That’s it for tonight’s blog, so I’ll leave you with a report from Ally Pally. Thanks for your company, goodnight!
There’s so much affection for Peter Wright among the crowd and in the Sky Sports studio. He’s a thoroughly decent guy, who has waited so long for this, and I’m chuffed to bits for him. At the age of 49, when most thought his time had passed, he has reached the promised land.
Wayne Mardle makes a very good point on Sky. Wright has won it the hard way. The draw didn’t open up; he had to take out Jeffrey de Zwaan in the last 16, and then the big two - Price and van Gerwen - in the semi-final and final.
The doubles decided the game. Van Gerwen took out 40 per cent, Wright 55 per cent - and his timing was better as well. There were spells when van Gerwen went berserk on the trebles, but Wright never really looked like he was feeling the strain. In the context of all those previous defeats, it was a glorious performance.
Here’s Peter Wright again
“I’ve calmed down now! You should never give up; it doesn’t matter how many times you get beaten. I used to get beaten by Phil Taylor, Gary Anderson all the time. But I’ve done it. Thanks to all my family – Jo, Mandy, I love you – and everyone back home.”
Here’s Michael van Gerwen
“I’m very disappointed but what you can do? Every important shot I missed, he took his out – his finishing was phenomenal. I can only blame myself. I had several chances to go in front, but when you don’t take them against a player like Peter Wright, you’re not gonna win, simple as that.
“I’ll be back stronger next year. Fair play to Peter, he played a phenomenal world championship. He got away with a scare early on, but everyone does. Fair play. What else can I say?”
Peter Wright is the world champion
“That sounds amazing, doesn’t it? Sorry to Michael. The chances I used to give him, he gave me them tonight. He deserved a lot more sets. But hey, that’s a nice ‘champion of the world’ thing. Argh!
“I couldn’t believe the first two darts [at D10] didn’t go in. I thought, ‘Oh, don’t do it again’, because he’s blown me away in the past.”
Bless him, he’s got such a lump in his throat that he’s struggling to speak.
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He survived a match dart in the first game, against Noel Malicdem, but he has without doubt been the best player in the 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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If Peter Wright ever tries to change his darts again, he should be arrested for self-harm.
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.
VAN GERWEN MISSES D12 FOR A NINE-DARTER!
It would have been a break as well.
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.
The match averages
- Van Gerwen 104.96
- Wright 102.34
“Having the final on New Year’s Day is a bad idea,” says Roger Kirkby. “The main players in the event are hungover, knackered and voiceless. They don’t jump up and down much either.”
“Evening and happy new year to you, Rob,” says Ian Copestake. “Is there any instance in which VAR might be introduced to liven things down a bit?”
They could use it to assess the sobriety of those making their way to the bar. Decision: no pint.
VAN GERWEN WIN THE FOURTH SET! Van Gerwen 2-2 Wright (legs: 3-2)
Oof. In another high-class leg, both players miss one dart for the set before van Gerwen takes out D8 to level the match. The van Gerwen surge is one of the greatest sights in sport, and the last two sets have been MvG porn. But Wright was good enough to stay with him in the fourth and could easily have pinched it. This is blistering stuff.
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WRIGHT HOLDS! Van Gerwen 1-2 Wright (legs: 2-2)
A really impressive hold from Wright, who has been battered in the last few legs.
VAN GERWEN HOLDS! Van Gerwen 1-2 Wright (legs: 2-1)
This is great stuff now. Van Gerwen hits 180 and 140 to take his match average up t0 107, and misses D18 for a 12-darter. No matter: he returns to clean up in 14.
VAN GERWEN BREAKS BACK! Van Gerwen 1-2 Wright (legs: 1-1)
Van Gerwen ignores that inconvenient cock-up in the previous leg and continues to pummel trebles. Eventually he takes out D18 for a 13-darter.
WRIGHT BREAKS! Van Gerwen 1-2 Wright (legs: 0-1)
Van Gerwen has been punished! He declined the bull from 82, and then Wright took out 140 – the same finish that saved him against Noel Malicdem.
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VAN GERWEN WINS THE THIRD SET! Van Gerwen 1-2 Wright (legs: 3-0)
Awesome. Van Gerwen takes the third set, on the Wright throw, in a total of 37 darts. His average in that set was 122.
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VAN GERWEN HOLDS! Van Gerwen 0-2 Wright (legs: 2-0)
He’s on one now! Van Gerwen has responded ferociously to going two sets down, and holds with a majestic 11-darter.
VAN GERWEN BREAKS! Van Gerwen 0-2 Wright (legs: 1-0)
Van Gerwen breaks in 13 darts, starting with a 180 and finishing with D12. He declined a bull opportunity from 164, with Wright on 145. The gamble paid off.
“Peter Wright = Jimmy White?” says Gary Naylor. “Maybe not...”
Wright has blown leads against van Gerwen before, most famously in the 2017 Premier League final, so we shouldn’t get carried away. But it’s been a hugely impressive start.
WRIGHT WINS THE SECOND SET! Van Gerwen 0-2 Wright (legs: 1-3)
Peter Wright takes the second set against the darts! He nails tops for another authoritative 13-dart leg, and at the moment he is undeniably the better player. Wright is averaging 105 to van Gerwen’s 99, and the first two sets could hardly have gone any better.
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WRIGHT BREAKS! Van Gerwen 0-1 Wright (legs: 1-2)
Wright starts with a 180 on the van Gerwen throw. He is outscoring MvG and leaves 81 after nine. And he takes it out, last dart in hand, to move within a leg of a 2-0 lead!
WRIGHT HOLDS! Van Gerwen 0-1 Wright (legs: 1-1)
A comfortable hold for Wright, with van Gerwen well back on 136. Since the first leg, Wright’s doubling has been impressive.
VAN GERWEN HOLDS! Van Gerwen 0-1 Wright (legs: 1-0)
This is warming up nicely. Van Gerwen misses four at double, Wright can’t take out tops and van Gerwen returns to take out D6.
The averages so far
- Van Gerwen 99.89
- Wright 101.92
WRIGHT WINS THE FIRST SET! Van Gerwen 0-1 Wright (legs: 2-3)
Wright takes the first set on tops – but only just. Van Gerwen wired the bull for 170, which would have been a savage blow, and Wright returned to take the leg in 14 darts. He really couldn’t afford to lose that set.
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VAN GERWEN HOLDS! Van Gerwen 0-0 Wright (legs: 2-2) Van Gerwen nails the bull to take out 86 – and that means we have the first crucial fifth leg of the night. This is where van Gerwen can be deadly.
WRIGHT HOLDS! Van Gerwen 0-0 Wright (legs: 1-2)
Wright has started strongly, with more trebles and fewer loose darts than van Gerwen. After MvG misses D5 for a break, Wright takes out tops.
WRIGHT BREAKS BACK! Van Gerwen 0-0 Wright (legs: 1-1)
An immediate break back for Wright, who takes out tops for a 13-darter.
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VAN GERWEN BREAKS! Van Gerwen 0-0 Wright (legs: 1-0)
Wright goes off with 60, MvG with just 34. That allows Wright to take control of the leg with 140 and then the first 180 of the final – but then he misses three at D20 and D10, and van Gerwen burgles the leg by taking out 88 in two darts.
Michael van Gerwen hurries towards the stage to the sound of Seven Nation Army - and a few boos from the crowd, for some reason. Eejits. That could be a factor tonight, as it was when he lost that epic semi-final against Rob Cross two years ago.
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It’s time for the walk-ons. Peter Wright is first, dancing across the stage to Don’t Stop the Party by Pitbull. He looks slightly nervous, no more than that.
The tournament stats are almost identical: both are 44 per cent on the doubles, with MvG averaging 98.14 and Wright 98.29. There is a compelling argument that it has been a bit too easy for van Gerwen, and that Wright will push him to produce his A-game.
Van Gerwen is chasing a fourth world title, having won three of the last six. His big target is six - one more than Raymond van Barneveld’s Dutch record.
Peter Wright has won the bullseye and will throw first.
“I’ll be rooting for Snakebite,” says J.R. in Illinois. “I’m not a huge fan of his but I’d like him to get this one. Outside of Fallon Sherrock’s run I think the best moment of the tournament was when Snakebite was under massive pressure against Malicdem and he won a leg by finishing 302 with six perfect darts. Kaboom!”
Yeah, you’d have to have a pretty hard heart – or be very, very Dutch – to begrudge Peter Wright. It makes no sense that he has only won a single UK Open.
Pre-match reading
Preamble
Hello. Everyone’s looking for an angle these days, a slightly different take on things that makes them seem more interesting than the average keyboard expert. But sometimes you can’t ignore the obvious. Take tonight’s world darts championship final at Alexandra Palace between Michael van Gerwen and Peter Wright. You just can’t get past the fact that it’s a serial winner against a serial runner-up; that, when these two meet in a final, it invariably ends with Wright saying “I’ll get him next time” during a rueful post-match interview.
Wright is a magnificent player, one of the best never to win a world title, but his record in major finals is desperate. He has lost 12 out of 13, nine of them to van Gerwen, and it is cruelly symbolic that the only time he did win a major – the 2017 UK Open – was when van Gerwen was absent through injury.
The most painful defeat was in the Premier League final of 2017, when Wright blew a 7-2 lead and missed six match darts before losing 11-10. The biggest was the world championship final five years ago, when van Gerwen won 7-4.
Wright turns 50 in March, a birthday that all darts players dread, and may never have a better chance of laying the ghost. He has stopped playing silly buggers with his darts, instead sticking to the same pair, and has been the best player at a slightly underwhelming world championships. After surviving a huge scare in the first round against Noel Malicdem, he played with impressive authority to beat Seigo Asada, Jeffrey de Zwaan, Luke Humphries and Gerwyn Price.
Van Gerwen, by contrast, has been a fair way from his coruscating best. His victories over Jelle Klaasen, Ricky Evans, Stephen Bunting, Darius Labanauskas and Nathan Aspinall were laboured, as if it was all a bit too easy. Van Gerwen is still the best player in the world by a distance, but he’s nowhere near as unbeatable during his imperial phase in 2015-16.
Wright will probably outscore van Gerwen, but that alone will not be enough. Van Gerwen has become a master of doing, to use his favourite phrase, “the right things at the right moments”. The timing of his breaks and big checkouts, even when he is not playing well, is often devastating.
I think Wright might do it tonight, but he has got to start well. If not, the tungsten flashbacks could ruin him.
The first dart will be thrown around 7.15pm local time.
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