PHIL TAYLOR began what he plans to be his final year on the PDC circuit by defeating Michael Smith 10-6 in the Unibet Masters first round on Friday night, as Gary Anderson set up a clash with Raymond van Barneveld in Milton Keynes.
Taylor, the 16-time World Champion, has begun to wind down his illustrious career in recent months, and had planned to only compete in televised tournaments during 2017 before reviewing his future at the end of the year. However, the 56-year-old revealed in a pre-match interview with ITV ahead of his triumph over Smith that he is now intending to retire following the 2018 World Championship. He went on to average 105 in a strong performance to see off former World Youth Champion Smith, who responded from seeing his rival finish 133 and 91 to lead 2-0 by taking out 100 and an 11-darter as he took a 4-2 cushion. Taylor, though, hit back to win eight of the next ten legs as he moved through to a quarter-final on Sunday afternoon with Peter Wright. "At the end of the year, that's me done," said Taylor. "The World Championship will be my last one. "I can enjoy it more, I think I'm more excited now and I've got butterflies, whereas I didn't have that before. Perhaps that will do me good. "This is a brilliant start. I've got new darts and they were going lovely. I missed a few doubles and I went 4-2 down and clambered back to five-each, and then I had a chance - and double seven was lovely tonight." Number three seed Wright secured his place in Sunday's finals day by hitting nine 180s and a key 116 checkout in his 10-5 defeat of Ian White. "I've been practising really hard," said Wright. "I know Ian's been putting the work in and he's improving all the time, but I also went back after the World Championship and practised harder and harder too. "I've got the right darts now, and I can beat anyone in the world with them. It's so hard in darts right now - it's like tennis with Andy Murray and what he had to go through to be the number one in the world. "It's takes a little time, Gary Anderson's like Federer, Michael's like Djokovic and it is such a tough game, but that's what I love about it. I want to be winning titles and I'm coming after Michael!" World number two Gary Anderson produced the most impressive performance of the opening night in the £200,000 tournament as he averaged almost 110 in a 10-3 demolition of Masters debutant Benito van de Pas. Van de Pas weathered an early barrage from Anderson to land an 11-darter as he stayed in touch at 3-2, but the two-time World Champion reeled off the next five legs without reply before bettering the Dutchman’s 128 checkout with a 142 finish to wrap up the win. The result saw Anderson bounce back in style from his loss to Michael van Gerwen in the World Championship final almost four weeks ago, as he began his bid to win his maiden Masters title. "I've had two weeks off since the World Championship without throwing a dart and it's worked," said Anderson, who landed nine maximums in the game. "I've had a break and it's been great. "I've enjoyed the couple of weeks back at home but I've got my head back on now and we'll see what happens." Van Barneveld, meanwhile, was in confident mood as he came from 2-0 down to defeat Dave Chisnall 10-5, winning seven straight legs to take charge of the game in mid-match. "Dave let me in with some missed doubles but I played really well in the middle of the match," said Van Barneveld. "It was fantastic and I'm happy with that. "It's always hard to come back from two or three weeks off but I played a couple of competition nights in Holland and they helped me. I felt really comfortable." The first round concludes on Saturday evening with the remaining four matches, including reigning champion Van Gerwen opening his bid to complete a Masters treble against Simon Whitlock. Two-time World Champion Adrian Lewis faces Kim Huybrechts, 2014 Masters winner James Wade takes on Robert Thornton and Austria's Mensur Suljovic makes his debut in the event against Dutchman Jelle Klaasen. 2017 Unibet Masters Friday January 27 First Round Dave Chisnall (7) 5-10 Raymond van Barneveld (10) Phil Taylor (6) 10-6 Michael Smith (11) Gary Anderson (2) 10-3 Benito van de Pas (15) Peter Wright (3) 10-5 Ian White (14) Saturday January 28 (7pm) First Round Mensur Suljovic (8) v Jelle Klaasen (9) James Wade (5) v Robert Thornton (12) Michael van Gerwen (1) v Simon Whitlock (16) Adrian Lewis (4) v Kim Huybrechts (13) Best of 19 legs ENDS TAYLOR CONFIRMS RETIREMENT PLAN PHIL TAYLOR has announced his intention to retire following the 2018 William Hill World Darts Championship. The 56-year-old legend, who has won 16 World Championship titles during a glittering career as the sport's most successful player, has begun to scale down his commitments on the circuit in the past year. After slowing down his appearances away from the TV cameras, Taylor is not planning to compete on the PDC ProTour in 2017 and had suggested that he would review his retirement plans at the end of the campaign. However, speaking to ITV Sport ahead of his Unibet Masters tie with Michael Smith on Friday night, Taylor conceded that he is now planning to end his celebrated career after having one more World Championship challenge. "At the end of the year, that's me done," said Taylor. "The World Championship will be my last one. "I can enjoy it more, I think I'm more excited now and I've got butterflies, whereas I didn't have that before. Perhaps that will do me good. "I'm looking forward to the next ten months. It's harder for me to get motivated and keep the practising up like I've done for 30 years. It's hard to be dedicated week-in and week-out and that's what's taken its toll on me. "The body can't take four or five hours in the practice room, and that's what you've got to do to compete against these youngsters." Taylor added: "The Premier League and World Series tour is what Barry has asked me to consider, so let's see what happens in January. That's six, seven or eight months out of the year so it wouldn't be retiring really." Taylor will begin his challenge to win a seventh Betway Premier League title when the new season begins in Newcastle next Thursday, and will still qualify for the BetVictor World Matchplay, Unibet World Grand Prix and the William Hill World Darts Championship by virtue of his world ranking. He is also set to compete on the World Series of Darts circuit and in September's Unibet Champions League of Darts, should he remain in the world's top eight, while he would still need to reach a TV final this year to qualify for November's Grand Slam of Darts. Speaking to the PDC following his 10-6 win over Smith, Taylor added: "I'm just going to enjoy it. If I get beaten, I get beaten. "I'm okay about it, I'll always be involved in darts anyway. I've had 30 years of being top of the tree. You've got Michael van Gerwen who's going to take over, and embrace him and let him be the new ambassador." ENDS
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MICHAEL VAN GERWEN was crowned as William Hill World Darts Champion for the second time after winning a breath-taking final against Gary Anderson at London's Alexandra Palace on Monday.
The pair shared 42 180s - a record for maximums hit in any match - in a sensational decider as Van Gerwen picked up his 26th and most prestigious title of the last 12 months with a stunning display, as he triumphed 7-3 to deny Anderson his third straight World Championship glory. The Dutch star followed up his brilliant semi-final win against Raymond van Barneveld, in which he posted the highest ever average in a World Championship match, with another sublime performance, averaging 107.79 to clinch the Sid Waddell Trophy. Anderson fired in 22 of the game's 180s to break the world record for maximums hit by an individual player but it wasn't enough to stop Van Gerwen claiming the £350,000 prize. The Scottish ace missed two darts to take a 3-1 lead before a crucial 86 checkout sparked a blistering run from Van Gerwen, which saw the number one seed take five sets in a row to take control, before going on to seal a memorable success. "This feels absolutely phenomenal," said Van Gerwen, who also hit five finishes of over 100 in winning a classic final and ended the £1.65 million tournament with an overall average of 106.96 "I think it was a special game of darts for everyone who saw it. I'm a really happy man because I've worked so hard for this all year. "Everyone wants this trophy and I'm really glad that it is me holding it - and to win it against Gary makes it even more special. He is a phenomenal player with a lot of class and I had to play like that to beat him. "I've got great support from my wife, family and all the people around me and winning this means a lot to me. Everyone said that I would have to win a second World Championship to be one of the big boys. Well I've done it now and it means everything to me." The first four sets of the final were shared, with each going to the full five-leg distance, but Anderson's two missed set darts in the fourth set, followed by Van Gerwen's 86 finish in the decider, proved to be pivotal moments in the contest. Van Gerwen took the fifth set 3-0 and the sixth 3-1 as he embarked upon a dominant spell, adding 3-0 and 3-1 wins of sets seven and eight to close in on the title. Anderson edged the following set 3-2, sealing it with an 81 checkout as the pair overtook the record of 180s scored in a match - which was set in Anderson's final victory over Adrian Lewis last year - but Van Gerwen refused to be denied and finished 85 on the bullseye in the deciding leg of the tenth set to seal glory. Following two successive World Championship successes, Anderson scooped £160,000 as runner-up as the top two seeds contested the tournament finale for the first time since the 2009 decider between Phil Taylor and Van Barneveld. "Michael deserves it this year," said Anderson, whose tournament 180 tally of 71 maximums was the most ever hit in a World Championship tournament. "The year he has had has been brilliant and if anyone was going to beat me it was going to be him. We've both had a good tournament and it's been a fantastic one for everyone to watch." The 2017 William Hill World Darts Championship also saw the record for total 180s hit broken comfortable, with 708 maximums being fired in to eclipse the previous best, which was set twelve months ago. A crowd of 66,000 fans attended at Alexandra Palace, with Sky Sports' coverage being screened across over 100 countries worldwide. William Hill World Darts Championship Monday January 2 Final Michael van Gerwen (1) 7-3 Gary Anderson (2) Final - Best of 13 sets ENDS GARY ANDERSON continued his William Hill World Darts Championship title defence by winning a sensational quarter-final against Dave Chisnall at London's Alexandra Palace on Friday, as Raymond van Barneveld sent Phil Taylor crashing out on a day which also saw Michael van Gerwen and Peter Wright reach the semi-finals.
Anderson moved a step closer to lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy for a third successive year after triumphing in an match of extraordinary quality, which included 33 180s - just one short of the record set in his final victory against Adrian Lewis last year. Chisnall equalled the previous record for the most 180s hit by a player as he fired in 21 maximums - equalling van Barneveld's record from the 2007 World Championship final - but was still unable to stop Anderson charging into the semi-finals. The number two seed edged the first two sets - which were littered with 14 maximums - before Chisnall hit back to level. The St Helens ace, appearing in his first Alexandra Palace quarter-final, went on to lead the seventh set 2-0 with the match poised at three sets apiece, but Anderson stormed back to take a 5-3 victory. The run extends Anderson's winning run to a record 16 matches on the Alexandra Palace stage - surpassing the previous 15-game winning streaks of Taylor from 2009-2011 and Adrian Lewis from 2011-2013 - as he continued his bid to become only the third player in the sport's history to win three successive World Championships. "It's the kind of match this brilliant crowd deserved to see," said Anderson, who averaged 106 and produced finishes of 124, 121 and 104 in setting up a last four clash with Wright. "I pinched that seventh set and the rest is history. I'm still here, still fighting and I'm happy with how I've been playing. "I'm looking forward to playing Peter and I hope it will be just as good as this game was." Number three seed Wright is one match away from a second final appearance - having been runner-up to Michael van Gerwen in 2014 - after sealing a 5-3 success against Wade, which he finished with a brilliant 134 checkout. The Scottish ace also completed finishes of 130, 121 and 100 as he averaged over 100 for the fourth consecutive match, this time reaching almost 105, as he fended off a battling display from Wade, who at one stage took out back-to-back finishes of 144 and 155 to lead 2-1 in sets. Wright recovered from that double blow to win three successive sets as he pulled clear to complete a memorable win. "I'm quite happy with how I played," said Wright, who hit ten of the tie's 22 180s on route to another stunning triumph. "I had to take the big 134 shot at the end because James is always right behind you. He is a top player and I'm pleased to get over this one. "I'll be up for the semi-final and if I keep playing like this, you never know what could happen." World number one van Gerwen fired in two 170 finishes in another dominant display as he saw off Northern Ireland's Daryl Gurney in straight sets to continue his bid to win a second World Championship title. The Dutch sensation averaged 103.08 and - like Wright - has averaged over 100 in all four games in reaching the semi-finals, having won four straight sets from one-all to complete a comfortable win. "I don't have anything to celebrate yet," said van Gerwen, the 4/7 odds-on favourite with sponsors William Hill to win the £1.65 million tournament. "I've come here to do a job and I'm only a step closer. I knew Daryl was the underdog today and sometimes that is hard position to be in. "This World Championship is something special. I still get goose-bumps on the walk-on and I'm excited and ready for the semi-finals." Van Gerwen will meet his Dutch compatriot Van Barneveld in the last four after the five-time World Champion defeated Taylor for the first time in the World Championship since his famous victory in the 2007 final. Van Barneveld produced back-to-back finishes of 167 and 120 in set four as he opened up a 3-1 lead, only for Taylor to fight back and level by taking the next two sets. The Dutchman took the seventh set in three legs though and wrestled his way back from 2-1 down in the eighth to end Taylor's hopes of a 17th World Championship title for another year. "I'm very proud of what I've done here so far," said Van Barneveld, who's New Year's Day meeting with Van Gerwen will see him contest his third consecutive Alexandra Palace semi-final. "I didn't feel very comfortable at times but I was expecting more from Phil. I put him under pressure though, especially in the last set. "I'm going to play the greatest player in the world next when I play Michael and I'm really excited. I can't wait to play him." Van Barneveld famously knocked Van Gerwen out of last year's tournament in a thrilling last 16 clash and the pair will meet again on Sunday after Anderson and Wright face off, with the final being contested on Monday. Van Gerwen's position as the odds-on 4/7 favourite with sponsors William Hill is followed by reigning champion Gary Anderson as the 11/4 second favourite, with Wright now 8/1 to claim his first televised title and Van Barneveld the 10/1 outsider. Van Gerwen is 1/6 on to claim victory in the semi-final against Van Barneveld - who is a 4/1 chance of repeating his success of last year - while Anderson is 2/5 ahead of his clash with Wright (2/1). William Hill World Darts Championship Friday December 30 Quarter-Finals Afternoon Session James Wade (6) 3-5 Peter Wright (3) Gary Anderson (2) 5-3 Dave Chisnall (7) Evening Session Michael van Gerwen (1) 5-1 Daryl Gurney (24) Raymond van Barneveld (12) 5-3 Phil Taylor (4) Quarter-Finals - Best of nine sets Sunday January 1 (7pm) Semi-Finals Gary Anderson (2) v Peter Wright (3) Michael van Gerwen (1) v Raymond van Barneveld (12) Semi-Finals - Best of 11 sets |
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