WORLD MATCHPLAY
Winter Gardens, BLACKPOOL
WITH AN 18-10 victory over Welshman Richie Burnett, Phil “The Power” Taylor achieved his fourth World Matchplay title and his second in a row at Blackpool’s famous Winter Gardens early last month.
With the score standing at 17-10 in the best-of-35-legs final, and the defending champion requiring double top, his hundreds of fans in the capacity 2,500 audience were on their feet in anticipation.
Their hero, milking the moment and enjoying the adulation, waited, smiled and, stepping up to the mark, duly dispatched the dart into its target.
A champion, indeed!
He had come through his most severe test for some time the previous night when Martin Adams stayed within his shadow for 20 legs, still to be in contention at 11-9 down, only for Taylor to break away without reply.
It was a semi-final of real quality and one which “Wolfie” Adams believed was always within his reach, even when one leg away from defeat.
“You have to believe that you can do it right up to the moment when the last double is sunk,”
he told Sky presenter Jeff Stelling afterwards. Taylor averaged a staggering 103 in the match.
Adams, like several others, made a huge impact on the week. His second visit to Blackpool saw him dispose of Mick Manning, Alan Warriner and the impressive Dennis Smith, a run which ensured him an automatic place in the line-up for the Paddy Power World Grand Prix in Dublin in October.
Smith, so often a gallant second-round loser, made it into the quarter-finals with a consistency only bettered by Phil Taylor himself. He averaged 90-plus in his first round defeat of Chris Mason, in his second round comeback against Ronnie Baxter and in defeat at the hands of Adams.
The Baxter/Smith encounter, in fact, was one of the most remarkable in a memorable week. “Rocket” Ronnie had deservedly gone into a 12-7 lead and, needing tops for a last eight place, missed. Smith stepped up to polish off 164, then 121 with the help of the bull. Six of the next seven legs saw him gain an unlikely 15-13 win.
That was the score by which Richie Burnett, a 10-6 first round winner against Bob Anderson, beat Dennis Priestley, also in the second round.This match, too, was as good as over when Burnett led 12-7. He was menaced by his Yorkshire foe to such an extent, though, that the game had to go into “extra time” at 12-12.
The former boxer just had enough left to provide a knockout blow. Burnett went on to beat another of the week’s heroes, Andy Jenkins, in a thrilling quarter-final before gaining revenge for his 1996 World Championship final defeat at the hands of Steve Beaton by a comfortable margin in the semi-final.
Bridesmaid
Jenkins, so often the bridesmaid in televised matches, got the better of twice former Matchplay champ and number four seed Rod Harrington, in the opening round. He then easily disposed of Nigel Justice but found Richie Burnett a little too hot to handle in the later stages of a cracking quarter-final match.
“That was the best week of darts for me. Now that I’ve broken the television hoodoo, I think I can go on to achieve a lot more,” Jenkins told me in an interview leading up to the final.
Steve Beaton and Roland Scholten were the subjects of another second round game which had 28 legs. Scholten refusing to lie down when 10-6 in arrears. The Dutchman pulled it level at 10-10 but, despite hitting eight 180s – the most in any match by an individual other than by Phil Taylor in the final – he lost 15-13.
Beaton had taken care of top seed Peter Manley 10-8 in the opening round and, showing continuing control it seemed, almost as much as the famous and popular resort. Millions over the seven days and nights had tuned into Sky Sports’ coverage.
At the end of the week which had seen Barry Hearn and others take over at the helm of the PDC with the promise of more such events at home and abroad, the feel-good factor was definitely around.
Flight first
Jamie Harvey was actually in front against the holder in the opening round – by 1-0! The Scot only won one more leg, though. And that came via a dart thrown at double ten flight first when the game was way out of reach.
It was in that opener that Taylor most threatened the nine-darter for which Stan James had put up a tempting £100,000. Six consecutive treble 20s were, sadly, not followed by a seventh and for the rest of the week the magical throw was rarely a serious consideration.
“That is the one thing that has disappointed me, not getting close to the nine-dart finish,” Phil Taylor said after he had been presented with his cheque.
The trophy for the feat, a beautiful gilt-leafed crystal glass dart board worth £5,000, was what “The Power” (and the rest) desired.
Richie Burnett was not short of support in the final. Nevertheless, his followers seemed swallowed up by the thronging thousands who had crammed into the Empress Ballroom for the final throes – and throws!
Taylor won the first session against the darts 3-2 and came back from the break to take the next two legs, one with an 11-darter, to go 5-2 up.
Burnett’s determination was to see him go into the second break at 5-5. Missed doubles cost him dearly, though, and Taylor went off the stage for a third mini-break 10-5 ahead.
With the help of his fifth and sixth 180s he took the fourth session 4-1 but the fifth went to Burnett 3-2 to make it 16-9 in the Englishman’s favour, only two away from victory.
The Welshman provided one of the highlights of the match, a 132 finish via 25, 57, 50, in taking the 22nd leg. He took the 26th leg, too, to move into double figures, but a 180 in each of the next two legs served Phil Taylor well and, by 18-10, he became the Stan James World Matchplay Champion, 2001.
“Richie never really got going as he can and he never really put me under pressure. He’s a great player, though, and he’ll be back,” hailed the champion in typically magnanimous manner.
“Playing Phil Taylor, the best there has ever been, is hard enough. With a big English crowd behind him, it’s near impossible and I didn’t find it hard,” Richie Burnett exclaimed.
Nevertheless, he pocketed £7,000 for his week’s work, while “The Power” picked up twice as much.
Good as any
The eighth World Matchplay at the Winter Gardens, it was generally agreed, was as good as any that had gone before.The biggest and best summer darts competition in the world provided thousands in Blackpool entertainment to match any other in the famous and popular resort.
Millions over the seven days and nights had tuned into Sky Sports’ coverage. At the end of the week which had seen Barry Hearn and others take over at the helm of the PDC with the promise of more such events at home and abroad, the feel-good factor was definitely around.
RESULTS
Round One: Peter Manley 8, Steve Beaton 10; Roland Scholten 10, Steve Brown 4; Dave Askew 10, Graeme Stoddart 8; Colin Lloyd 10, Cliff Lazarenko 12; Dennis Priestley 10, Kevin Painter 7; Bob Anderson 6, Richie Burnett 10; Rod Harrington 7, Andy Jenkins 10; Shayne Burgess 5, Nigel Justice 10; Alan Warriner 11, Denis Ovens 9; Martin Adams 10, Mick Manning 7; Ronnie Baxter 10, Peter Evison 3; Chris Mason 4, Dennis Smith 10; John Lowe 7, Phil Taylor 10; Jamie Harvey 2, Paul Lim 8; Alex Roy 10.Round Two: Steve Beaton 15, Roland Scholten 13; Dave Askew 9, Cliff Lazarenko 13; Dennis Priestley 13, Richie Burnett 15; Andy Jenkins 13, Nigel Justice 7; Alan Warriner 11, Martin Adams 13; Ronnie Baxter 13, Dennis Smith 15; John Part 13, John Lowe 7; Phil Taylor 13, Alex Roy 4.Quarter-Finals: Steve Beaton 16, Cliff Lazarenko 7; Richie Burnett 16, Andy Jenkins 13; Martin Adams 16, Dennis Smith 12; John Part 4, Phil Taylor 16.Semi-Finals: Steve Beaton 6, Richie Burnett 17; Martin Adams 9, Phil Taylor 17.Final: Phil Taylor 18, Richie Burnett 10.
PRIZES
1 (£14,000) Phil Taylor (Eng);
2 (£7,000) Richie Burnett (Wales);
3-4 (£4,000) Steve Beaton (Eng), Martin Adams (Eng);
5-8 (£2,000) Cliff Lazarenko (Eng), Andy Jenkins (Eng), Dennis Smith (Eng), John Part (Can);
9-16 (£1,500) Roland Scholten (Neth), Dave Askew (Eng), Dennis Priestley (Eng), Nigel Justice (Eng), Alan Warriner (Eng), Ronnie Baxter (Eng), John Lowe (Eng), Alex Roy (Eng);
17-32 (£1,000) Peter Manley (Eng), Steve Brown (USA), Rod Harrington (Eng), Shayne Burgess (Eng), Denis Ovens (Eng), Mick Manning (Eng), Peter Evison (Eng), Chris Mason (Eng), Keith Deller (Eng), Reg Harding (Eng), Jamie Harvey (Scot), Paul Lim (USA).
Images: Darts World magazine (Issue 346)
