The 2013 World Matchplay Thread

Will I Amnt

Cracking match that. Well deserved win for Lewis, just wouldn't let van Gerwen get into his stride. Hope he goes on to win the competition, great to watch in that form.

Washout

wade in for a hiding here i feel

Will I Amnt

Washout wrote: »

wade in for a hiding here i feel

Looking like it but Wade has started slow enough in his other matches. Can't afford to give Taylor a head start though.

Will I Amnt

Taylor let off the hook there. Pity about Wade starting so poorly again, did well to get back to 2 down.

Will I Amnt

All square, Taylor rattled and Wade very much improved. Wade's to lose the way it's been going since the 7th leg.

Washout

how did that just happen?

it always amazes me how Wadey just seems to silently plod along but be effective

windy shepard henderson

good stuff from wade!!

great to see taylor looking worried!!

Will I Amnt

Good effort from Wade, Taylor put the foot down in the last few legs there.
I fancy Lewis to take it tomorrow. He's been in great form and Taylor has been a bit patchy.

mdwexford

Please let Lewis beat Taylor tonight, would be so excellent to see.

briany

mdwexford wrote: »

Please let Lewis beat Taylor tonight, would be so excellent to see.

I can appreciate what you're saying from the perspective of cheering on the new blood but there's something about Lewis that rubs me the wrong way. I think what it is is that he has a gear that he only engages for the bigger tournaments where other times he seems like he doesn't want to know. Say what you like about Taylor but you never get that feeling with him.

I predict a narrow Taylor victory. Taylor's been run relatively close in every game of this tournament outside of the first round, I think, so the only thing I'd be wondering about is his mental stamina and fortitude to withstand the purple patch that Lewis is likely to have at some point(s) in the game.

michaelr666

Solid start for Lewis

briany

This looks likes it's going to be some game. Hope Taylor doesn't wilt if only for the sake of the entertainment factor. A one sided contest isn't much fun for most of us.

briany

Magic darts from Taylor in that session, a whitewash. Will be interesting to see what that does to Lewis psychologically.

robman60

Looking ominous for Lewis now.

briany

It mightn't have been so bad if Lewis hadn't darted himself for that D20. That shagged him up for the following leg as well. Taylor should romp home now.

barone

as good as lewis is playin he cant keep up, looks like ill be waiting to see taylor get wupped bad.. anything can happen but looks odds on taylor now.

he's just too good,still.

michaelr666

well done Taylor.

mdwexford

briany wrote: »

I can appreciate what you're saying from the perspective of cheering on the new blood but there's something about Lewis that rubs me the wrong way. I think what it is is that he has a gear that he only engages for the bigger tournaments where other times he seems like he doesn't want to know. Say what you like about Taylor but you never get that feeling with him.

His consistency and motivation are the flaws in his game.

When hes at the top of his game hes almost unplayable.

Taylor was unbelieveable tonight though.
111 average and a very high doubles percentage is impossible to beat.
He'll probably still be winning titles at 70 years old.

briany

mdwexford wrote: »

His consistency and motivation are the flaws in his game.

When hes at the top of his game hes almost unplayable.

Taylor was unbelieveable tonight though.
111 average and a very high doubles percentage is impossible to beat.
He'll probably still be winning titles at 70 years old.

Taylor's a freak. His desire to win will always be there, I think, and it's hard to see him walking away from the oche of his own volition because I don't think there's anything else that could fill that void for him so, yeah, I think will be there and winning more often than not for a while to come yet.

Lewis needs to take the kind of form he's known to possess into every tournament big and small before he can really say that he's a champion in character as well as in name and also, perhaps more importantly, so he could one day be worthy of taking Taylor's place in the centre of darts.

leggo

I think it's Taylor's raw competitiveness and ego, rather than just a sheer will to win, that sets him apart as a champion. Incidentally it's the same characteristics that also get him the most stick.

But you can see it: Lewis hits a 140 to make it look as if things are finally swinging his way. Taylor, even in a slump of form, calls on his competitiveness and muscle memory to knock in a matching 140 completely against the run of play. Then it's a staring match. Taylor goes shot-for-shot with his opponent until they blink and he takes out a devastating double until they're completely mentally shattered; destroying themselves mentally for missing chances while they had Taylor on the ropes (when really said 'chances' were just glimmers of hope before Phil woke up). He uses that momentum to then pull away, again regardless of what happened before that point, because he feels angry and slighted by the opponent's cheek in thinking they could hang with 'The Power'.

That's what champions are made of, more than anything. Not just a will to win, but an absolute refusal to lose.

I don't know if I follow along with the idea that Lewis needs to win more floor tournaments to show he's a champion, though. Sure Taylor hasn't done as many floor tournaments as he used to in recent years, and it's in the Players Championships and the likes that he's at his most vulnerable. How often do we hear of him, at the start of a TV tournament, having an average performance in the back arse of Holland the week before...only to go out and dominate the next week because, damnit, the world needs to remember he's the best to ever pick up a dart.

Contrary to popular belief, I don't think Lewis has that ego. Lewis loses games in his own head when the self-doubt starts creeping in. Look at the last shots he played tonight for all the proof you need: Taylor was sitting on D20 and Lewis on a 3-darter, but as soon as that single 5 went in, Lewis gave up and flung the other two darts at the board in frustration. When the reality was that Taylor was still reeling from his late barrage and, had Lewis set up a cushy one-dart finish to put pressure on Phil, he could have missed three at D20.

On their day, I feel Lewis is a better natural player than Taylor. Taylor's game is the sum of hours upon hours of endless construction and improvement; the old 'stacker' shots that Sid Waddell used to go on about being a prime example. Taylor has literally built every aspect of his game up to a point that nobody can compete, and that's not a slight or to say he's not naturally gifted (obviously he is). But Lewis plays shots that are just not physically possible at first glance. He'll throw one into T20, the other into the other side, leaving the middle of the bed wide open...then instead stick the third dart in the tiny 0.5mm gap in the corner beside of his second dart, an impossibly ridiculous shot. Just for the craic. It's as if his darts are magnetically trained on the right parts of the board when he's firing.

But the difference is that competitive streak, that ego. That refusal to lose. And, in that respect, the two are world's apart. Taylor has several multiples of the amount of tournament wins that Lewis has. You might say that he had a long head start, and that's true, but the gap won't close anytime soon unless Lewis works on getting his head right. Especially when Michael Van Gerwen looks to have a leg up on him in that respect, too. Unless he does develop that killer instinct, then despite having more natural darting ability than Taylor, Lewis will forever be seen as a Taylor-lite champion in the grand scheme.

mdwexford

Its not floor tournaments I want Lewis to win, its tv tournaments.
He only has three tv tournament wins, was only the two world titles until last month.
Thats just not enough for a player of his ability.

But lets not forget Van Gerwen broke onto the scene with a lot of hype six years ago and its only in the past year he has started to fulfill his potential.

Lewis or anyone else will never get a quarter of the amount of major titles Taylor has, hes the most dominant person in the history of sport, not just darts.

leggo

Agreed that nobody will touch Taylor's numbers, but when he either retires or his game goes dramatically goes downhill (though right now it seems more likely his game will only go downhill once he dies), then there's room for someone to dominate the game as he is now. Van Gerwen looks more likely. But if Lewis can just completely believe he's the big deal his game at his peak suggests he is, then I put him above Taylor, MVG, Barney, Anderson or anyone else at their peak. He needs to stop having several crises of confidence per match or he'll never get near the credit his talent deserves.

shockframe

leggo wrote: »

But the difference is that competitive streak, that ego. That refusal to lose. And, in that respect, the two are world's apart. Taylor has several multiples of the amount of tournament wins that Lewis has. You might say that he had a long head start, and that's true, but the gap won't close anytime soon unless Lewis works on getting his head right. Especially when Michael Van Gerwen looks to have a leg up on him in that respect, too. Unless he does develop that killer instinct, then despite having more natural darting ability than Taylor, Lewis will forever be seen as a Taylor-lite champion in the grand scheme.

I'd agree with everything you said except parts of this. Lewis displayed killer instinct and then some in the 2011 final against gary anderson who outside of taylor put together the most sensational darts on the way to a world final. Before that night Anderson looked unbeatable. He will always raise his game against the heavyweights (no pun intended) but will struggle against the nigel heydons and alan taberns of the darts world.

Him and MVG are roughly at the same level but Lewis has performed in the bigger tournaments and there is no guarantee MVG will carry on his form of late.

Lewis needs to get himself ready before games. There are times watching him play he has been an utter mess after 6 darts. In fairness to him though the last 4 weeks have probably been the best he;s ever played.

Taylor did brilliantly to win this year but lewis will never be as badly beaten as others would before a dart is thrown so that augurs well.ditto MVG. He needs to be consisntent now as you say because the game will be better for it.

That aside it was an absolute belter of an event especially from the quarter final stages.This on top of a rip-roaring european championships earlier in the month.The lewis trilogy (MVG,Hamilton and the final )was unbeliveable with the semi final one of the best games in history. Great final too.Lewis didnt throw more than 15 darts in any leg apparently.Have to hand it to Taylor. His will to win is out of this world.

Darts could well be the best sport around at the minute.Never ending drama.

leggo

shockframe wrote: »

I'd agree with everything you said except parts of this. Lewis displayed killer instinct and then some in the 2011 final against gary anderson who outside of taylor put together the most sensational darts on the way to a world final. Before that night Anderson looked unbeatable. He will always raise his game against the heavyweights (no pun intended) but will struggle against the nigel heydons and alan taberns of the darts world.

I'd agree, sure he's the only player to ever hit a 9-darter in a World Final, but what did he do after that (until the next Worlds)? He didn't even qualify for the Premier League playoffs. His struggles in the Premier League, actually, sum up Lewis' problems perfectly: incredible at times, but incapable of keeping his game at that level from week-to-week.

He can show that killer instinct. But the massive difference between him and Taylor is that Taylor has that killer instinct all the time. From leg-to-leg, match-to-match, tournament-to-tournament. As much as Taylor suffers from a lapse of form then kicks back into beast mode, Lewis does the exact opposite by playing great darts then just switching off.

StephenHendry

well done to phil, incredible performance averaging 111. lewis was superb as well, i didn't think he would beat mvg in the semi. hopefully lewis will kick on from here, he's capable of winning the grand prix or gsod later on this year but at times consistency , concentration goes from him at times during games. i think he hit around 20 180s in the final along with mvg , aidy is great to watch on form

briany

You'd need a certain amount of time, 2 or maybe 3 years and several meetings vs. Taylor to really assess how players like Lewis and MVG are shaping up and whether they're worthy of claiming to be 'the best in the world', as Lewis claimed he was. I can't take a player seriously as a contender for the top spot unless he beats Taylor, and repeatedly, on the bigger stages.

How many players has this happened to - they live with Taylor for a year, maybe two, they win a final against him or win a big competition where Taylor got sniped early on. Then Taylor hits the practice board with a vengeance and comes roaring back, laying waste to his newly touted rival in a final or semi. Taylor has broken players in this way time and time again. Who knows what kind of dominance players like Barney, Anderson, Part, Harrington, Wade, Manley and Priestly, to name a few, could have or have had if they were not required to bang their heads against the Taylor wall?