World Matchplay - Match Report Final
Imperious Taylor marches to 12th Sky Bet Mobile World Matchplay win
Phil Taylor won his 12th Sky Bet Mobile World Matchplay title with an 18-8 demolition of James Wade at the Winter Gardens on Sunday night.
Taylor claimed a fourth successive World Matchplay victory but only his second major ranking title since last summer with a brilliant display of darts.
After trailing 2-1 early on, he won eight successive legs to lead 9-2 and take control of the game, and held off Wade's fightback - after the left-hander won five out of seven legs in mid-game - to retain the Blackpool title.
He dedicated the victory to former mentor Eric Bristow, the five-time World Champion who brought Taylor onto the professional circuit in the late 1980s and has remained a driving force in his amazing career since.
"I'm overjoyed to win this," said Taylor. "I didn't think I'd win anything this year so to keep this title is brilliant. This is probably the second biggest title behind the World Championship, and so many other players would love to win it, but I've won it four years on the trot now. I'm grateful to Eric Bristow for his support and this is dedicated to him. He's been texting me for the last few weeks when I've been losing my Premier League and UK Open titles, he's been pushing me and he's always behind me."
There were few signs of what would follow in the early exchanges as Wade opened the match strongly.
He won the opening leg on double top, and after Taylor checked out a brilliant 135 in the second leg the left-hander won the third in 11 darts for a 2-1 lead. However, he missed one dart to win each of the next two legs as Taylor firstly levelled on double four before breaking on double two to edge 3-2 up.
Legs of 12 and 11 darts, which included scores of 180 and 174 as well as a 90 finish, moved Taylor 5-2 up, and despite a 180 from Wade in the eighth he landed double top to lead by four legs. Taylor then broke throw again with a killer blow, following an earlier 180 with a bullseye finish of 86 as Wade waited on 32 - and the reigning champion posted another maximum and a 100 finish for successive 12-darters in leading 8-2.
An 87 finish gave Taylor an eighth successive leg before Wade finally hit back, finishing 100 for a 12-darter to win his third leg of the game. Taylor, though, replied in style with legs of 13, 13 and 14 darts to take the next three and a 12-3 lead, before double 12 put him ten legs clear. A double six from Wade saw him hit back, and he powered in 180s in the next two legs in reducing the gap to 13-6 to threaten a fightback.
But he saw a chance to win the 20th go begging, with Taylor missing double top for a 110 finish only for the left-hander to miss the same bed and allow the Stoke legend to win his first leg in four on double five and go 14-6 up. Taylor also shaded the next leg after Wade missed double 19 for a 158 checkout, but the left-hander followed up a double top finish by opening the 23rd leg with back-to-back 180s to set up a potential nine-darter.
He hit a seventh treble 20, but was just off-target on treble 19 before returning to win the leg in 12 darts, pulling back to 15-8 in the match. However, that would be his final winning leg, as Taylor hit a brace of double top checkouts to move 17-8 up before posting a 74 finish to claim the title on double 16.
/ "I got so far in front that I started to relax and I thought there was no way he was going to come back," admitted Taylor. "Then he started clawing back, I lost one session 4-1 and started to panic a bit, but I took advantage when he hit bad shots, and tried to keep putting the pressure on him."
Taylor had been priced at 7/4 to take the title with sponsors Sky Bet ahead of the tournament, having found himself odds-on for the majority of events in recent years.
"I doubt I'll be that price again in a hurry!" Taylor joked. "But it's not about trying to prove anybody else wrong, it's about trying to prove myself right, trying to believe in myself and still win major tournaments. I know I'm still capable and I showed that tonight."
Wade admitted: "I wasn't good enough. I played alright later in the game but the first half was diabolical and Phil showed why he's the best player in the world. It's a shame that I didn't play well at the start of the game. I missed a few shots but Phil out-played me and deserved to win."
