AMAZING TAYLOR SEALS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAGUE DARTS TREBLE
PHIL TAYLOR won a third successive Championship League Darts title with a superb 6-3 victory over Michael van Gerwen in the Winners Group Final at Crondon Park GC in Essex.
The World Champion continued his dominance of the year^s big tournaments by winning the £10,000 first prize, a further £9,450 in prize money and a fourth title in six years of the internet-streamed event with another amazing day of days.
Taylor had earned his place in Thursday^s Winners Group by taking victory in Group One of the tournament last night, hitting a nine-dart finish on that day.
After seeing his rival do battle in a further seven groups, Taylor returned to Crondon Park for the Winners Group, where he topped the league table with six victories from his seven matches, with only van Gerwen defeating the world number one in the round-robin stage.
Taylor initially picked up three 6-5 victories, over Andy Hamilton, Kim Huybrechts and Ian White, and then defeated Wes Newton 6-4 before bouncing back from his loss to the Dutchman with a narrow defeat of Terry Jenkins - in a high-quality contest - and a 6-3 win over Richie Burnett.
Taylor then dropped only one leg in a semi-final romp against Newton, where he averaged 106 and took out a 141 checkout in sealing his place in the final against van Gerwen, where he avenged his earlier defeat in stunning style with a 107 average.
Taylor won the final^s first five legs without reply in a darting masterclass, opening with a 13-darter and then breaking throw with a 127 finish on the bullseye, after van Gerwen had scored 174 to leave 32.
Taylor then took out 92 on the bull and left the Dutch ace again waiting on 32 in leg four as he took out 86, while double ten in leg five moved him to the brink of glory.
Van Gerwen, though, hit a 180 in a 14-dart leg to get off the mark, matched the feat with a 67 finish in the seventh leg and continued the fightback by taking out 116 for a 12-darter in pulling back to 5-3.
Taylor, though, stepped up another gear to hit two 140s in the ninth leg, before taking out 81 for an 11-darter to complete another fine triumph - adding to the World Championship, UK Open, World Matchplay and World Grand Prix titles he has claimed already in 2013.
"I^m delighted to win this," said Taylor. "This is the toughest Championship League Darts I^ve ever played in - but when I went to five-all in matches, my 11th leg tended to be in 11 or 12 darts to win me the games.
"I stuck in there and I^ve done it before so I know what it takes to win this. It^s a marathon and not a sprint, but you^ve got to take your time.
"It was a tough final and Michael^s a tough opponent and even when I was 5-0 up I knew that he could come back to five-each. Michael showed what a great player he is by coming back, and I knew I had to kill him off.
"He can rattle off five legs in no time at all, so I needed one good leg to win it and I got that there at the end with the 11-darter.
"My finishing was superb in the final and that got me through; the 127 and 86 when Michael was on a double were good shots."
Van Gerwen took home the £5,000 runner-up prize as well as £5,100 prize money from the Winners Group - but having taken until Group Five to qualify ended the event as the highest money-earner with £23,400.
His win over Newton in the final round of matches sealed second place in the league table as he won five of his seven league games, and though he avened his 6-0 whitewash to Burnett in the league phase with a 6-2 semi-final triumph, he fell just short of another major title.
Burnett^s brilliant 12-minute whitewash of the Dutchman was the Welsh star^s highlight of a fine day, as he followed up Tuesday^s Group Seven triumph by winning four league games to finish in third place in the league table.
Burnett took home £3,600 from the Winners Group as well as £2,500 for reaching the semi-finals alongside Newton, who won an additional £3,900 on the day as he finished fourth.
Stoke^s Ian White and Belgian Kim Huybrechts both won three matches but missed out on the Play-Offs, with Andy Hamilton taking two victories and Terry Jenkins picking up his only victory by overcoming White in the final round of matches to end his opponent^s semi-final hopes.
The tournament featured a record four nine-darters, with Taylor^s Group One effort followed by perfect legs for van Gerwen, Huybrechts and Mervyn King, while a total of £177,450 prize money was paid out to the 29 competing players.
Championship League Darts was broadcast exclusively online through www.LIVEPDC.TV and a series of over 50 bookmakers^ websites worldwide, with play being held across nine days at Crondon Park Golf Club in Essex.
Championship League Darts
Winners Group Final - Match Information
Phil Taylor v Michael van Gerwen
1-0 - Taylor hits double 16 for a 13-darter to open the final.
2-0 - van Gerwen hits a 174 to leave 32, but Taylor takes out 127 on the bull to double his lead with a break.
3-0 - Taylor finishes 92 on double six to win a third leg.
4-0 - Taylor hits a 174, with van Gerwen posting a 171 to leave 32 onto to see hs opponent finish 86 on double 16.
5-0 - Taylor^s dominance continues as he finished 40 to move a leg away from the title.
5-1 - van Gerwen lands a 180 and hits double ten to claim his first leg of the final.
5-2 - van Gerwen opens with a maximum and breaks with a 14-darter, finishing 67 to continue his fightback.
5-3 - van Gerwen scores 140 and 145 before finishing a 12-darter with a 116 checkout to win a third successive leg.
6-3 - Taylor hits two 180s in the leg, and takes out 81 for an 11-darter to seal the title with a 107.07 average to van Gerwen^s 106.23.
Winners Group Results
Board One Board Two
Phil Taylor 6-5 Andy Hamilton Richie Burnett 6-3 Kim Huybrechts
Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Ian White Wes Newton 6-5 Terry Jenkins
Kim Huybrechts 5-6 Phil Taylor Andy Hamilton 2-6 Richie Burnett
Terry Jenkins 2-6 Michael van Gerwen Ian White 6-4 Wes Newton
Kim Huybrechts 2-6 Wes Newton Phil Taylor 6-5 Ian White
Terry Jenkins 5-6 Richie Burnett Andy Hamilton 1-6 Michael van Gerwen
Wes Newton 4-6 Phil Taylor Kim Huybrechts 5-6 Ian White
Andy Hamilton 6-5 Terry Jenkins Richie Burnett 6-0 Michael van Gerwen
Richie Burnett 5-6 Wes Newton Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Phil Taylor
Ian White 5-6 Andy Hamilton Terry Jenkins 3-6 Kim Huybrechts
Michael van Gerwen 3-6 Kim Huybrechts Andy Hamilton 4-6 Wes Newton
Ian White 6-0 Richie Burnett Phil Taylor 6-5 Terry Jenkins
Richie Burnett 3-6 Phil Taylor Kim Huybrechts 6-3 Andy Hamilton
Terry Jenkins 6-3 Ian White Wes Newton 5-6 Michael van Gerwen
Semi-Finals
Phil Taylor 6-1 Wes Newton Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Richie Burnett
Final
Phil Taylor 6-3 Michael van Gerwen
Winners Group League Table & Prize Money
Pl W L Won Lost Leg +/- £Won Pts £Total Prize Money
Phil Taylor 7 6 1 39 33 +6 £3900 12 £6300 £10000
Michael van Gerwen 7 5 2 33 27 +6 £3300 10 £5100 £5000
Richie Burnett 7 4 3 32 28 +4 £3200 8 £3600 £2500
Wes Newton 7 4 3 37 34 +3 £3700 8 £3900 £2500
Ian White 7 3 4 35 33 +2 ! £3500 6
Kim Huybrechts 7 3 4 33 33 0 £3300 6
Andy Hamilton 7 2 5 27 40 -13 £2700 4
Terry Jenkins 7 1 6 31 39 -8 £3100 2
Overall 2013 Championship League Darts Prize Money
Total
Michael van Gerwen £23,200
Phil Taylor £19,450
Kim Huybrechts £15,600
Peter Wright £12,650
Wes Newton £12,600
Gary Anderson £9,900
Richie Burnett £9,050
Dave Chisnall £8,000
Paul Nicholson £7,550
Andy Hamilton £7,300
Mervyn King £6,550
Ian White £6,350
Terry Jenkins £6,250
Adrian Lewis £5,900
Kevin Painter £4,050
Steve Beaton £3,550
Jamie Caven £3,250
Andy Smith £1,950
Robert Thornton £1,750
Brendan Dolan £1,550
Simon Whitlock £1,350
Mark Webster £1,350
Mark Walsh £1,350
Colin Lloyd £1,250
James Wade £1,200
Ronnie Baxter £1,200
Colin Osborne £1,200
Justin Pipe £1,100
John Part £1,000
£177,450
The World Champion continued his dominance of the year^s big tournaments by winning the £10,000 first prize, a further £9,450 in prize money and a fourth title in six years of the internet-streamed event with another amazing day of days.
Taylor had earned his place in Thursday^s Winners Group by taking victory in Group One of the tournament last night, hitting a nine-dart finish on that day.
After seeing his rival do battle in a further seven groups, Taylor returned to Crondon Park for the Winners Group, where he topped the league table with six victories from his seven matches, with only van Gerwen defeating the world number one in the round-robin stage.
Taylor initially picked up three 6-5 victories, over Andy Hamilton, Kim Huybrechts and Ian White, and then defeated Wes Newton 6-4 before bouncing back from his loss to the Dutchman with a narrow defeat of Terry Jenkins - in a high-quality contest - and a 6-3 win over Richie Burnett.
Taylor then dropped only one leg in a semi-final romp against Newton, where he averaged 106 and took out a 141 checkout in sealing his place in the final against van Gerwen, where he avenged his earlier defeat in stunning style with a 107 average.
Taylor won the final^s first five legs without reply in a darting masterclass, opening with a 13-darter and then breaking throw with a 127 finish on the bullseye, after van Gerwen had scored 174 to leave 32.
Taylor then took out 92 on the bull and left the Dutch ace again waiting on 32 in leg four as he took out 86, while double ten in leg five moved him to the brink of glory.
Van Gerwen, though, hit a 180 in a 14-dart leg to get off the mark, matched the feat with a 67 finish in the seventh leg and continued the fightback by taking out 116 for a 12-darter in pulling back to 5-3.
Taylor, though, stepped up another gear to hit two 140s in the ninth leg, before taking out 81 for an 11-darter to complete another fine triumph - adding to the World Championship, UK Open, World Matchplay and World Grand Prix titles he has claimed already in 2013.
"I^m delighted to win this," said Taylor. "This is the toughest Championship League Darts I^ve ever played in - but when I went to five-all in matches, my 11th leg tended to be in 11 or 12 darts to win me the games.
"I stuck in there and I^ve done it before so I know what it takes to win this. It^s a marathon and not a sprint, but you^ve got to take your time.
"It was a tough final and Michael^s a tough opponent and even when I was 5-0 up I knew that he could come back to five-each. Michael showed what a great player he is by coming back, and I knew I had to kill him off.
"He can rattle off five legs in no time at all, so I needed one good leg to win it and I got that there at the end with the 11-darter.
"My finishing was superb in the final and that got me through; the 127 and 86 when Michael was on a double were good shots."
Van Gerwen took home the £5,000 runner-up prize as well as £5,100 prize money from the Winners Group - but having taken until Group Five to qualify ended the event as the highest money-earner with £23,400.
His win over Newton in the final round of matches sealed second place in the league table as he won five of his seven league games, and though he avened his 6-0 whitewash to Burnett in the league phase with a 6-2 semi-final triumph, he fell just short of another major title.
Burnett^s brilliant 12-minute whitewash of the Dutchman was the Welsh star^s highlight of a fine day, as he followed up Tuesday^s Group Seven triumph by winning four league games to finish in third place in the league table.
Burnett took home £3,600 from the Winners Group as well as £2,500 for reaching the semi-finals alongside Newton, who won an additional £3,900 on the day as he finished fourth.
Stoke^s Ian White and Belgian Kim Huybrechts both won three matches but missed out on the Play-Offs, with Andy Hamilton taking two victories and Terry Jenkins picking up his only victory by overcoming White in the final round of matches to end his opponent^s semi-final hopes.
The tournament featured a record four nine-darters, with Taylor^s Group One effort followed by perfect legs for van Gerwen, Huybrechts and Mervyn King, while a total of £177,450 prize money was paid out to the 29 competing players.
Championship League Darts was broadcast exclusively online through www.LIVEPDC.TV and a series of over 50 bookmakers^ websites worldwide, with play being held across nine days at Crondon Park Golf Club in Essex.
Championship League Darts
Winners Group Final - Match Information
Phil Taylor v Michael van Gerwen
1-0 - Taylor hits double 16 for a 13-darter to open the final.
2-0 - van Gerwen hits a 174 to leave 32, but Taylor takes out 127 on the bull to double his lead with a break.
3-0 - Taylor finishes 92 on double six to win a third leg.
4-0 - Taylor hits a 174, with van Gerwen posting a 171 to leave 32 onto to see hs opponent finish 86 on double 16.
5-0 - Taylor^s dominance continues as he finished 40 to move a leg away from the title.
5-1 - van Gerwen lands a 180 and hits double ten to claim his first leg of the final.
5-2 - van Gerwen opens with a maximum and breaks with a 14-darter, finishing 67 to continue his fightback.
5-3 - van Gerwen scores 140 and 145 before finishing a 12-darter with a 116 checkout to win a third successive leg.
6-3 - Taylor hits two 180s in the leg, and takes out 81 for an 11-darter to seal the title with a 107.07 average to van Gerwen^s 106.23.
Winners Group Results
Board One Board Two
Phil Taylor 6-5 Andy Hamilton Richie Burnett 6-3 Kim Huybrechts
Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Ian White Wes Newton 6-5 Terry Jenkins
Kim Huybrechts 5-6 Phil Taylor Andy Hamilton 2-6 Richie Burnett
Terry Jenkins 2-6 Michael van Gerwen Ian White 6-4 Wes Newton
Kim Huybrechts 2-6 Wes Newton Phil Taylor 6-5 Ian White
Terry Jenkins 5-6 Richie Burnett Andy Hamilton 1-6 Michael van Gerwen
Wes Newton 4-6 Phil Taylor Kim Huybrechts 5-6 Ian White
Andy Hamilton 6-5 Terry Jenkins Richie Burnett 6-0 Michael van Gerwen
Richie Burnett 5-6 Wes Newton Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Phil Taylor
Ian White 5-6 Andy Hamilton Terry Jenkins 3-6 Kim Huybrechts
Michael van Gerwen 3-6 Kim Huybrechts Andy Hamilton 4-6 Wes Newton
Ian White 6-0 Richie Burnett Phil Taylor 6-5 Terry Jenkins
Richie Burnett 3-6 Phil Taylor Kim Huybrechts 6-3 Andy Hamilton
Terry Jenkins 6-3 Ian White Wes Newton 5-6 Michael van Gerwen
Semi-Finals
Phil Taylor 6-1 Wes Newton Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Richie Burnett
Final
Phil Taylor 6-3 Michael van Gerwen
Winners Group League Table & Prize Money
Pl W L Won Lost Leg +/- £Won Pts £Total Prize Money
Phil Taylor 7 6 1 39 33 +6 £3900 12 £6300 £10000
Michael van Gerwen 7 5 2 33 27 +6 £3300 10 £5100 £5000
Richie Burnett 7 4 3 32 28 +4 £3200 8 £3600 £2500
Wes Newton 7 4 3 37 34 +3 £3700 8 £3900 £2500
Ian White 7 3 4 35 33 +2 ! £3500 6
Kim Huybrechts 7 3 4 33 33 0 £3300 6
Andy Hamilton 7 2 5 27 40 -13 £2700 4
Terry Jenkins 7 1 6 31 39 -8 £3100 2
Overall 2013 Championship League Darts Prize Money
Total
Michael van Gerwen £23,200
Phil Taylor £19,450
Kim Huybrechts £15,600
Peter Wright £12,650
Wes Newton £12,600
Gary Anderson £9,900
Richie Burnett £9,050
Dave Chisnall £8,000
Paul Nicholson £7,550
Andy Hamilton £7,300
Mervyn King £6,550
Ian White £6,350
Terry Jenkins £6,250
Adrian Lewis £5,900
Kevin Painter £4,050
Steve Beaton £3,550
Jamie Caven £3,250
Andy Smith £1,950
Robert Thornton £1,750
Brendan Dolan £1,550
Simon Whitlock £1,350
Mark Webster £1,350
Mark Walsh £1,350
Colin Lloyd £1,250
James Wade £1,200
Ronnie Baxter £1,200
Colin Osborne £1,200
Justin Pipe £1,100
John Part £1,000
£177,450