BRILLIANT VAN GERWEN'S PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS TREBLE
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN won the Cash Converters Players Championship Finals for a third time on Sunday night, defeating Dave Chisnall 11-3 with a sensational display in the final at the Butlins Minehead Resort.
Van Gerwen's incredible 2016 continued with a 25th tournament win and a third televised triumph of the month as he followed victories in the World Series of Darts Finals and Grand Slam of Darts by taking the 75,000 pound first prize.
Van Gerwen began the final day with a fantastic 108 average as he saw off fellow countryman Raymond van Barneveld 10-5, before overcoming a huge scare to win his semi-final against Darren Webster 11-8.
Webster raced into a 6-0 lead to leave the world number one reeling, but van Gerwen stormed back to level before sealing the win with a 144 checkout.
With that fright out of the way, van Gerwen then proved unstoppable in the final as he again averaged 108 to retain the Players Championship Finals trophy.
A 13-darter set the tone for van Gerwen, and though Chisnall recorded a 121 checkout in leg three and traded 13-darters with the Dutchman to stay in touch at 3-2, the reigning champion proved too strong with a mid-game surge.
Van Gerwen took five straight legs to move out to 8-2, including a ten-darter and legs of 12 and 13 darts, and though Chisnall responded to claim his third leg, further finishes of 13, 14 and 11 darts sealed the Dutchman's triumph.
"It's an amazing feeling for me and I'm a happy man," said van Gerwen. "It wasn't easy for me today and I had to work really hard, but I'm really glad that I won this trophy again. Darren gave me a scare and Dave had a chance to make it three-all, and Dave's a dangerous player but I punished him when he let me in. Going into the World Championship this is a big confidence boost for me. What I've done this year is phenomenal and I'm really proud of myself because nobody has won as many tournaments as this before."
Chisnall pocketed 35,000 pound as the runner-up after defeating Robbie Green and Peter Wright on Sunday, but he again missed out on claiming a televised title.
"I'm trying and I played quite well all week, but Michael did the business against me," said Chisnall. "I've had a good weekend and it's another step forward for me to reach the final but I'm determined to one day get that win."
Webster's wins over Jonny Clayton, Simon Whitlock, Alan Norris and Christian Kist had put him into his first televised semi-final, and the Norwich ace had been on course for a huge upset when he led van Gerwen 6-0.
"I gave him a game but he's fantastic," said Webster, who took home 20,000 pound in prize money. "When I was 6-0 up I started thinking about 11-0, but then he came back. You have to destroy people. I should have buried him, but he isn't world number one for nothing and he came back at me. Maybe it was inexperience and my mind wandered, but I still thought I was going to have him at the end and I didn't stop fighting. I've enjoyed this weekend. Everyone thought Michael was going to annihilate me but I've got confidence now and a bit more stage experience and I'll look forward to the World Championship."
Wright had edged out Kim Huybrechts 10-9 in a thrilling quarter-final, with the Belgian ace missing one match dart before the world number three prevailed in a deciding leg.
"In a way I'm happy to be in the semi-final but then again I'm not because I didn't give Chizzy the game that I should do," said Wright. "I missed a few doubles early on but it will be a different story in the World Championship."
Dutch duo van Barneveld and Kist and Wallasey's Robbie Green were the other quarter-finalists after winning through from the original 64-player field, with play across two stages on the opening two days at the Butlins Minehead Resort.
QUARTER-FINALS ROUND-UP
Darren Webster won through to his first TV semi-final with a 10-6 defeat of Christian Kist to enjoy the biggest result of his career to date.
The Norwich ace had won through to his first big quarter-final for almost a decade - since his previous run to the last eight at the 2007 World Championship - by defeating Jonny Clayton, Simon Whitlock and Alan Norris.
He added former Lakeside Champion Kist as his fourth victim of the weekend, settling any nerves with finishes of 114, 81 and 88 to move 3-1 up and also taking out 72 and 74 in moving into an 8-3 advantage.
Kist sparked a revival with a 120 checkout and also added double 12 and double five to cut the gap to 8-6, but he paid for missing his chance to reduce the arrears to one leg as Webster landed double ten before taking out 120 himself to seal the win.
Michael van Gerwen produced a master-class with a 108 average as he fended off compatriot Raymond van Barneveld with a 10-5 success to power into the semi-finals.
An 11-darter in the opening leg set the tone for a superb performance from the world number one, who landed three 180s as in as many legs to move 3-0 up before van Barneveld got off the mark in style by following a maximum with a 161 finish.
The five-time World Champion then cut the gap to 3-2 on double 16, only for van Gerwen to pull away with three successive legs before a brilliant 145 finish moved him 7-3 up.
A 14-darter saw van Barneveld claim his fourth leg, but van Gerwen set up double 18 with a 177 to win his eighth leg and landed a 180 to move 9-4 up.
Double seven kept van Barneveld's hopes briefly alive, but van Gerwen took out 111 to secure victory, averaging 108 to his rival's 103 in a fine performance.
Dave Chisnall reached the semi-finals of the Players Championship Finals for the first time by defeating Robbie Green 10-5 as the world number nine continued his push to claim his first TV title.
Although Green opened with a 117 finish, Chisnall took the next five legs, including two breaks of throw, to move into a commanding 5-1 lead.
Green hit back to 5-3 before Chisnall took out double 18 and double two to regain a four-leg cushion, and bettered his rival's 74 finish by taking out 68 for an 8-4 advantage.
Green landed a 171 as he hit back to win a fifth leg, but Chisnall responded with a maximum to move 9-5 up before sealing the win on double five.
Peter Wright edged past Kim Huybrechts in the deciding leg of a thrilling contest to move into the semi-finals with a narrow 10-9 success.
Wright's early 3-1 lead was cancelled out as Huybrechts hit back to level, with the Scot then taking out 116 to move 6-3 up only for Huybrechts to take out 112 as he again responded to square the game.
Double ten saw Wright regain the edge at 7-6, only for Huybrechts to hit two 180s in an 11-darter to level, land a 12-darter to lead for the first time and then take out a stunning 140 checkout for another 12-dart finish to move into a 9-7 cushion.
Wright took the next to stay in the game, and when Huybrechts missed double ten to finish 128 for the match in the next the world number three forced a decider with an 11-darter.
Wright, with the advantage of throw, was first to a finish as he wired double 16 to take out 103, but Huybrechts was unable to take out 164 to allow his rival back in to finally claim victory on double eight.