Grand Slam of Darts - Day Eight, Report and Statistics

TAYLOR DEFIES BRILLIANT LEWIS TO REACH WILLIAM HILL GRAND SLAM FINAL AGAINST THORNTON
PHIL TAYLOR won one of darts' finest ever matches to reach the William Hill Grand Slam of Darts final with a 16-9 defeat of Adrian Lewis, while Robert Thornton joined him in the decider by seeing off Scott Waites by the same scoreline in Wolverhampton.

Taylor and Lewis hit a PDC record 32 maximums during a spellbinding semi-final at the Wolves Civic, with the latter posting 18 and averaging 110.99 in a stunning display, only to fall to defeat to his Stoke rival.
Taylor set the tone for the game with a 180 in his first visit to the oche, and added another in taking the opening leg and a third in the next leg as he posted back-to-back 12-darters to lead 2-0. Lewis responded with three in as many legs as he moved 3-2 up, and though Taylor regained the edge with finishes of 14, 14 and 13 darts, Lewis replied with legs of 12 and 11 darts to level at five-all.
Taylor took out 167 to lead 6-5, only for Lewis to win three of the next four to lead 8-7 - only for the World Champion to find another gear to clinically take the next eight legs, finishing 160 and an 11-dart leg, as well as hitting six perfect darts of a possible nine-darter in moving 15-8 up. Lewis responded with a 13-darter, but even an 18th maximum was not enough as Taylor hit tops for a 14-dart finish which secured his place in the final following a classic contest.

"That was a great game and I'm absolutely delighted to have won it," said Taylor, who averaged 109.76. "We both got really wrapped up in the game and you lose track of what scores have been hit, but I loved it. I knew Adrian would come back at me and it was a matter of hanging in there, but he kept his level up all the way through the match and I just had to take my chances on the finishes."
Taylor will now return to play in his fifth Grand Slam of Darts final on Sunday evening, as he takes on Thornton to compete for the £100,000 first prize.
"It's going to be another tough match against Robert because he's having a great week and he fully deserves to be in the final," said Taylor. "I'll get myself ready for another battle."

Lewis' defeat saw him fall at the semi-final stage for a second time in three years to Taylor in Wolverhampton, and he admitted afterwards: "I don't feel as though I've lost - but if you average 111 there's probably only Phil Taylor who can beat you. I'm still in shock but Phil was fantastic. He's the best living sportsman in my eyes and it was a pleasure to be on stage with him today. That's the best match I've ever been involved in and Phil said the same to me at the end. I missed a couple of doubles but they couldn't have been any closer and Phil did what he does best, he punished me."

Thornton, meanwhile, overcame 2010 Grand Slam of Darts champion Waites 16-9 with another outstanding display, averaging 101.03 as he won through to the fourth major final of his career.
The Scot landed three 180s as he established an early 5-1 advantage, and he also landed an 11-dart finish as he moved 8-3 up. Waites' though, missed double 12 for a nine-dart finish in the 12th leg, before winning the next three legs in 13, 11 and 14 darts as he cut the gap to 8-7. Thornton then hit two 180s of his own as he regained some breathing space at 9-7, and he won the next two for a four-leg advantage before Waites hit back on double three. A 111 checkout sparked a run of four straight legs from Thornton as he moved 15-8 up, and though Waites briefly kept his hopes alive on double 16, the Scot took out double ten in the next to complete a memorable win.

"I'm very happy to be in the final and I really enjoyed the game," said Thornton. "It was a hard game and Scott kept coming back at me and pulled some brilliant legs out. I came out very aggressively, my scoring was good and my finishes were going in, and I think I took him aback a bit, but half-way through the match he started kicking in and played some unbelievable darts. I gave myself a kick up the backside when he got back to 8-7, and thankfully I managed to get the job done. I'm really enjoying myself and we'll see what happens in the final now. I'll take it one leg at a time and I'll give it my all."

Statistics
Ave180sDoublesPlayervPlayer Ave180sDoubles
101.03816/36Thornton 16:9Waites96.9879/33
109.761416/29Taylor 16:9 Lewis110.99189/24



FANTASTIC TAYLOR WINS FIFTH WILLIAM HILL GRAND SLAM OF DARTS TITLE
PHIL TAYLOR'S incredible run of success continued with glory in the William Hill Grand Slam of Darts for a fifth time on Sunday night, as he swept past Robert Thornton 16-6 in the final.

The World Champion's amazing 2013 continued as he followed up wins in the UK Open, World Matchplay, Sydney Masters, World Grand Prix and The Masters with a seventh major televised title as he took the £100,000 first prize in Wolverhampton.
Taylor followed up his stunning semi-final triumph over Adrian Lewis - in a game labelled by pundits as the greatest ever as the pair hit 32 180s and both averaged over 109 - with a dominant performance in the final to see off Thornton.
Thornton had seen off Scott Waites 16-9 in their semi-final earlier in the day, but missed nine darts at a double in the final's opening leg and never recovered as Taylor opened up a 5-0 lead in the blink of an eye. Taylor stepped in to take the opening leg on double four, finished 76 and 121 to take the next two and then punished further misses from the Scot to land double six and double two to win five unanswered legs. Thornton hit a 180 and finished 81 to get off the mark in leg six, and took out 116 and 121 as he pulled back to trail just 8-3. Taylor, though, hit double eight and tops to win the next two before producing a hammer blow in the 14th leg, taking out a majestic 164 finish with Thornton waiting on 36.
Thornton hit tops and double ten to win back-to-back legs for the first time in the game, and after Taylor replied on double 16, a 90 finish saw him pull back to 12-6 and threaten a comeback. A 98 finish, on double 19, saw Taylor restore his edge before he punished a miss from Thornton at tops, for a 116 finish, allowed the Stoke great in to hit double 16 in moving two legs from victory. Double ten saw Taylor edge towards glory, and when Thornton missed the bullseye to take out 83, the world number one finished 64 on double four to seal another imperious triumph and a fourth successive major televised title.

"I'm gobsmacked," said Taylor. "It was a tough field and this wasn't an easy title to win. It's been a very tough day and a long day. The semi-finals probably took a lot out of us, and the final was never going to be a big fiery final, but it was still a good performance. The game against Adrian is probably the best game I've ever played in my career - it was a belter. It was like a blur because we were both concentrating so hard, and it was blow for blow. Robert put the pressure on himself in the final and he shouldn't have been 5-0 down, but that set the precedent for the match because he was the better player in the first five legs and I was 5-0 up. I'm very chuffed with the whole tournament because it's been a great event. The atmosphere's been great, the crowd have been great and some of the players have really come back to form, like Robert, James Wade and Gary Anderson. The players are all building up to the World Championship, and I've got an eye on that too."

Thornton had overcome Taylor as he won the 2012 UK Open title, and admitted: "That's probably a bit of revenge for Phil and we're one-each now "I missed a few doubles at the start, and Phil took advantage of that. It's hard to come back from 5-0, and it was a little bit too late when the darts started to come, but that's darts for you. My overall performances were steady and it's hard to put into words what it means to reach the semi-finals and final. I think I surprise myself sometimes!"
Thornton had become a grandfather again earlier when his daughter gave birth to a boy, who was named Robert.
"I can't wait to get home tomorrow and get to hold him for the first time," said Thornton. "He's been named after me and seeing him will be the proudest moment of my life."
Statistics
Ave180sDoublesPlayervPlayer Ave180sDoubles
98.14216/39Taylor 16:6Thornton97.0226/23











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