What a performance!
Phil Taylor proved the doubters wrong by claiming a 12th World Matchplay title at the Winter Gardens….and he did it in style, sweeping aside the challenge of James Wade in the all Unicorn Blackpool final.
It is a fourth consecutive Matchplay crown and a massive lift for Taylor, who is 51-years-old in a couple of weeks, but was simply too good for the rest.
Wade paid for missing key doubles at crucial moments but the 18-8 scoreline shows just how Taylor dominated, as he produced another sparkling show.
“It is certainly an emotional win for me,” he said. “It has been a tough year for lots of reasons and a lot of people doubted me. A lot of people stopped believing in me, so this really does mean the world to me.”
It is Taylor’s 72nd ‘Major’ TV crown!
Wade was obviously disappointed, because he has now lost six TV Finals to Taylor – three of them in Blackpool.
“He was too good!” Wade conceded. “I started too slowly and paid the price for a lot of silly missed doubles, but I will get him one day!”
Taylor averaged nearly 104, with Wade just shy of the 100 mark, but from the moment ‘The Power’ broke the throw in the fifth leg of the final, it proved to be a game changer.
Remarkably, he won eight consecutive legs, and 12 out of the next 13! It was game over…..from 2-2, inside 45 minutes, it was 13-3.
Crucially though, Wade missed doubles in five of those legs and could only stand and watch as Taylor banged in class finishes of 135, 90, 86 on the bull and 100.
It was punishing from ‘The Power’…..it was ruthless.
Wade, to his credit, refused to throw the towel in and from that impossible position, he did manage to restore some pride.
He won five more legs, taking his 180 tally to eight….and in the 23rd leg, Wade actually hit seven perfect darts, as he got the match back to 15-8.
But Taylor stopped Wade in his tracks, by winning three legs on the spin to take the title on D8…..cue the celebrations and the relief.
“Living the darting dream still means as much to me,” Taylor said. “But I do have a bit of a new outlook on life now, and darts isn’t everything anymore, but don’t think I don’t still have the same hunger and passion because I do!”
“If I am honest, I didn’t really expect to win at the start of the tournament, because my form hadn’t been great, but everything clicked and I felt comfortable and relaxed. I wasn’t under pressure and I think it showed.”
And how about this for a statistic…..Taylor’s end average of 103.84 means that he has now averaged over 100 in his last 15 matches at the World Matchplay.
People will say that Phil Taylor is back to his best…..but did he ever go away? He suffered a blip in form and some trials and tribulations on and off the oche, but the doubters can consider themselves well and truly told!
And once Wade gets over the disappointment and reflects on the tournament, he will realise that he enjoyed a terrific week as well…..reaching the final after winning the UK Open confirms him as the second best player in the world at the moment.
World Matchplay Final result:
Phil Taylor 18-8 James Wade
Winner - £100,000
Runner-up - £50,000
By STUART PYKE at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool
Photos courtesy Lawrence Lustig / PDC