He survived a match dart in the first game, against Noel Malicdem, but he has without doubt been the best player at this tournament. Most of us thought his chance had gone, and he went out in the early rounds in the last two years, but now he has done it.
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Michael van Gerwen 3-7 Peter Wright The match was far closer than the score suggests. MvG was beaten at his own game, with Peter Wright doing the right things at the right moments. His doubling, under such incredible pressure, was immense.
PETER WRIGHT IS THE WORLD CHAMPION!!!
Wright has exorcised all his ghosts in one fell swoop, and he’s in floods of tears! These are lovely scenes. Van Gerwen is gracious in defeat, as is always the case. Wright’s doubling was just too good. He missed two at D10 for the title, and must have been starting to wonder if it was happening again. But he nailed it with his last dart, and he was in tears before he had collected his darts from the board. All that heartache is just prologue now: he’s the world champion!
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WRIGHT BREAKS AGAIN! Van Gerwen 3-6 Wright (legs: 1-2)
Wright has another great chance of a break, leaving 76 after 12. He hits T20 first dart and then pings his old friend D8. He’s one leg away from the promised land – and he has the darts.
VAN GERWEN BREAKS! Van Gerwen 3-6 Wright (legs: 1-1)
This is astonishing. Wright misses the bull for a 12-darter, and MvG returns to hit D6 and go out in 10. More importantly, it’s a break of throw.
WRIGHT BREAKS! Van Gerwen 3-6 Wright (legs: 0-1)
And now he’s only two legs away. Wright breaks the throw in 13 darts, finishing on D12, and van Gerwen is almost at the point of no return. Wright’s performance has been glorious.
WRIGHT WINS THE NINTH SET! Van Gerwen 3-6 Wright (legs: 2-3)
Wright is one set away from the darts world championship! He left 130 after nine, van Gerwen 100. Wright could only manage 60 – but van Gerwen missed two more at doubles! His doubling is going to cost him his world title. Peter Wright is doing the right things at the right moments.
Wright took out tops to win the set, and van Gerwen was so discombobulated that he walked off the stage, thinking there was a break.
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VAN GERWEN HOLDS! Van Gerwen 3-5 Wright (legs: 2-2)
Wright misses two darts for a 6-3 lead! Van Gerwen takes out D8, and now we have yet another crucial fifth leg. Wright is throwing to move within one set of glory.
WRIGHT HOLDS! Van Gerwen 3-5 Wright (legs: 1-2)
Van Gerwen’s 13th maximum gives him half a chance of a break – and then he misses the bull for a 164! Wright then misses D10 for 128. Oh my days. Van Gerwen comes back for 25, and he misses two more at D8! This is so tense. Wright then takes out D5, last dart in hand, to give within one leg of a 6-3 lead! Van Gerwen has missed too many important doubles.
VAN GERWEN HOLDS! Van Gerwen 3-5 Wright (legs: 1-1)
Van Gerwen has gone off the boil since he had that storming spell from sets 3-7. Saying which, he cleans up 128 on D10 for a 15-darter. But he has to find a way to break Wright in this set.
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WRIGHT HOLDS! Van Gerwen 3-5 Wright (legs: 0-1)
A comfortable hold for Wright, with van Gerwen back on 170. This is starting to slip away from him.
Both players are averaging 104. The doubles have been the difference: van Gerwen is on a solid 42 per cent, Wright an exceptional 62 per cent.
WRIGHT WINS THE EIGHTH SET! Van Gerwen 3-5 Wright (legs: 2-3)
Wright has pinched it! It was a very nervy final leg, but MvG missed one dart at tops and Wright took out D16. He’s two sets away from being world champion – and he has the darts in the next one.
WRIGHT HOLDS! Van Gerwen 3-4 Wright (legs: 2-2)
Yet another Big Fifth Leg coming up. If van Gerwen holds, it’s 4-4. If Wright breaks, he’ll be two sets away from the promised land.
VAN GERWEN HOLDS! Van Gerwen 3-4 Wright (legs: 2-1)
An unusually poor leg from both players – but van Gerwen won’t care. With Wright waiting on D4, van Gerwen takes out 96 in two darts for a crucial hold.
WRIGHT HOLDS! Van Gerwen 3-4 Wright (legs: 1-1)
Wright, again under pressure, starts with a 180 on his own throw. But van Gerwen is still on his case, hitting 180 on his second visit. Wright holds his nerve to pop a 12-darter of his own. The standard is quite majestic.
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VAN GERWEN HOLDS! Van Gerwen 3-4 Wright (legs: 1-0)
Van Gerwen has the darts in this set to make it 4-4. He starts with an effortless 12-darter, hoovering up 124 at the end. This is just brilliant.
“MVG starting to look annoyed now – which doesn’t bode well for Wright,” says Stephen Carr. “The former has gears to go through whereas I don’t think Wright has. Testimony to MVG’s ability as Wright is playing so well.”
Wright has been much better on doubles, though, and if he stays at 60 per cent win I think he’ll win. Whether he will is another matter. It’s been a fascinating game, and a bit like watching the old MvG – astonishing scoring and some dodgy doubling.
VAN GERWEN WINS THE SEVENTH SET! Van Gerwen 3-4 Wright (legs: 3-1)
Van Gerwen leaves 53 after nine on his own throw, and cleans it up in two darts to take the set against the throw. That’s huge.
VAN GERWEN BREAKS! Van Gerwen 2-4 Wright (legs: 2-1)
That’s a huge moment! Van Gerwen hits the bullseye to take out 84 and move within one leg of taking the set against the darts. This is some game, certainly the best of the tournament.
VAN GERWEN HOLDS! Van Gerwen 2-4 Wright (legs: 1-1)
More ludicrous scoring from van Gerwen, who hits a 180 and a 177 en route to an 11-darter. Big leg, this next one.
WRIGHT HOLDS! Van Gerwen 2-4 Wright (legs: 0-1)
Wright has the darts in this set, with the chance to go 5-2 ahead. Van Gerwen almost breaks, missing D7 for a 134, and Wright takes out D20 at the first opportunity. Wright is 60 per cent on doubles, van Gerwen just 33. That’s the game.
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WRIGHT WINS THE SIXTH SET! Van Gerwen 2-4 Wright (legs: 0-3)
Wright takes the set 3-0 on the van Gerwen throw! MvG missed three more at double – that’s becoming a problem – and that allowed Wright to take out 80.
WRIGHT HOLDS! Van Gerwen 2-3 Wright (legs: 0-2)
Wright is the better player at the moment. He takes out 81 again, this time in 11 darts, to go within one leg of a 4-2 lead.
WRIGHT BREAKS! Van Gerwen 2-3 Wright (legs: 0-1)
Brilliant stuff from Wright, who withstood an onslaught from van Gerwen and now leads against the throw in the sixth set. He broke van Gerwen in 12, taking out 81 on D16.
WRIGHT WINS THE FIFTH SET! Van Gerwen 2-3 Wright (legs: 1-3)
Wright breaks the van Gerwen throw to win the set! Van Gerwen missed one at D16 – that’s seven in a row he’s missed at double – and Wright calmly took out 96.
WRIGHT HOLDS! Van Gerwen 2-2 Wright (legs: 1-2)
Oh my days. Van Gerwen somehow misses six darts at double, allowing Wright to hold despite being behind throughout the leg.
WRIGHT BREAKS BACK! Van Gerwen 2-2 Wright (legs: 1-1)
Wright hits seven perfect darts before missing T19. The crowd boo but the break of throw is far more important than a nine, and Wright returns to take D16 for a 10-darter. This is glorious.
VAN GERWEN BREAKS! Van Gerwen 2-2 Wright (legs: 1-0)
This is a vital set for Wright, who has the throw. If he loses this he might start to fear the worst – not least because van Gerwen is playing devastatingly well. He goes out in 12 to break again, and has now won seven of the last nine legs.