Lewis takes first title

Adrian Lewis produced one of the most memorable displays in the history of the PDC World Darts Championships as he landed a historic nine-dart finish en route to lifting the title with a 7-5 victory over Gary Anderson.

The 25-year-old from Stoke, schooled in the game by 15-times winner Phil Taylor, racked up the first ever nine-darter in a world final as he lifted his first PDC crown.

He also landed 20 maximum 180s as part of a match total of 30 to beat Simon Whitlock’s record of 58 in the tournament a year ago, with his tally ending at 60.

“It hasn’t quite sunk in yet,” Lewis told Sky Sports 1 afterwards. “It took a lot of bottle for me to keep my courage after I’d done that nine-darter. I’m so over the moon but I need to push on now.

“I think I deserve it. Last night I had a brilliant night’s sleep and today I turned up and got the job done.

“I knew I had to come out strong against him and when I hit the two 180s, I knew that every day in practice I’d got close and missed the double 12. But I got it and I’m in dreamland.”

Taylor, who watched on from the crowd, added: “I couldn’t be more proud of him if he was my own son. It was a great final and I can’t say enough about the pair of them.

“It’s made me think to myself ’Phil, you’re not good enough anymore, these lads are better than you so go out and do something about it’.”

The game could not have got off to a more explosive start, with Lewis landing his memorable finish in just the third game before taking the set 3-1.

Clearly stung, Anderson was off colour in the next set which Lewis took 3-0, although he struggled to a double-one finish in the first leg.

Anderson cleaned up in the third set, which he took 3-0 thanks to two stunning checkouts of 130 and 136, with Lewis moving 3-1 ahead in the next thanks to a 78 finish against the throw.

That forced Anderson onto the offensive and a 12-dart finish set him on his way to the fifth set before he plundered a 164 checkout to move back to 3-3.

Lewis floated in a 10-dart finish in a seventh set that he took 3-1 thanks to a maximum in each of the successful legs.

The standard remained unbelievably high in the eighth set, with Lewis landing a 97 finish against the throw to move 5-3 ahead, before registering five maximums in a ninth set he also dominated.

Anderson fought back, though, taking the 10th set 3-1 against the throw, before getting back to 6-5 with a 3-0 win, Lewis missing a combined total of six doubles as he had chances to win each leg.

But Lewis would not be denied in the 12th set and finally clinched a brilliant win.