DARTING LEGEND Bob Anderson has reached the milestone age of 60 - but insists he has plenty of ambition to remain at the top of the darting world.
Anderson is the elder statesman of the PDC's top 32, with Dennis Priestley the closest in terms of age to the 1988 World Champion.
Perhaps in a deliberate attempt to prevent any talk of him easy off at reaching 60 years old on Wednesday, Anderson reached the semi-finals at the John McEvoy Gold Dart Classic in Killarney on Sunday.
The run was "The Limestone Cowboy's" best for two years, and he believes he can continue to challenge for the sport's top honours.
"I didn't think I'd still be here, never mind playing, at the age of 60!" joked Anderson.
"It's not an easy lifestyle, but I'm pretty confident in my own ability.
"I have had a bad year in terms of performances following injury, but I've come out of that now and I'm starting to play well again.
"I've still got a few bullets to fire - even if the barrels are starting to get a bit rusty!
"I think I can keep going for a few more years and I've still got the game to compete.
"I've always maintained I will play on as long as I feel competitive. The moment I feel I can't do it is when I'll smell the roses."
Anderson concedes that day almost came earlier in 2007, when a persistent shoulder problem left him low on form and confidence.
"The game is still there and I've never been short of confidence, until earlier this year," he revealed.
"Without a shadow of a doubt it was the toughest time of my career.
"I hit an all-time low and was dreading games but I kept working hard in practice.
"I was going through an awful lot of physiotherapy with some good friends at Complete Healthcare in Clevedon and they pushed me through it.
"I've gone through the pain barrier and now I'm feeling good again and looking forward to every game.
"I'm usually a quick healer but this has taken an awful long time to get over the problem, and the biggest problem was between my ears after that."
Anderson is currently sat in 31st place in the PDC Order of Merit, meaning that he should ensure an automatic place in the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship in December.
An appearance at Alexandra Palace would follow his previous challenges in the Embassy Championship at Jollees and Lakeside as well as in the PDC World Championship at the Circus Tavern.
"I would love to be there," added Anderson.
"If I am, I will have played in four of the five venues for World Championships over three decades and I would be very proud of that."
Between tournaments, Anderson remains a popular character on the exhibition circuit, as well as keeping active on the golf course - where his handicap has been as low as six.
"I'm loving that and quite busy on the exhibition side too," he said.
"I've been doing some legends nights with Eric Bristow, Keith Deller, John Lowe, Cliff Lazarenko and the boys.
"We still put some bums on seats, which I think is fantastic and when I'm playing Eric it's like turning the clock back 30 years.
"I don't want to lose to him and he doesn't want to lose to me, which is quite fun!"