Michael Smith is within touching distance of his boyhood dream and two Scots battled it out on the Ally Pally oche to produce an absolute classic.
Bullyboy stormed into his second World Championship final defeating James Wade 6-3. The St Helens man burst out the stalls and immediately fired his way into an early 2-0 lead.
It took Wade until the third set to really get going and a pivotal 121 checkout on the deciding leg brought the number four seed back in the contest.
Smith then retook control of the match, pinching set four with a break of throw before reeling off five of the next six legs to take a commanding 5-1 lead. Just one away from the final.
It was then the Machine began really motoring. Ten years ago James Wade was famously leading Adrian Lewis 5-1 in a World Championship semi-final. He eventually lost it.
For a few moments, this scoreline was looking like a dangerous advantage for Bullyboy but this is a new Michael Smith. A composed, controlled and more mature 2.0 version.
Taking the bull by the horns he dug deep, remained calm and won the set he required to record a 6-3 victory.
Old foes, Peter Wright and Gary Anderson have had many quality battles on the big stage but this could very well go down as the best of the lot.
It was Wright who started the better of the two and produced some scintillating darts to take a 3-0 lead.
The warning signs were there for Anderson but he began to find his target and pulled the contest back to within one set to trail 3-2.
Snakebite once again asserted himself and regained a two-set average. But with both players pounding the treble twenty and the crowd hanging off every dart, it was far from over.
Again, Anderson dragged his compatriot back into the ring as the two traded blows.
With the scoreline at 5-4 Wright, the mohawked maestro managed to stave off his World Cup of Darts partner and get the crucial next set to get over the line.
It was a magnificent performance from two of the best of all time. It took a world record-breaking 24 maximums from Wright to defeat his pal.
In the end, the pair received a rambunctious ovation from an appreciative crowd but it’s Snakey who progressed to face Michael Smith in the final.
Words: Paul Woodage, Image: PDC
