Friday 12 December 2014 10:35, UK
Phil Taylor continued his love affair with Winter Gardens by landing a 14th World Matchplay title with an 18-13 victory over Adrian Lewis on Sunday night.
'The Power' lit up Blackpool once again with a clinical performance against his Stoke rival, averaging 111.23 on his way to a record-breaking sixth successive Matchplay crown.
A remarkable 28 180s were registered throughout an absorbing contest, Lewis firing in 19, although two missed darts at doubles when trailing 15-13 down proved costly for 'Jackpot'.
Lewis had booked his place in a maiden Matchplay final with epic 19-17 and 17-15 victories over Andy Hamilton and Michael van Gerwen respectively and took that momentum into the early stages against Taylor, his one-time mentor.
'The Jackpot' broke the throw on double seven for a 3-2 lead, the same double which had seen the 28-year-old edge out Van Gerwen the previous night.
Both players shared the second session but, from 6-4 down, Taylor pressed his foot on the accelerator, reeling off six straight legs to leave Lewis in his wake.
It was one of the best finals I've ever been in. It was a strange final and two winners there I think.
A 130 checkout put Taylor level at 6-6 and a sweet 123 finish put him ahead for the first time since the third leg of the match.
Lewis stopped a run of six losing legs on double one, however a 12-darter from Taylor kept his close friend at arm's length as he led 11-8.
The 180s continued from both players and an 11-darter from Lewis saw him break Taylor's throw for just the second time and reduce the gap to 11-10, however Taylor hit back instantly once more after his opponent had darted himself when shooting for double top.
That proved a huge moment and, with Lewis rattled, Taylor raced into a 14-10 lead in the blink of an eye.
The game looked up at that stage, however Lewis came roaring back once more before two costly misses when throwing to trail by just one in the 29th leg.
Taylor stepped in to hit tops and move 16-13 in front and sealed victory on the same double to extend his remarkable winning streak in Blackpool.
Speaking afterwards, Taylor to Sky Sports: "It was tough, trust me. He just kept hitting 180s and it was weird.
"It was one of the best finals I've ever been in. It was a strange final and two winners there I think.
"I'm 53 next month and that (victory) was massive."
