MIGHTY MIKE STUNS TAYLOR TO CLAIM CASH CONVERTERS PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP TRIUMPH
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN stunned Phil Taylor with an amazing comeback from 6-3 down to win the Cash Converters Players Championship Finals title with an 11-7 triumph at the Butlins Minehead Resort on Sunday night.
The Dutch ace had entered the 250,000 pound event as the number one seed having topped the PDC ProTour Order of Merit with nine victories during 2013, and went on to claim his four major televised title in an incredible final.
He trailed Taylor 6-3 before turning the game on its head in an incredible seven-leg burst which put him into a 10-6 advantage, hitting three 11-dart legs and a 110 finish to leave the World Champion rattled.
Taylor replied to win the 17th leg, but van Gerwen hit a 177 score to leave 24 in the next before hitting double 12 to complete a remarkable fightback.
Van Gerwen had knocked out Jamie Lewis, Adrian Lewis, Wes Newton and Andy Hamilton on his way to the final, and ended six months without a tournament win as he repeated May's Premier League triumph against Taylor.
"It's a great day in my life and an unbelievable night," said van Gerwen. "To be ranked number one and to then win the tournament is fantastic, but to win like that against Phil is amazing. You always need to play well against him because he's won so many finals this year, but in the beginning of the game I struggled a bit and he was strong. If you want to beat Phil, you can't afford to miss and I hit some important finishes. To beat Phil, Adrian, Wes and Andy - all top ten players - in one tournament and win the trophy says I'm a true champion. I'm very happy because I'd lost in a couple of finals and people were talking about my performances, but I knew I had the game there so it's great for me and for my confidence going into the World Championship - but first I'm going to enjoy this win because it means a lot to me."
The final saw the opening four legs shared before Taylor hit double 16 to lead 3-2, broke with an 88 finish in the sixth leg and then landed double 16 again to move 5-2 up.
Van Gerwen hit back in the eighth leg, but missed two darts to break throw in the next as Taylor posted double eight for a 6-3 lead.
The Dutchman began his comeback by winning the tenth leg on double 16, and returned from the break to win the next five legs in a stunning session to put himself ahead, hitting legs of 12, 14 and 11 darts to lead 7-6, before taking out a 110 checkout and another 11-darter.
Taylor opened the 16th leg with a 180, only to see his opponent land four 140s and an 81 finish for another 11-dart finish as he moved 10-6 up, and though the Stoke ace landed another 177 and double 16 to take the next, a 177 from van Gerwen set up double 12 for the title.
Van Gerwen had earlier hit a 170 checkout during his 9-4 quarter-final defeat of Newton, and overcame Hamilton 10-5 in the semis.
Taylor had been at his brilliant best in averaging 111.58 in his 9-2 quarter-final triumph over Raymond van Barneveld, and won six successive legs in the semi-finals against Justin Pipe, turning a four-all scoreline into a 10-4 victory.
Pipe's run had seen him reach the semi-finals of the tournament for a second successive year in Minehead, as he reached that stage for a third time in a major televised event.
"Although I'm disappointed to lose, I'm happy with the weekend," said Pipe. "I had my chances and I can only take the positives and I want to push on from this now because I feel like a top ten player now. I played well in the semi-final but Phil's phenomenal and that's why he's the 16-time World Champion. He hit a brilliant 132 finish which turned the game, but I'll learn from that and I want to emulate some of what he's done."
Hamilton also picked up 15,000 pound for reaching the last four as he continued his amazing record in televised tournaments, having won through to at least the quarter-finals in the last ten major ranking events since June 2012.