From silly handshakes to being sick before the final – Stockport’s Nathan Aspinall on becoming World Matchplay champion
manchestereveningnews.co.ukWhile most eagle-eyed viewers who spotted Nathan Aspinall's gesture to Jonny Clayton before their World Matchplay final probably thought the Stockport-born darts player was just messing about, there was plenty more to it than that.
Aspinall was looking to secure the biggest win of his career as he faced Clayton at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, and there was little to separate the two players in the opening stages of the contest, with Aspinall forced to throw some of his best darts to stay in the game at 5-5.
However, from there the script was ripped up. Aspinall produced some astonishing darts to win 11 legs in a row, storming into a 16-5 lead with just two legs separating him from the crown.
The Asp did Stockport proud and recorded an 18-6 win, and while he looked to be the coolest man in the Winter Gardens as he galloped to victory, that couldn't be further from the truth.
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