Nathan Aspinall admits he won’t be able to stick to his usual New Year’s Eve traditions after beating Ricardo Pietreczko to reach the World Darts Championship quarter-finals.
The Asp thrashed his out-of-sorts German opponent in front of a raucous Alexandra Palace crowd, winning their fourth-round contest 4-0.
Aspinall is now lined up to face the winner of Luke Littler’s match with Ryan Joyce on New Year’s Day.
And as a result, the Stockport-born 33-year-old admits he won’t be able to party until the hours of the day as he has in the past few years.
The two-time semi-finalist told Sky Sports: “I am usually out to 8 o’clock in the morning but it will be different this year with my family and Chris Dobey. I can’t wait for New Year’s Day.”
He added after his emphatic victory over Pietreczko, who had to deal with consistent jeers throughout their match: “I feel for Ricardo. He didn’t play the game he set out to play.
“But, wow, what an atmosphere! I have played in Premier League arenas but never heard anything like this today. I was so in control of the game but darts is weird.
“He lost lots of legs on the bounce but he can still come back in set play. I thought, ‘I cannot lose another leg’ and then hit that 131 [with two double tops].”
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