ADRIAN LEWIS claimed victory in the inaugural TAB Auckland Darts Masters with an incredible 11-10 triumph over Raymond van Barneveld, following up a semi-final defeat of Phil Taylor with his first PDC World Series of Darts win.
Lewis had ended Taylor’s 14-game winning run on the PDC World Series of Darts with a superb 10-9 semi-final win in a game which he never led until hitting the winning double 16.
He then returned to the stage to contest a thrilling final with van Barneveld, which also went the full distance as the Stoke star bounced back from his defeat in the Sydney Darts Masters to finally go all the way.Lewis hit back from 2-0 down to lead 4-2, and also moved 8-5 and 10-8 only for van Barneveld to twice level, with the Dutchman taking his tally of 180s for the match to 11 as the game moved into a deciding leg.
With almost 5,000 fans on the edge of their seats at the Trusts Arena, van Barneveld was first to a finish in the final leg only to miss five match darts as Lewis recovered from two misses of his own to steady his nerves and fire in double one for glory.
The inaugural event in Auckland was a huge success with 15,000 fans attending the three days at the Trusts Arena.Van Barneveld made the early running in the final, landing a 180 and double 12 to take the opener and double 18 to move two legs up.
Lewis, though, fired back with 180s in the next three legs as he took out tops, double 12 for a 12-darter and a sensational 123 bullseye finish – after van Barneveld missed the same middle double – to take a 3-2 lead.He then posted three 140s in winning leg six to move 4-2 up, with van Barneveld enjoying six perfect darts with two 180s in the next as he responded with a 12-darter of his own.
The pair traded double eight finishes before Lewis fired in a 180 and a 102 checkout, with van Barneveld replying with a maximum and double 16 to stay in touch at 6-5.Lewis, though, landed another maximum in an 11-darter before breaking throw on double 16 in the 13th leg – despite a van Barneveld 180 – to take a three-leg lead at 8-5.
Van Barneveld, though, took the next three to level, taking out 65 on tops, double four to punish three misses from Lewis and 86 on the bull, to follow up two 180s, as he squared the game at 8-8.A pair of double top finishes saw Lewis move out to 10-8, but van Barneveld hit six perfect darts for the second time in the game as he stayed in the contest with a 13-dart finish, before hitting his 11th maximum and double nine to send the game all the way.
Two 140s to open the final leg from van Barneveld were followed by a 171 score from Lewis, with the Dutchman initially missing double eight and four to take the win.Lewis was then unable to land double four and two to take out 68, but when van Barneveld missed three further match darts, with two at double four and one at double two, the 30-year-old composed himself before stepping up to hit the winning double one.
Lewis’ semi-final had also gone all the way, as he ended Taylor’s 14-game winning run on the PDC World Series of Darts with a sensational 10-9 win in an equally dramatic deciding leg.
Taylor had claimed wins in Japan, Perth and Sydney ahead of the PDC’s debut in Auckland, and overcame Craig Caldwell and Simon Whitlock with superb displays to reach the last four.
He also looked on course to move into the final when he stormed into a 4-1 lead, taking out 78, 85 and double 16 before punishing a missed bullseye from Lewis in the fifth leg by following up a 174 score with a stunning 131 checkout.
Lewis replied with a 180 and double ten and landed a further two maximums in the seven, only to be left reeling once more as Taylor took out 121 on the bull for a 5-2 cushion.A fifth maximum in four legs helped Lewis to kick-start his resurgence in the eighth leg, as double 18 hit back before he finished double 16 and double 12 to level the contest.
Taylor’s 76 finish edged him back ahead before Lewis landed double 14 to level, but the 16-time World Champion again moved clear as he followed a third-dart double eight with double 12 to take an 8-6 lead.Double ten saw Lewis respond in the 15th, and he hit six perfect darts with two 180s in levelling the contest in the next at 8-8.
Taylor again found another effort, hitting a 180 and taking out 122 on double 16 for a 12-darter to move 9-8 up and to the brink of victory, but Lewis finished a 14-darter on double eight to force a decider.Nerves hit both players, with Taylor first to a finish only to miss four darts at double top and ten to claim victory, allowing his rival to sneak back in and finish 48 on double 16 to snatch victory – leading for the very first time in the game with his final dart.
Van Barneveld had won through to his second World Series of Darts final with a fine 10-6 win over battling James Wade in their last four clash at the Trusts Arena.After the opening two legs went against the throw – as van Barneveld kicked off the game with a 180 and landed double 12 before Wade levelled with a 111 finish – the left-hander traded maximums and double top finishes with his opponent as he took a 3-2 advantage.
A missed bullseye from Wade to take a 4-2 lead was punished as van Barneveld posted double 16 as he embarked on a seven-leg surge, finishing 64 on double eight, double one, tops, double five and checkouts of 72 and 76 to move 9-3 up. He also kicked off the 13th leg with a 180, but a missed match dart allowed Wade in to finish 100 to stay in the game, and a further four chances went begging for the Dutchman in the next as the left-hander hit double ten to continue his revival.
Wade then hit a 180 and tops to win a third successive leg, but the five-time World Champion was first to a finish in the next and took out double 16 to seal his spot in the decider.Van Barneveld’s narrow defeat extends his wait for a World Series of Darts title, having previously reached the 2013 Dubai Darts Masters final.
The TAB Auckland Darts Masters concludes the PDC’s five international World Series of Darts events for 2015, with the top eight players from the final rankings progressing to compete in the 24-player World Series of Darts Finals at the Braehead Arena in Glasgow on November 21/22.
TAB AUCKLAND DARTS MASTERS
RESULTS
Final: Adrian Lewis 11, Raymond van Barneveld 10.
Semi-finals: Raymond van Barneveld 10, James Wade 6; Adrian Lewis 10, Phil Taylor 9.
Quarter-finals: James Wade 8, Peter Wright 5; Raymond van Barneveld 8, Michael van Gerwen 7; Phil Taylor 8, Simon Whitlock 6; Adrian Lewis 8, Gary Anderson 4.
First Round: Adrian Lewis 6, David Platt 2; Peter Wright 6, Mark Cleaver 1; James Wade 6, Paul Nicholson 3; Phil Taylor 6, Craig Caldwell 0; Raymond van Barneveld 6, Loz Ryder 0; Simon Whitlock 6, Stephen Bunting 4; Michael van Gerwen 6, Rob Szabo 3; Gary Anderson 6, Rob Modra 5.
ADRIAN LEWIS is aiming to continue his more deliberate approach as he targets further glory following his TAB Auckland Darts Masters triumph.
The two-time World Champion picked up his first televised title in an individual event for 18 months since his UK Open victory in Minehead.
Lewis overcame Gary Anderson, Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld in Auckland to take the win – following up his loss to Taylor in the Sydney Darts Masters by going all the way in the final international World Series of Darts event of the year.
Lewis is now aiming to continue that form across the remaining major tournaments of 2015 before he bids to win a third title at the William Hill World Darts Championship in December and January at Alexandra Palace.Darts World, October 2015
Images: PDC
From Darts World Magazine (515) October 2015
Pages: Darts World Magazine
