WRITTEN BY SEAN BROWN
It's been another brilliant year of memorable moments, controversy and tungsten brilliance. Here, I review the 2015 year in Darts.
Best Tournament
For me, the Premier League Darts was the best and most entertaining tournament of the year.
10 players started off—Michael van Gerwen, Phil Taylor, Gary Anderson, Adrian Lewis, Peter Wright, Dave Chisnall, James Wade, Raymond van Barnaveld, Stephen Bunting and Kim Huybrechts—they battled it out over 16 weeks for the prestigious trophy but only one prevailed: World Champion Gary Anderson.
The Flying Scotsman dismantled World No.1 Michael van Gerwen 11-7 in the final after narrowly sneaking past Dave Chisnall for a place in the final.
Dave Chisnall was a revelation throughout the 16-week tournament, and produced a commendable display in his semi-final versus Anderson but could not get the job done against the Champion of the World.
In the first semi-final, the aforementioned Chisnall and Anderson locked horns for a place in the final.
At eight legs apiece, Chisnall regained his advantage as he moved one leg within the final, only for Anderson to show his pedigree and bring the game to 9-9 and into a last-leg thriller.
After a requisite 180, Chisnall appeared to have the game at the palm of his hand but missed double four, paving the way for Anderson who hit a scintillating 116 to break Chisnall's heart at the final hurdle.
Meanwhile, Michael van Gerwen destroyed Raymond van Barnaveld in their playoff tie to book his place in the final.
The tie looked to mirror Chisnall and Anderson's encounter at 7-7 but van Gerwen proved just too good for his Dutch compatriot and prevailed 10-8.
Barnaveld did fantastic to get to this semi-final, as he looked destined to exit the tournament on Judgement Night if it weren't for a magnificent display against eventual champion Gary Anderson.
In the final, Anderson reigned supreme, after van Gerwen floundered at the doubles all night and Anderson hit a series of magnificent checkouts.
Van Gerwen led 2-0 but Anderson showed his class by winning seven of the next eight legs to lead 7-3. The Green Machine missed double after double, not befitting of his world No.1 status, and in the blink of an eye Anderson led 9-6 after van Gerwen let opportunities aplenty slip.
Eventually, Anderson raced over the line and added the Premier League to his array of titles.
Though he did not feature in the semi-finals, the news that Phil Taylor failed to qualify for the stage dominated the headlines. Prevailing in those nip-and-tuck legs, the ability to capitulate opponents—two that Taylor has become accustomed to over the past 20 years—were missing.
In this moment of time, he can beat good players like Dave Chisnall or Raymond van Barnaveld on his day but not necessarily great players like van Gerwen or Anderson. Both Anderson and van Gerwen, have that capability in abundance.
This, though, is a sportsman that trades on his competitive steel. One senses Phil Taylor isn't finished yet.
Taylor's shocking exit, Chisnall's revelation, van Barnaveld's revival and Anderson making it a magnificent double meant for the best tournament of the year.
Best Young Player (25 or Under)
It has to go to Michael Smith, hasn't it? The St Helens superstar has moved up 14 rankings in 2015, and currently stands as world No.8. Smith reached the last eight of the Worlds this year, beating his previous best in 2014. That was of course the year he astonishingly knocked out Taylor in the second round.
Smith is ranked 2nd in the PDC Tour Order of Merit at just 25, and has enjoyed success aplenty on the tour in 2015.
He's a heavy-scorer, a natural and copious hitter of 180s, which is important. Michael is a player having the blitzes of five or six legs that sees him take his opponent apart at the moment; see the Benito van de Pas encounter in this year's Worlds, he passed all the examinations with a grade A.
He's in the mould of MVG and Anderson when he's flowing like he was against van de Pas—12 180s incidentally—just a bit of patching up on the doubles, and he'll be a top, top player.
Against Barney in the quarterfinals, he was cruising 3-0 in sets—blitzing van Barnaveld, the 5-time World Champion—but Barney resisted quietly and, against all expectations, Smith suddenly crumpled, throwing his loosest darts of the championship as Barney began to assert one of his more glacial rhythms on the Oche, taking the next four sets & placing a bulwark in the way of his opponents' momentum.
Suddenly it was the World Youth champion thrusting his hips in coquettish satin-shirted glee once again, taking the eight set and the next two legs but missing tops to end Barney's fairy-tale run in the ninth. As RvB took the third leg, Smith buckled again, paving the way for the 5-time champion to capture the next three legs and book his place in the final.
Of course Smith will be disappointed. He had a match-dart at tops but hit it just under the wire, and will be accused of having choked horribly here. But it has been a great year for the St. Helens man. And a year that he will look to better in 2016.
Best Player
You don't have to have a functional cortex to realise Michael van Gerwen was by-far-and-away the best player on the PDC circuit in 2015.
Though losing to Raymond van Barnaveld in the last 16 of the 2015/16 World Championships, Van Gerwen averaged 105.78—the highest losing average ever at the Worlds—such has been his form this year; even the few times he's lost, his average has been simply and utterly ridiculous. The fact that he lost the match with that average is nonsense; to say that Barney deserved to win would be a complete disservice to The Green Machine.
But this defeat doesn't diminish his array of achievements in 2015—apart from both Worlds (2014/15 & and 2015/16) van Gerwen has reached the final in every single televised PDC tournament this year, winning the World Matchplay, Grand Slam, UK Open, Masters, European Championship and Players Championship final while finishing runner-up in the Premier League and Grand Prix where he missed an extraordinary 47 doubles in his final loss to Robert Thornton in Dublin.
His trademark physical show of aggression leaves his opponents not just looking puzzled but also fretful. The 26-year-old releases the dart, his arm flexing smoothly like a man changing gear in his Mercedes, MVG throws with his whole body, leaning forward and addressing the board as though, deep down, he wants to rip his head off.
The fact that he has dominated the PDC Tour and most of the televised events this year is a remarkable achievement. Especially considering the quality around these days. He's still by far the best in the business regardless who wins the Worlds.
"It hurts me so much to be out of the Worlds. Especially after such a fantastic year," he said on social media on Wednesday. You bet it hurts him. He was gutted in his interview with Sky Sports. He wants to win everything possible. That's a brilliant mindset to have and a mindset that will push him to win more and more in the future.
An absolutely fantastic 2015 for MvG, but a year he will look to build on in 2016.
Best Tournament
For me, the Premier League Darts was the best and most entertaining tournament of the year.
10 players started off—Michael van Gerwen, Phil Taylor, Gary Anderson, Adrian Lewis, Peter Wright, Dave Chisnall, James Wade, Raymond van Barnaveld, Stephen Bunting and Kim Huybrechts—they battled it out over 16 weeks for the prestigious trophy but only one prevailed: World Champion Gary Anderson.
The Flying Scotsman dismantled World No.1 Michael van Gerwen 11-7 in the final after narrowly sneaking past Dave Chisnall for a place in the final.
Dave Chisnall was a revelation throughout the 16-week tournament, and produced a commendable display in his semi-final versus Anderson but could not get the job done against the Champion of the World.
In the first semi-final, the aforementioned Chisnall and Anderson locked horns for a place in the final.
At eight legs apiece, Chisnall regained his advantage as he moved one leg within the final, only for Anderson to show his pedigree and bring the game to 9-9 and into a last-leg thriller.
After a requisite 180, Chisnall appeared to have the game at the palm of his hand but missed double four, paving the way for Anderson who hit a scintillating 116 to break Chisnall's heart at the final hurdle.
Meanwhile, Michael van Gerwen destroyed Raymond van Barnaveld in their playoff tie to book his place in the final.
The tie looked to mirror Chisnall and Anderson's encounter at 7-7 but van Gerwen proved just too good for his Dutch compatriot and prevailed 10-8.
Barnaveld did fantastic to get to this semi-final, as he looked destined to exit the tournament on Judgement Night if it weren't for a magnificent display against eventual champion Gary Anderson.
In the final, Anderson reigned supreme, after van Gerwen floundered at the doubles all night and Anderson hit a series of magnificent checkouts.
Van Gerwen led 2-0 but Anderson showed his class by winning seven of the next eight legs to lead 7-3. The Green Machine missed double after double, not befitting of his world No.1 status, and in the blink of an eye Anderson led 9-6 after van Gerwen let opportunities aplenty slip.
Eventually, Anderson raced over the line and added the Premier League to his array of titles.
Though he did not feature in the semi-finals, the news that Phil Taylor failed to qualify for the stage dominated the headlines. Prevailing in those nip-and-tuck legs, the ability to capitulate opponents—two that Taylor has become accustomed to over the past 20 years—were missing.
In this moment of time, he can beat good players like Dave Chisnall or Raymond van Barnaveld on his day but not necessarily great players like van Gerwen or Anderson. Both Anderson and van Gerwen, have that capability in abundance.
This, though, is a sportsman that trades on his competitive steel. One senses Phil Taylor isn't finished yet.
Taylor's shocking exit, Chisnall's revelation, van Barnaveld's revival and Anderson making it a magnificent double meant for the best tournament of the year.
Best Young Player (25 or Under)
It has to go to Michael Smith, hasn't it? The St Helens superstar has moved up 14 rankings in 2015, and currently stands as world No.8. Smith reached the last eight of the Worlds this year, beating his previous best in 2014. That was of course the year he astonishingly knocked out Taylor in the second round.
Smith is ranked 2nd in the PDC Tour Order of Merit at just 25, and has enjoyed success aplenty on the tour in 2015.
He's a heavy-scorer, a natural and copious hitter of 180s, which is important. Michael is a player having the blitzes of five or six legs that sees him take his opponent apart at the moment; see the Benito van de Pas encounter in this year's Worlds, he passed all the examinations with a grade A.
He's in the mould of MVG and Anderson when he's flowing like he was against van de Pas—12 180s incidentally—just a bit of patching up on the doubles, and he'll be a top, top player.
Against Barney in the quarterfinals, he was cruising 3-0 in sets—blitzing van Barnaveld, the 5-time World Champion—but Barney resisted quietly and, against all expectations, Smith suddenly crumpled, throwing his loosest darts of the championship as Barney began to assert one of his more glacial rhythms on the Oche, taking the next four sets & placing a bulwark in the way of his opponents' momentum.
Suddenly it was the World Youth champion thrusting his hips in coquettish satin-shirted glee once again, taking the eight set and the next two legs but missing tops to end Barney's fairy-tale run in the ninth. As RvB took the third leg, Smith buckled again, paving the way for the 5-time champion to capture the next three legs and book his place in the final.
Of course Smith will be disappointed. He had a match-dart at tops but hit it just under the wire, and will be accused of having choked horribly here. But it has been a great year for the St. Helens man. And a year that he will look to better in 2016.
Best Player
You don't have to have a functional cortex to realise Michael van Gerwen was by-far-and-away the best player on the PDC circuit in 2015.
Though losing to Raymond van Barnaveld in the last 16 of the 2015/16 World Championships, Van Gerwen averaged 105.78—the highest losing average ever at the Worlds—such has been his form this year; even the few times he's lost, his average has been simply and utterly ridiculous. The fact that he lost the match with that average is nonsense; to say that Barney deserved to win would be a complete disservice to The Green Machine.
But this defeat doesn't diminish his array of achievements in 2015—apart from both Worlds (2014/15 & and 2015/16) van Gerwen has reached the final in every single televised PDC tournament this year, winning the World Matchplay, Grand Slam, UK Open, Masters, European Championship and Players Championship final while finishing runner-up in the Premier League and Grand Prix where he missed an extraordinary 47 doubles in his final loss to Robert Thornton in Dublin.
His trademark physical show of aggression leaves his opponents not just looking puzzled but also fretful. The 26-year-old releases the dart, his arm flexing smoothly like a man changing gear in his Mercedes, MVG throws with his whole body, leaning forward and addressing the board as though, deep down, he wants to rip his head off.
The fact that he has dominated the PDC Tour and most of the televised events this year is a remarkable achievement. Especially considering the quality around these days. He's still by far the best in the business regardless who wins the Worlds.
"It hurts me so much to be out of the Worlds. Especially after such a fantastic year," he said on social media on Wednesday. You bet it hurts him. He was gutted in his interview with Sky Sports. He wants to win everything possible. That's a brilliant mindset to have and a mindset that will push him to win more and more in the future.
An absolutely fantastic 2015 for MvG, but a year he will look to build on in 2016.
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