Clog almighty Michael van Gerwen dissolved into tears after easing to his fifth darts Premier League crown – and his fourth in a row.
Cheered on by former Arsenal and Manchester United striker Robin van Persie, in a rascal Peaky Blinders outfit, Van Gerwen was not at the peak of his powers – but he was still unstoppable.
MVG was £275,000 richer, the second-biggest payday in darts, as he eased home 11-5 in the final against Rob Cross at the O2 arena.
Van Gerwen's average of 103.36 was not his most nuclear, and explaining the tears he admitted: “I'm an emotional man, and things have been difficult in the past few months – nothing to do with darts.
“But to win the Premier League five times is a phenomenal feeling because Rob chased me all the way. He was so persistent he really annoyed me.
"This is such a hard competition to win because you have to play well week after week and at times it's been a difficult tournament for me.
“But when you get your hands on this trophy again, it makes all the travel and preparation worthwhile.”
Cross, who had beaten James Wade 10-4 in the semi-finals, missed three darts to draw level at 5-5 with van Gerwen at the interval.
But once his three arrows at double 18 and double nine went astray, the Dutchman pulled away to win at a canter.
Cross, who reached the semi-finals last year, said: “I reached the play-offs in my first year in the Premier League, I made the final this year – and next year I'll be back here to win it.”
Meanwhile, Barry Hearn is to extend his 'Contenders' experiment next year.
When two-time world champion Gary Anderson withdrew from the Premier League through injury, 72 hours before curtain up on the first night, Professional Darts Corporation bosses veered left-field instead of summoning a single replacement.
They gave nine likely lads, including Glen Durrant – who had just completed a hat-trick of wins at the Lakeside – one night each to prove their worth.
If it looked like a marketing gimmick at first, the cynics were soon disabused of their scepticism.
Four contenders – Chris Dobey, Luke Humphries, John Henderson and Dimitri van den Bergh – earned creditable draws.
And PDC chairman Hearn was so impressed he is ready to order more of the same in 2020.
