UK Open - Last Day

Quarterfinals
TAYLOR ENDS VAN GERWEN'S SPEEDY SERVICES UK OPEN HOPES AS BARNEY, HAMILTON & WRIGHT REACH SEMIS
Phil Taylor produced a thrilling performance to knock Michael van Gerwen out of the Speedy Services UK Open on Sunday afternoon, as Raymond van Barneveld, Andy Hamilton and Peter Wright enjoyed quarter-final victories in Bolton.
Taylor gained revenge for last month's loss to the Dutch ace in the McCoy's Premier League Darts final with a sensational performance in a high-quality contest with the world number two.
The four-time UK Open champion averaged 106.56 and hit two 11-dart finishes, with van Gerwen initially coming from 3-1 down to level at five-all before Taylor cominated the game's latter stages. Taylor produced a key 125 checkout to move 9-6 up, and though van Gerwen briefly threatened a comeback he sealed victory to move into the semi-finals, where he now plays Peter Wright.

"It was a great game and it was one of those games where both of us knew we couldn't afford to miss," said Taylor. "Michael's brilliant and every time you make a mistake he jumps on you, and that's always in the back of your head. He's a tough cookie but the only way to beat him is to get out there and play, but maybe he's beginning to think a little bit about the game, which shows the pressure of where is is now. The 125 finish was important but I still couldn't shake him off after that. Just to be through is brilliant and I'm in the semis now, and looking forward to tonight."

Van Gerwen said: "I wasn't good enough and Phil deserved to win. I'm devastated. I'm devastated. I had chances to win but I didn't make it happen. I let myself down, especially at the end of the match when I didn't take advantage of Phil. I needed to step in when Phil loosened up, but I didn't do that and I blame myself for it. The 125 gave him a massive boost and it made it very hard for me after that."

Lowestoft's Wright won through to his first major semi-final by continuing his brilliant weekend with a fine 10-6 win over world number three Adrian Lewis.
Wright won seven successive legs as he took an 8-1 lead against the double World Champion, and he also moved 9-2 up, with Lewis taking four legs in a row to threaten a comeback before the Scottish World Cup representative sealed an impressive win.

"I'm really happy to be in the semi-finals," said Wright. "It was a good win but I slipped up a bit after the first legs and lost my concentration a bit. Maybe I was thinking about possibly beating a double World Champion 10-2, and I had to get my focus back and not panic, so it's good to get the job done."
He added: "I lost to Michael van Gerwen in the World Championship last year and it taught me a lot. I knew I had to change things because I want to be winning things and getting up into the top four, instead of being happy with being 20-odd in the world. I want to be up there with the rest of the guys and I've put a lot of work in to get here. To win this now would be great, but I'll take one leg at a time tonight!"

Van Barneveld, the 2006 and 2007 UK Open champion, showed his class with a battling performance as he defeated Ronnie Baxter 10-9 in an epic quarter-final.
Baxter came from 3-0 down to win five successive legs as he took the lead, and finished 121 as he moved 7-4 up, but van Barneveld - aided by a trio of 180s - clawed his way back into the game to lead 9-8. Baxter - who hit eight 180s - forced a deciding leg, but missed one dart for the match to allow van Barneveld to edge into the semis.

"I'm delighted to win such a great game," said van Barneveld. "Ronnie was awesome, he played some fantastic darts and it was probably one of the best performances of his career. Things were going well early on when I was 3-0 up, but I kept missing doubles and found myself 5-3 down. But Ronnie let me back in and I managed to take my chance - and I never gave up."
Van Barneveld now faces Andy Hamilton in the semis, after the Stoke ace enjoyed a superb 10-8 win over two-time UK Open champion James Wade.
Hamilton trailed 3-1 early in the game, but hit four ton-plus checkouts and a key 84 bullseye finish as he moved into his first UK Open semi-final.

"It was a superb game and it came down to who hit their finishes in the end," said Hamilton. "We were pretty even with scoring but the ton-plus finishes benefitted me - although it was an 84 finish, on the bull, to go 9-8 up which won me the match. I'll stay relaxed and do everything right to get myself ready for the semi-finals, and I'm ready for anything!"

Sunday evening's semi-finals will be followed by the final of the 200,000 pound event, with a 40,000 pound first prize on offer to the champion.


Final
SENSATIONAL TAYLOR CLAIMS SPEEDY SERVICES UK OPEN TITLE
Phil Taylor claimed his fifth Speedy Services UK Open title in thrilling fashion as he defeated Andy Hamilton 11-4 at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton on Sunday night.
World Champion Taylor completed a superb weekend in 'The FA Cup of Darts' by scooping the 40,000 pound first prize as he took the title with a super-show in an all-Stoke final.
Taylor had begun his challenge on Thursday night against Kevin Dowling and also defeated Ronny Huybrechts, Adrian Gray, Brendan Dolan and Michael van Gerwen before seeing off Peter Wright 10-5 in Sunday evening's semi-finals.
He then returned to the stage and produced his best performance of the tournament to defeat Hamilton, erasing the memories of his loss to Robert Thornton in last year's UK Open final with a 107.04 average. Hamilton shared the final's first four legs, hitting a 140 finish in the process, but Taylor landed a killer 167 checkout as he took the next four to take command of the game at 6-2. Hamilton, appearing in his third major final after his dramatic deciding-leg semi-final win over Raymond van Barneveld, hit back with a 100 checkout, but Taylor took out 121 and 106 in taking a 10-4 cushion before sealing victory on double four.

"I'm very proud of winning this title and it's great to be the champion for a fifth time," said Taylor. "I was absolutely terrified about coming in on Thursday and getting past Kevin Dowling was my main objective, and once the format got longer I could relax, so to come through the whole field and win this is very special. I had to get in front of Andy early on in the final and I managed to do that, but it's great to see him doing so well and he's shown that he's got the game to win major tournaments. He's a player who you can't give half an inch because he'll batter you, and I'm a big fan of him and his concentration and dedication. He's a workaholic. I used to practice with him and I know what he's like, so I'm chuffed to beat him."

Hamilton had won through to the final with a dramatic 10-9 defeat of two-time UK Open champion Raymond van Barneveld in the semis, with the Dutchman missing the bullseye for a 170 checkout to claim victory before then missing a further five match darts in the deciding leg.

"I couldn't be any prouder of myself," said Hamilton, who earns £20,000 as runner-up. "I've played some great darts and had a great weekend and I'm happy with what I've done tonight. Last year I reached the quarter-finals and I'm happy to have reached the final - and I think I've proved that I'm getting closer to my first major. If someone had said at the start of the week that I'd get to the final, I'd have taken that but I'll be back. The UK Open's probably the hardest tournament to win and I didn't play badly in the final but Phil played out of his skin and I take my hat off to him. He's a legend and he was on top of his game. When you're facing Phil it's so hard to get back in the game. You have to stay with him or you'll lose the game, and I'm afraid that happened to me tonight."

The tournament also saw colourful Peter Wright win through to his first major semi-final before he lost out to Taylor. The Lowestoft thrower enjoyed a brilliant weekend, defeating world number three Adrian Lewis in Sunday afternoon's quarter-finals before losing to another Stoke ace in the last four.

"To be honest, I think I played Phil instead of the board," he admitted. "I tensed up and was snatching darts, but it's experience that I can take into the next competition. I'll the positives from this weekend, work on it and move into the coming events, and hopefully I can go one step better. It's not quite there on the big stage yet, but it will be one day. I'm really proud of the weekend and very happy with how I've played. I want to push on now towards the top 16 and by the end of the year I want to be in the top ten and pushing for a Premier League place. I'll be pushing myself hard!"

Van Barneveld had edged past Ronnie Baxter in the quarter-finals and was also taken to a deciding leg by World Youth Champion Michael Smith earlier in the tournament, but saw his luck run out as he was edged out by Hamilton in the last four.








Pictures with kind permission by Lawrence Lustig, PDC



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