He’s done it! Adrian Lewis has fulfilled his darting destiny to be crowned World Champion at the age of just 25.
And the Team Unicorn star made darting history, hitting an unbelievable 9-darter in the final!
Lewis has hit the ‘Jackpot’ in so many ways…..but what a performance to beat Gary Anderson 7-5 in a breathtaking World Final.
It will be a life-changing experience for the great talent that is Adrian Lewis, who also pockets £200,000 but it is the title, the crown, the kudos, the achievement that really matters!
“I can’t believe it to be honest,” said a modest Lewis. “It won’t sink in for a long while and to hit the 9 darter again!”
“I am in dreamland and to be a World Champion is just amazing!”
History for Lewis as the youngest ever PDC World Champion, history for the first ever World Championship Final 9 darter (which carries a £10,000 bonus) and membership of a very exclusive darting club!
He showed incredible skill, character, courage and power scoring, with 20x180s – which took his 180 tally to 60 to break Simon Whitlock’s maximum record of 58 set last year.
It was two hours of fabulous darting drama – one of the best darts finals ever seen…..it really was that good!
Team Unicorn 15-times World Champion Phil Taylor, who mentored Lewis in the early days, was choking back the tears.
“I have got a lump in my throat. I couldn’t be more proud of him if he was my own son. It was always in his destiny to be World Champion and to do it hitting a 9 darter is extra special as well.
Those 20x180s were in a total of 106 ton plus scores and an average just shy of 100,,,,Anderson averaged 99, hitting 10 maximums but he was out-gunned by a brilliant Lewis.
It was written in the stars!
Lewis was two sets up in just 10 minutes, hitting that magical 9 darter in only the third leg of the final…..180, 180 and 141.
“All week in practice, I had been on for 9 darters and kept missing the double 12, so I thought not this time and I knew it was in from the moment the dart left my hand,” Lewis said.
From 2-0 and 3-1 down, Anderson deserves great credit for fighting back to level the match at three sets apiece and the Scot had the darts in the 7th set…..he had taken out 164 and 86 in two consecutive legs to level the final.
But the third leg of the seventh set proved to be THE turning point of the World Championship Final. Anderson missed three darts to go 2 legs to 1 up and Lewis punished him.
In fact, in the next three sets Lewis was simply sensational…..he hit eight 180s, three 177s, a ten darter, two 11 darters and two 12 dart legs.
And all of a sudden it was 6 sets to 3…..he could see the winning post.
Perhaps not surprisingly, he tightened up a little as he was so close to darting glory and all of a sudden, Anderson was back in the final after winning six legs on the spin!
It was nail-biting stuff and Lewis’ lead was cut to 6-5.
Then we saw calmness, composure and sheer class from Unicorn’s latest World Champion.
He must have been under tremendous pressure but he didn’t show it….three quite fantastic legs of darts, a 20th 180 just for good measure and the best D11 of his life to be crowned Ladbrokes.com World Champion.
Amazing!
So, it is now Team Unicorn – World Champions 29 times…..Adrian Lewis up to No.2 in the world and guess what? He will now play Taylor on the opening night of the 2011 Premier league at the O2 Arena next month!
Take a bow Adrian Lewis – Champion of the World!
For the last five years, the darting experts have been saying that Adrian Lewis will be World Champion.
The greatest moment of his life but hopefully, the first of many….
“I have to kick on from this and win some more,” he said. “Financially, it is great for my family but to be called World Champions means more to me than anything.”
Ladbrokes.com World Championship Final:
Adrian Lewis 7-5 Gary Anderson
By STUART PYKE at the Alexandra Palace
Photos courtesy Lawrence Lustig / PDC