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PDC LADBROKES.COM WORLD DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP 2007 - a review For possibly the last time ever at The Circus Tavern in Purfleet, 64 of the world's best players converged a week before Christmas, to commence battle for the £100,000 first prize for the 2007 World Darts Championship. The field comprised the top 32 who qualify by ranking plus international and PDPA members qualifiers.
ROUND ONE The tournament kicked off with Ronnie Baxter surprisingly being knocked out by Hastings hotshot Adrian Gray. A 120 finish took Gray towards the first set and despite Baxter pulling back to 2 sets apiece, the up and coming youngster, now becoming a familiar face to tv viewers, was the first player through to round two with a respectable 91 average. A star was born at this year's World Championship and that star was South African Wynand Havenga. The larger than life character started his road to glory by coming back from a set down to Steve Maish to ultimately win by 3 sets to 2. Terry Jenkins was too strong for Mark Lawrence as he won 3-1 and Mick McGowan, the fancied Irishman who had had tremendous success on the PDC tour circuit, beat Matt Clark by the same score. Chris Mason looked something like his old self as he beat Wayne Atwood by 3 sets to 0, kicking off proceedings with a 12 dart leg. Mason checked out the first set with a 125 finish and then coasted through taking out a 118 in the third set. John Part seemed to be coasting against "Dangerscouse" Alan Green taking a 2 set lead, but Green came back with a 102 finish which spurred him on to the third set. Part checked out 136 to make it 1-1 in set 4 but another break of throw from Green followed, then the set. At 2 apiece the match was destined to be the first tiebreak of the tournament with Part edging a 6 legs to 4 victory in the final set to take the match. Phil Taylor made light work of Austrian soft tip champion Anton Pein, winning 3-0 with an average of around 103. Peter Manley also booked his place in round two seeing off Dave Jowett 3-0. A new Dutch star made his name at this year's world championships and he looks a great prospect. Rico Vonck took ful advantage of Mark Walsh's continued battle with dartitis to win by 3 sets to 0 checking out a 100, a 140 and a 138 finish along the way. Canadian Brian Cyr took a 2 sets to 0 surprise lead against Barrie Bates before the Welshman clawed one set back. In set 4 Cyr finished the first leg on 116 and Bates took the next with a 101 checkout. Bates levelled the match at 2-2 (sets) but it was Cyr who got the crucial break of throw in the fifth leg of the final set finishing 91 on the Bull. Cyr then wrapped up in style with a 116 checkout for a deserved victory. Bob Anderson suffering from a shoulder injury was a shadow of his usual self and a resurgent Darren Webster took full advantage to win by 3 sets to 1. Denis Ovens beat Steve Smith by 3 sets to 0 and Alan Tabern beat a disappointing Alan Warriner by the same scoreline. Colin Lloyd put in a professional performance to beat the German Tomas Seyler by 3 sets to 0, although Seyler did have his chances but missed some key doubles. Raymond van Barneveld beat Australian teenager Mitchell Clegg 3-0 after a slightly wobbly first set. The teenager looked to have a real talent for the sport and could well be back at the World Championships in the future. Adrian Lewis whitewashed another Australian Tony Fleet 3-0 and semi-finalist last year Wayne Jones also beat qualifier Ian Branks by 3-0. Dave Ladley always looked to have the upper hand in his 3-1 win over Lionel Sams and Denmark's Per Laursen put in an impressive performance to beat Colin Monk 3-0. Andy Hamilton and Gary Welding put on a great show with both players averaging in the mid 90s. However it was "The Hammer" who took control at all the decisive moments but the 3-0 scoreline doesn't do Welding's performance justice. Steve Beaton beat a disappointing Gerry Convery 3-0 and Dennis Priestley beat an equally disappointing Josephus Schenk by the same scoreline. Wayne Mardle kicked off with a 14 dart leg against Alan Caves and unfortunately for "Hawaii 501", Caves was about to play the game of his life. Caves rattled ahead to a 2 sets to 0 lead but Mardle came back to win the third 3-0. The fourth set went all the way and was pipped by Mardle to make the game level at 2 sets apiece. The match went into a tiebreak and it was Caves who came through the final set winning 5 legs to 3. James Wade raced to a 2-0 lead against New Zealand's Warren French and kicked off set 3 with a 130 checkout. The set however went to 2 legs each and Wade missed 6 darts for the match before French took advantage to win the set with a 113 finish. However Wade restored order and won the match by 3 sets to 1. Dave Askew beat Martin Burchell 3-2, after a comeback from Burchell who was 2-0 down. Andy Smith beat Shi Yongsheng from China 3-0 but Youngsheng hit a 180 and was certainly no fool on the dartboard. A great 157 checkout from Smith to win the first set though put him well on his way to the last 32. Wes Newton had little trouble from Japanese Karate Black Belt Tetsuya Wada winning 3-0 and Andy Jenkins beat American Bill Davis by 3 sets to 1. Mark Dudbridge seemed to have rediscovered his form as he broke John Kuczynski's throw in the opening leg with a 12 dart game. He followed this with a 15 darter and then the set. Kuczynski won the second set before Dudbridge took a 2-1 lead. "Flash" took the fourth set 3-0 and had an easier run than expected through to round two. Roland Scholten beat Ron Miller by 3-0, with the latter putting in arguably the weakest performance in the first round. The firey Kevin Painter against cool rising star Colin Osborne was always a mouth watering prospect and Painter fired off a 155 finish in the first leg. However Osborne retrieved the set to 2 legs all and Painter missed a multitude of chances to take the set with Osborne stepping in to lead 1-0. Osborne raced ahead to 2-0 with Painter regaining some composure to take the third set in the deciding leg. It was Osborne's night though as he won 3-1 and was through to the last 32. Alex Roy demolished former World Champion and qualifier Richie Burnett 3-0 in the last match of round one.
ROUND TWO The first match of round two saw two of the international qualifiers go head to head. Dutch teenager Rico Vonck against the more seasoned and unemotional Brian Cyr from Canada. Cyr missed loads of doubles at the start of the match which gave Vonck a 2-0 advantage. Cyr then took a crucial third set in the deciding leg. A stunning 154 to break and go 2-0 up in set 4 put Rico Vonck on his way to to leading 3 sets to 1. Cyr came back again to make it 3-2. Vonck led 2-1 in the sixth set and missed 4 darts for the match allowing it to go to a deciding leg. He didn't make the same mistake again and the young Dutchman was good value for his 4-2 win. Then came the first truly great contest of this year's World Championship. The natural talent and ebullience of Adrian Lewis and the fighting spirit of Wayne Jones were both at the fore in this classic match. Lewis started with an 11 dart leg, broke the throw with a 14 dart leg and won the set with a 12 darter. 3 180s in the first set from Lewis (plus 1 from Jones) and a staggering 122 average! Lewis followed this with an impressive second set including a 101 checkout to lead 2-0. Wayne Jones took the deciding leg in set 3 to pull one back (averages Lewis 98, Jones 89). Jones then fired in a 104 finish to lead 2-0 in the next set but Lewis broke throw with a 12 dart leg. The set went to a decider won by Jones with a 101 finish so now a level game. The crunch came in the winning leg of the next set as Lewis hit 2 mid leg 180s to wrap up with an 11 darter and go into the lead 3-2. Lewis took a 2-1 lead in the next set with a spectacular 99 checkout T17, 16, D16 to put him potentially one leg away from the match (Lewis 96.6, Jones 88.4). Lewis made a huge mistake in the next leg missing 2 straight forward darts for single numbers and a 101 finish from Wayne Jones set him up for winning the set, which he did, to make it level now at 3-3. Credit to Lewis once again as he put his foot on the accelerator to win the deciding set 3-0 and he took the match with a terrific 85 finishing on the Bull. Sheer class! Terry Jenkins took a 2 set lead against Steve Beaton but "The Adonis" pulled it back to a level game. Jenkins took the deciding leg in the 5th set, before Beaton again pulled level in the 6th set which again went to a deciding leg. It was 2007 Premier League player Terry Jenkins who had the final push though as leading 2-1 in the 7th set, he checked out 101 for the match. Next came one of the most entertaining matches of the World Championships as Peter Manley took on the larger than life character Wynand Havenga from South Africa. Havenga raced to a 3 set lead with Manley well below par and clearly agitated by the South African's on stage persona and celebrations. Manley fought back though to level the game. A crunch point was in the sixth set with Havenga leading 2-1 and needing only 1 leg, Manley checked out 161 to break throw and have advantage in the deciding leg, which he then won. However Havenga held firm and again led 2-1 in the 7th and deciding set and this time he took full advantage to knock out one of the top seeds. For the second year in succession Chris Mason had to face John Part in an early round of the World Championship, but this year the match wasn't quite as closely contested with Mason gaining control at key stages of the match. "Mace The Ace" won the first set with a 112 finish and an early set break by Part soon helped him level the game. Set 3 went all the way with Mason retrieving a 2 leg deficit to win the set. A 116 checkout to open the 4th set against the throw continued Mason's ascendancy and he took the set 3-0 with another 100+ finish this time a 115. Part showed his fighting spirit with a 112 break to lead 2 legs to 1 in the next set and he soon took the set to trail by just one set at 2-3. Mason though coolly checked out a 129 to break throw opening the 6th set and the match was his soon after by 4 sets to 2. Next up was another potential classic early in the World Championships Colin Lloyd against four times BDO World Champion Raymond van Barneveld. Lloyd had been improving greatly in the second half of the year, losing weight and seeming to find his best form again , despite an early exit at the World Grand Prix. Barneveld's debut year in the PDC had been little short of sensational though. A 9 dart game on TV in the Premier League was shortly followed by the UK Open title. A final appearance in Las Vegas and the taking of the International Darts League title in Holland were also achieved during a stunning 12 months for Barneveld since his move. Lloyd came out for the match on fire destroying Barneveld 3-0 in the first set and wrapping it up with a 116 checkout. Lloyd continued to fly going 2 legs up in the next set averaging 97.6 to Barneveld's rather poor 89.4. Barneveld pulled two legs back but it was Lloyd who took the set to lead 2-0. Set 3 also went to Lloyd in the deciding leg and it seemed a real shock could be on the cards. Not necessarily for Lloyd to beat Barneveld but to beat him by such a margin. Barneveld began to show his best and took the 4th set without reply. A 126 finish from Barneveld made it 1-1 in set 5, but Lloyd took the next leg leaving him one away from the match. A stunning 121 from Barneveld saved it and the set followed, so now 3-2 to Lloyd (averages Lloyd 88.0, Barneveld 95.0). Lloyd was not finished though and kept focussed with the help of a 148 finish to make it 1-1 in the 6th set, but Barneveld followed this up with a 116 checkout. The set went to a deciding leg and Barneveld took it, meaning that his incredible comeback had now tied the game at 3 sets all. The deciding set was nip and tuck with Lloyd having the advantage of throw. The match went to a tiebreak and a 115 finish from Lloyd put him 5-4 in front. Barneveld held his throw though which put the match in a sudden death leg situation. Incredibly Barneveld won the leg and the match. An amazing comeback from the Dutchman and he reportedly said when rewatching the match Over Christmas, "I watched the match again today and I still didn't think I was going to win it". The last match before the Christmas break saw Darren Webster beat Adrian Gray by 4 sets to 1. Back at The Circus on Boxing Day night and first on were long term competitor Denis Ovens and one of the PDC's fastest climbers Alan Tabern. It was another very tight game and one that certainly had its highlights. None more so than Denis Ovens missing double 12 for a 9 dart leg during the 3rd set. There was never more than a set gap between the two players during the match so it was no surprise when the match went into a tiebreak situation and then "sudden death". It was Tabern who took the glory, but really it could have gone either way. Mark Dudbridge against Andy Hamilton looked a tasty tie and with both players kicking off with a 180, it certainly was a case of "game on". Dudbridge got the initial upper hand going 2 legs to 0 up against the throw with a terrific 161 checkout. Hamilton clawed back to 2 legs each as Dudbridge missed doubles for the set, but "Flash" eventually pegged the set winning double. Hamilton blitzed the second set 3-0 (averages Hamilton 100, Dudbridge 96) and had hit 5 180s in the first two sets. The third set went to a deciding leg once again as Dudbridge missed key doubles and Hamilton capitalised to go ahead 2-1. Dudbridge kicked off set 4 with a 12 dart leg finishing on 120, but with Hamilton clawing back with a 108 finish and Dudbridge again faltering on the doubles, Hamilton took a 3 sets to 1 lead (Averages Dudbridge 94.6, Hamilton 96.18). First leg of the 5th set and Dudbridge hit 7 perfect darts only to then miss 7 doubles and gift the leg to Andy Hamilton. However Dudbridge composed and came back to take the set. A crucial break to Dudbridge to lead 2-1 in the 6th set (Averages Dudbridge 93.5, Hamilton 93.8) led him towards tieing the match which he duly did. Despite a break each early doors in the final set it was Hamilton who pushed for home and took the match. A great game with an amazing 12 x 180s for both players. Many fancied Irishman Mick McGowan to ruffle Phil Taylor's feathers and he did just that using just 37 darts to win the opening set (11, 14 and 12 darts)! Taylor kicked off set 2 with a 125 checkout and McGowan replied with a 14 dart leg. Taylor took the set with a 15 dart leg the longest of the match to that point (Taylor average 108.4, McGowan 100.9). Taylor then began a masterclass as he took the next set including a 10 dart game pushing up his average over 110 (McGowan still 100) and the following set also went Taylor's way with him retaining a 110 average. McGowan took the fifth set to a deciding leg and pushed up his average to 102, but it wasn't enough against a majestic Taylor who won through 4 sets to 1 (End average 109). Dave Askew beat Alan Caves 4-2 in the next match. Dave Ladley led 3-2 against James Wade thanks to a timely 156 finish, but Wade levelled the match in the next set wrapping up with a 12 dart leg. The deciding set went to a tiebreak with Wade breaking throw straight away and winning it 4 legs to 2. Dennis Priestley got off to a dreadful start against Per Laursen going down 2 sets to 0 (averaging only 84 to Laursen's 89). Priestley rallied to take the next set, but then lost the 4th 3-0. Priestley broke Laursen's throw for the first time to lead 2-0 in the 5th set (both now averaging 87) and he held throw to make the match 2-3. Per Laursen then broke Priestley and led 2-0 needing just 1 leg for the match. Priestley broke throw as Laursen missed 2 darts for the match and then a 120 finish from "The Menace" forced the set into a deciding leg. The Dane missed another 6 darts for the match allowing Priestley to level the game at 3 sets all. An early break saw Priestley gain advantage and he became the unlikely winner of the match, checking out in style with a 116. Colin Osborne got off to a flying start against Wes Newton hitting 100+ outshots to win every leg of the first set. A 141 finish was followed by a 122 and then a 134 finish won the set. Wes Newton looked out of it and dejected particularly when Osborne went 2 sets to 0 up even with quite a few missed doubles (Osborne 88.5 average, Newton 85). Newton came back with a 106 checkout to break throw midway through the 3rd set and he took the set to make it 1-2. The next set went to a decider with Osborne again missing key doubles during the set and again Newton took the set. Osborne composed for set 5, breaking throw in leg to with a neat 80 finish (S5, 25, Bull) and he won the set 3-0. A break in the first leg of the 6th set was enough to take him on victory by 4 sets to 2. (Osborne 92 average, Newton 88). Andy Jenkins against Andy Smith was another game of swings and roundabouts. The first two sets each went to a deciding leg with a player winning one each. Smith powered through the third set 3-0 but Jenkins clawed back from 1-0 down (and a 5th consecutive leg to Smith) to take 3 legs in a row and the fourth set for a level game. Despite a 116 checkout from "The Pieman" to save the 6th set, Jenkins took it and an early break saw "Rocky" through to the last 16 by 4 sets to 2. Yet another classic followed to wrap up arguably the best second round in a World Darts Championship ever. Alex Roy flew out of the starting blocks taking a 3 to zip first set from Roland Scholten. The Dutchman clawed back to tie the match winning the deciding leg of set 2. Scholten then took the lead taking the deciding leg of the next set against the throw. Roy then levelled the match at 2-2 (averages Scholten 86.23, Roy 88.66). Roy took a 3-2 lead in another set which went to a decider, before Scholten kicked off the 6th in style with a 136 checkout. Again we went all the way with Scholten holding throw to go to a deciding set. Of course it went to a tiebreak and really there was no splitting the two of them. All the way to 5-5 it went and a "sudden death" leg. Just at the crucial finishing point the nerves got to Alex Roy and he missed the key double for the match and Scholten stepped in and took it. A great match and a superb second round.
LAST 16 Dutch teenager Rico Vonck let the moment get to him as he played Dutch Darts legend Raymond van Barneveld. The four times world champion gave a darts masterclass as he ripped through the match in 12 straight legs winning by 4 sets to 0 and finishing the game off with a 156 checkout. Alan Tabern against Dave Askew was a much more nip and tuck affair with Tabern squeezing through to the quarter finals by 4 sets to 3. Probably the player who gained the biggest fanbase of the week was South African larger than life character Wynand Havenga. In his last 16 match he came up against "The Sniper" Darren Webster who was having a great run in the tournament. Webster quickly notched up the first two sets winning the 2nd with a 112 checkout against the throw and averaging 87.3. Havenga came back from 2 legs down in the third set to win 3 on the trot and take it. The 4th set also went to a deciding leg, again won by Havenga who had now levelled the match. Webster flew back in the fifth set to make it 3-2 and despite an early break in the 5th set, Webster broke straight back and one final push saw him through to the quarter-finals with a 4-2 victory. Colin Osborne once again had trouble with his doubles in the opening set against "The Tripod" Roland Scholten but he won it during the deciding leg. No problem with the finishing in set 2 as he blitzed Scholten 3-0 wrapping up the set with a 110 outshot. Set 3 went to a deciding leg this time won by Scholten and the match was squared as it was Scholten's turn for a 3-0 set finishing on 104. Osborne took set 5 and held firm to progress to the quarter finals winning 4 sets to 2. The contest between Adrian Lewis and Andy Jenkins had all the makings of a classic on paper and it didn't disappoint. Lewis was off in style with mid leg back to back 180s to get an early 2 legs to 1 lead and he then held throw to take the first set. Set two went to a deciding leg with both players throwing top quality darts (Lewis averaging 102.5, Jenkins 92.0) and Lewis again just pipped it. Jenkins flew back with a 3-0 in the 3rd set and broke Lewis in the opening leg of the 4th. Lewis responded with a 130 finish against the throw and at 2-1 down, Jenkins wrapped up a 160 finish to put the set into a decider. Jenkins took it and now the match stood at 2 sets all. Lewis hit a 144 finish to make it 1-1 in the 5th set (averages Lewis 98.5, Jenkins 95.9). Jenkins took the 3rd leg and then wrapped the set up in style with a 101 finish to lead for the first time in the match. Lewis stormed back 3-0 in the next set checking out the 2nd leg with a 116, making it now 3 sets apiece. Jenkins was throwing first and got the important break when it mattered to wrap up an excellent match. James Wade was coasting in his match against Terry Jenkins leading 2-0 then 3-1 but then he dramatically lost form and couldn't seem to hit a thing as Jenkins came back to 3-3. Terry Jenkins new found confidence took him to victory wrapping up the contest with a 105 checkout. There were fireworks before the match up between Phil Taylor and Chris Mason and there were even bigger explosions to be heard afterwards. Mason was quoted in the press having digs at Phil Taylor and his lifestyle and the cursory handshake at the start of the game told its own story perhaps of the needle between the two players. Taylor took the first set 3-0 and won the second set in the deciding leg, despite some impressive throwing from Mason (Taylor averaging 99.31 to Mason's 91.76). Taylor went 2 legs up in the next set before a 100 checkout from Mason made it 2-1. Taylor took the next leg though and the set to lead 3 sets to 0 and now averaging 101.3. Another 3-1 set wrapped up the game for Taylor by 4 sets to 0 and a limpwristed shake from Taylor caused Mason to boil over and have angry words with "The Power". Taylor was clearly upset in his post match interview and the follow up spilled into the national press. Mason subsequently made his peace with Taylor both privately and publically, but the story certainly caught the media's attention at the time. Andy Hamilton against Dennis Priestley wasn't as close as some people would have imagined with "The Hammer" racing to a 2 sets to 0 lead. Priestley took the 3rd set with an 11 dart leg but his comeback was shortlived as Hamilton won the enxt 2 sets for a 4-2 victory.
QUARTER FINALS Andy Jenkins took the first set of the first quarter final against the multi talented sportsman Colin Osborne. The second set included a break of throw each and went to Osborne and Jenkins took set 3 to lead by 2 sets to 1. A key 146 finish from Jenkins put him 2-0 up in the next set which he duly won (Jenkins average 90.8, Osborne 88.6). Osborne broke back in the next set and it was enough for him to retrieve the deficit to 2-3. High flying finishes in the next set as a 114 from Osborne was followed by a 142 from Jenkins, who then won the set to level at 3-3. Osborne pipped the deciding leg to go up 4-3 and Jenkins then held his nerve to square the game again. A crucial break in the first leg of the deciding set went to Andy Jenkins and he followed this with a 108 finish in the next. Osborne pulled a leg back but it wasn't to be as Andy Jenkins booked his semi-final place with the 5-4 win. Andy Hamilton absolutely blitzed Terry Jenkins in the first set of their quarter-final averaging 108 to Jenkins 85. He didn't let up taking sets 2 and 3 still averaging over 100 with Jenkins improving to just over a 90 average. Terry Jenkins took set 4 courtesy of an early break of throw and he also pipped set 5 in the deciding leg retrieving the deficit to 2-3. A 3-0 set then saw Jenkins level the match and it was only a regathering of composure that saw Andy Hamilton claw back his game to ultimately win 5-4. Raymond van Barneveld against Alan Tabern was not as keenly contested as the first two matches with Barneveld racing to a 5-0 win with a 96 average. Tabern took a couple of the sets to a deciding leg and hit a 130 and 126 checkout but for the main part he was blown apart by Barneveld who looked like a man on a mission. The mission being to try and set uo a possible dream final against Phil Taylor. Talking of Taylor his quarter final opponent was Darren Webster who had had a good tournament. After losing the first couple of sets Webster picked his game up but even averaging over 90 wasn't enough to stop him going 3-0 down to Taylor who was averaging 106. Taylor rattled in another set to make it 4-0 before a brave set by Webster including a 164 checkout gave him a just reward and a 4-1 scoreline. Taylor took the 6th set 3-0 including a great 90 checkout in the 2nd leg (25, 15, Bull) and finished with a 102 average, with Webster on a very respectable 95.
SEMI-FINALS It the 2nd round and last 16 matches were on fire at Purfleet and the quarter-finals were hot but not boiling, then the semi-finals unfortunately were a tepid affair. Raymond van Barneveld whipped Andy Jenkins 6-0 with Barneveld averaging around 98 for most of the match to Jenkins 88. Phil Taylor also beat Andy Hamilton 6-0 with another 103 or so average with Hamilton around 90 for a good part of the game.
THE FINAL If the semi-finals were disappointing then the final took us to explosion point. It was the match that everyone wanted to see with the two best players in the world going head to head for major glory for the first time. A match that was to have high drama, incredible Darts play and a record viewing figure for Darts on Sky television. It was simply Phil Taylor versus Raymond van Barneveld. Game on Phil Taylor rampaged through the first set. A break of throw in the first leg was followedby a 164 finish in the 2nd. 2 mid leg 180s in the 3rd leg took the set. Taylor followed this up with a 111 finish, another break of throw and another leg with throw to lead 2 sets to 0 with a 112.09 average (Barneveld 98.39). Taytlor won another 2 legs to make it 8 legs in a row before Barneveld pegged his first of the game. Not enough though as Taylor soared to a 3-0 lead (averaging 103). Barneveld broke throw in the first leg of set 4 and he wrapped up the set 3-0 with a spectacular 170 finish. Taylor led 2-1 in the crucial 5th set but Barneveld pegged and important 129 finish to make it 2 legs each. The decider went to Barneveld with throw so he had retreived the match to 2 sets to 3. Set 6 went 3-0 to Taylor and set 7 went 3-0 to Barney! Barneveld broke in the first leg of set 8 and both players were now averaging 100. Taylor broke back and the set went to a crucial deciding leg which was won by Taylor to give him a 2 set advantage. Barneveld had a terrific 9th set with a 101 checkout in leg 2 to make the game 4-5. Barneveld broke Taylor again in the next leg with Taylor breaking straight back courtesy of a 121 finish. Barneveld then broke Taylor again and the set soon followed to square the match at 5-5. Taylor went 2-0 up in set 11 (averages Taylor 101.44, Barneveld 101.06) before Barneveld won the next two with the decider going the Dutchman's way and putting him ahead for the first time in the final. Another break each way at the start of set 12 and a 121 from Barneveld put him potentially one leg away from the match. Taylor had other ideas and won the next 2 legs to take the epic final to a deciding set. Barneveld took a 2-1 lead and missed 4 darts for the title as Taylor took the leg and forced a tiebreak. Barneveld took first advantage and missed another 2 darts for the title with Taylor stepping in again to make it 3-3. Barneveld held his throw and so did Taylor all the way to the last sudden death leg at 5 legs each. Barneveld kept cool despite immense pressure from Taylor and took his first incredible PDC world title to add to his 4 titles already gained within the BDO championships. A fitting finale to a superb fortnight of world class darting action.
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