World Matchplay - Match Report Final
BLACKPOOL KING TAYLOR SECURES 13TH BETFAIR WORLD MATCHPLAY VICTORY
Phil Taylor won his 13th Betfair World Matchplay title with a superb 18-15 win over James Wade in the final at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool on Sunday night, equalling his own record of five successive titles as he scooped the 100,000 poun first prize.
Taylor continued his dominance of the prestigious tournament with a fine performance in a tense final, as he defeated Wade in the decider for the fourth time in seven years. Wade levelled from behind four times in an enthralling contest as the pair shared the first 20 legs, but Taylor took the next four to lead 14-10 and take control.
Wade hit back to trail just 15-14, but missed double ten for a 140 finish to level and Taylor seized his opportunity to seal victory.
"It's a massive achievement," said Taylor. "It's one of the hardest finals I've ever had. "James put me under tremendous pressure and I put myself under pressure a bit too. Every time he came back at me I seemed to push on a little bit and I put all my energy into that final leg to finish him off."
Taylor secured an immediate break in the opening leg as his tactic of winning the bullseye but allowing Wade to throw first paid off - with the reigning champion hitting a 180 with his first visit to the oche before punishing a miss at tops from the left-hander to land double five. Wade replied with a break in the second leg following three misses at tops from Taylor, who moved 2-1 up by winning the third as he hit a 180 to leave 24 and took out double 12. Taylor then landed tops to move 3-1 up, but missed the bull for a 130 finish in the next after the pair had traded 180s, with Wade returning to post double ten and hit back.
Wade hit a 180 as he sought to level in the sixth, but Taylor hit double ten for a 14-darter only to miss three darts in two visits to win the next, as the world number three landed double nine to pull back to 4-3. Taylor regained his two-leg lead on double 16, but Wade finished tops and then punished three more misses from the Stoke great to level with a 14-darter of his own. The pair shared the next two, with Taylor hitting a 171 to set up double 16 in leg 11 before Wade took out 84 on double 11 to level at six-all as they continued to trade blows. Taylor regained the advantage by landing a 180 and an 86 finish to break in the next, and then took out 60 following a missed bull from Wade to move 8-6 up.
Both players hit 180s in the 15th leg as Wade was let off from three missed doubles to return and hit double three, but Taylor landed a brace of double 16 finishes to win the next two and create a 10-7 cushion, moving three legs clear for the first time. Wade, though, hit back, with double five to break throw, followed a 180 with a two-dart 92 finish and then posted a 177 and a 67 checkout to tie the match again at ten-all. The game took another turn as Taylor won the next four legs to move into a 14-10 advantage, winning three legs on double 16 and the other on double eight as he took command before Wade landed his seventh 180 and double ten to hit back and win his 11th leg.
Taylor landed a 177 as he moved 15-11 up, but Wade took out 112 and 114 in consecutive legs to hit back in remarkable fashion, with Taylor opting not to throw for the bull in the second. Wade then took out double six to cut the gap to one leg, but missed double ten for a 140 checkout to level the game as the drama intensified. Taylor stepped in on double 16 to lead 16-14, and although Wade finished 76 to reply again the Stoke great hit tops to move 17-15 up before sealing the title with a 13-darter on double ten.
"I'm so pleased to have won this but I'm also pleased to see James on the comeback trail too," added Taylor. "He's a brilliant player and he's dedicated himself again, and I think we can have plenty more finals in the future.
"I don't think I was fit enough and I didn't perform as well as I can, which I'll work on over the summer. It was one of the most difficult finals for me because I'm getting older and I'm not as fit, so I've got to work harder.
"I tried the new darts at the start of the week and they are the best darts I've ever played with, but they weren't flying through the air in this heat as they should do.
"I need to practice a bit more with them, which I will do, and to be honest I was thinking about them too much."
Taylor had lost in the second round of the World Championship for the first time in PDC history in December to Dave Chisnall, but his Blackpool triumph follows his McCoy's Premier League Darts win as he retained his status as world number one ahead of Adrian Lewis. "Winning the Premier League and now this has set me up for the year," he said. "I think the players will respect me again because they were like a pack of wolves - they can sense that you're not playing well and they'll attack you. "Wes Newton, Andy Hamilton and Adrian Lewis are examples of hungry players who want to be where I am."
Wade, the 2007 World Matchplay champion, was condemned to defeat for a fourth time to the world number one as he became only the second player - behind John Part in 2002 - to take 15 legs from Taylor in the final.
"From a spectator's point of view it was a great final and from Phil's point of view it was a great final too," said Wade. "For me, I was playing at half-mast, so to not play that well and get 15 legs from Phil is very good.
"I've never felt this happy playing darts and I've never felt so encouraged to play darts, because I've had seven weeks of hard practice and done this, which should be quite frightening for other players.
"I didn't score as well as I wanted to for the first 20 legs or so and that's where Phil is so great in what he does because he's so consistent and solid, and he did enough to win."