Nathan Aspinall has revealed that changing his throw mid-tournament was the secret to his success at last month’s Betfred World Matchplay.
Aspinall produced some inspired displays to lift the coveted Phil Taylor Trophy, delivering a darting masterclass to dispatch Jonny Clayton 18-6 in a remarkable final at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens.
The 32-year-old won 13 of the last 14 legs to stun Clayton at the Empress Ballroom, converting five ton-plus checkouts to end his four-year wait for a televised title.
Aspinall also defeated Krzysztof Ratajski, Danny Noppert, Chris Dobey and Joe Cullen on his way to securing the biggest title of his career, which catapulted him to a career-high of fifth in the world.
“I’m just loving life. I’m winning again,” said Aspinall, who believes his Blackpool victory puts him in the same bracket as the world’s elite.
“I have always known I was good, but when you win the World Matchplay or the World Championship, you get classed as a different calibre of player in my eyes.
“I class players who win the World Championship or the World Matchplay as having that something extra than somebody who may have won the UK Open or European Championship.
“It gives you more stature, and I believe winning the World Matchplay has opened so many doors for me.
“I’ve had some big sponsorship opportunities, exhibitions, and I think I’ve probably guaranteed my spot for next year’s Premier League and everything that comes with that.
“I’m living the life, but while I’m living the life, I am trying to give my family the best life possible and I think that is what they’re getting at the moment.”
Aspinall almost made it back-to-back televised titles in Hamilton earlier this month, succumbing to Rob Cross in a dramatic last-leg decider at the NZ Darts Masters.
This came after the Stockport star fired in a career-best televised average in his semi-final demolition of Michael Smith, averaging 110.22 to wrap up a 7-3 rout of the World Champion.
The former UK Open champion is brimming with confidence heading into the second half of the season, and he believes a change in his throw has been the catalyst for his resurgence.
“It’s been noted that when I had this problem with my throw, Gary Anderson had a chat with me about speeding up, and I found something in the World Matchplay,” Aspinall continued.
“From the quarter-final stage onwards, I changed my throw completely. Joe Cullen twists his darts when he pulls them back, and I’ve started doing that a little bit.
“That’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to twist them a bit more and I’ve had this new grip put on my darts. Scoring wise it is helping me massively. I am just following the dart.
“When I’m confident I throw the darts harder and it seemed to work. When I throw faster I get into that rhythm of this twist and the darts seem to fly really well.
“I change my throw loads when I practice to try and find a little something, but I always go back to what feels comfortable.
“I think I’m a better player now. I don’t think winning the title has made the difference to my game, I think it’s because I found something in my throw which seems to be working.”
Listen to the full exclusive interview with Nathan in the latest edition of The Darts Show Podcast - available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.