Darts star Gary Anderson abruptly shakes rival’s hand and walks off oche at 3-3 as he is forced to abandon match

DARTS star Gary Anderson was forced to abandon a Players Championship event due to a shoulder injury.

The Scot, 53, was level at 3-3 with German Martin Schindler, 27, at the time of the withdrawal.

Gary Anderson was forced to retire with a shoulder injuryX

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Anderson’s abandonment means Martin Schindler won by walkover[/caption]

After hitting 60 in the seventh leg of a best-of-11 match, Anderson could be seen fidgeting with his shoulder and shaking his head.

He then had a word with the caller, before he shook hands with Schindler and walked off.

And the commentator admitted it was not a surprise as the shoulder problem had been plaguing him.

The darts broadcaster said: “Yep, Gary Anderson withdrawing from the game.

“I don’t think there’s a great deal of surprise in that, he’s clearly in an awful lot of pain with his shoulder.

“We are coming up to a busy time of the calendar year, lots of Euro tours coming up.

“Gary Anderson shakes Martin Schindler’s hand. He tried to carry on.

“So it’s walkover for Martin Schindler.”

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Fans on social media were disappointed to see Anderson retire from the match as they showed sympathy for the two-time world champion.

One said: “Def hate to see it.”

While another replied: “Not nice to see.”

Anderson’s defeat saw Schindler advance to the quarter-finals – where he was beaten by the night’s winner Dave Chisnall.

Anderson, who has missed out on the Premier League for a second successive season, was knocked out in the fourth round of the world championships by Brendan Dolan back in December.

He last reached the final back in 2021 when he lost 7-3 to Gerwyn Price.