is given the right to defend the crown, and says that stance has the full backing of Anderson.
“Gary actually said to us ‘I hope you pick Hendo this year,” Porter told Online Darts TV. “Gary is a fair bloke and he knows what John did with Peter last year was spectacular. He thought John deserved the opportunity to do it again. Fair play to Gary, fair play to John.
“He’s not the third-ranked Scottish player, I don’t know where he is now, not as high as he’d like to be but, nevertheless, he’s the defending champion. I don’t think you’ll get too many people arguing he doesn’t deserve that opportunity.”
Asked if Henderson’s inclusion could set a precedent for future editions of the World Cup, Porter said: “I think it’s fair that the defending champion gets to come back. If there’s three players keenly contesting for two spots, it could be different.
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"On this occasion, I think it’s the right decision. I’m not saying it’s going to be a hard and fast rule going forward.”
There were emotional scenes after Henderson and Wright won the World Cup in 2021, with the former saying at the time: "I will take so much from this weekend into my game going forward. How could I not learn from someone like Peter?
"He's always given me advice over the years, but this weekend has just been the most incredible experience playing alongside him. He's been so good to me this weekend, he's captained me well and he's looked after me. I really do believe that his captaincy is what won it for us with his decisions and leadership, particularly on the final day."
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