Winmau MvG Diamond Edition Dartboard

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Van der Voort was then was forced to pull out ahead of his scheduled match against James Wade on Monday. Following Van Barneveld’s positive test, organisers insisted all necessary precautions were in place to safeguard players and fans at the event. Another Dutch player, Raymond Van Barneveld, had tested positive after beginning to feel unwell following his 3-1 defeat by Rob Cross on Thursday night. That was a great win,” Van Gerwen says, “especially as all the pressure was on me as the new world champion. Phil was a bit off that day but I played really well. In the early days against Phil, I lost eight in a row. But the first time I played Phil on TV I beat him in Holland 3-0. In television matches he’s 9-7 up. That shows we’re close in the big matches. We have a great rivalry and we like to play each other.” If it wasn't for a mid-match blip against Stephen Bunting, his journey to the final would have looked like an absolute procession.

He later added: "There were a few days at the weekend when I wasn't 100 per cent sure but that's why I played. My specialist told if I played, I could make it worse. But if I played then I needed rest and when I played I needed to keep my arm moving smoothly and that's what I did. Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary. Earlier, Peter Wright was well below his best in a 5-1 defeat to US qualifier Stowe Buntz, who averaged 102 – more than 20 points higher than his opponent. Smith, who defeated Nathan Aspinall to lift the Eric Bristow Trophy last year, averaged almost 99 to topple Scottish debutant Girvan and celebrate a 17th consecutive group stage victory at the Grand Slam. I just turn up and play darts now, and I giggle when I win," quipped Anderson, a runner-up to Van Gerwen in the 2016 edition.My practice over the [summer] holidays hasn't been great, but I'm coming here playing well; I've got new darts, they're going well. The pair have been involved in some memorable big-stage ties over the last 12 months, although Van Gerwen is in determined mood ahead of their latest showdown on Tuesday night.

I think I am half-German now!” joked Price, who has won four of the last five editions of the International Darts Open. Aspinall keeps the match alive with a finish from 57 to complete an impressive 15-darter. Can he win two more to finally get a set on the board?The continued rise of darts has been escalated by Van Gerwen’s colourful emergence – and his compelling rivalry with Taylor. “Darts gets bigger every year,” he says. “It’s really popular in Holland and, after football, it’s our most-watched sport. It’s the same in Britain and it’s amazing Sky are having their own darts channel for the world championships. That shows how popular darts has become. So I get stopped all the time now. Everyone notices me, the green shirt and my bald head. Daphne’s a hairdresser and of course she can’t do anything with me. But that doesn’t matter because it’s become like my brand.” Smith, visit one As Smith’s first dart thunks into the treble-20 bed, the Ally Pally crowd begins to stir. By the time his third slams into the same spot – barely a second or so later – the sense of anticipation is palpable. Van Gerwen’s scoring has threatened to blow his opponent away but here is a sign that Smith – looking smooth and relaxed in his throw – is not going to be cowed. When I was 4-0 down I just wanted to win a set and give him a bit of a game, and I did that. I wanted to make him win it, and he did.

Hopefully, the Ferret will come out on the winning side again. I want to lift every trophy that’s going, and I will try my hardest to do that.”Aspinall won't give up the ghost and holds his nerve on tops - with MVG also waiting on 40 - to hold his throw with a steady 16 darter. He really needs to win this set. Van Gerwen replied with another leg but the deficit was too much to recover as Price finally finished things off to claim his eighth Euro Tour title. Van Gerwen, who last won the title in 2016, only took the lead in the 29th leg despite a three-dart average of 101. However six missed doubles cost Van Gerwen the chance to level the match in the eighth leg and the Welshman took advantage to extend his lead. Fantastic from Aspinall, who takes out 89 with single 19, treble 20 and double five to deny MVG a chance to finish 44 following a pressurising visits of 140, 139 and 140.

He says: “I didn’t want to lose that one. I had a big lead but then you start looking at the trophy and that’s the worst thing … but I pulled it out at the right time. That was my sweetest moment in life. Nothing beats becoming world champion unless, maybe, you do it a second or third time. I would love to catch Phil but it’s not going to happen. 16 world titles is amazing. I’m trying to win 10 but there are so many good players. When Phil was on top he was so above everyone else. Now, it’s much more competitive.” The Asp looks as though he's carved out a pressure-free dart at a double to break MVG until the Dutchman throws a 180 to leave himself 30 - but nevertheless he pins double 16 with his first attempt for a classy and nerveless 13 darter. He's been phenomenal all week but I never gave in. It's another final and I'm very happy." MICHAEL VAN GERWEN ROLL OF HONOUR

International Open results

The real key to all this has been his doubling at both ends of the leg - but particularly at the start. His double-in percentage of 46% is far superior to Nathan Aspinall's 38.24% and if there's a big discrepancy on that metric tonight then it could well be one-way traffic. The final begins at around 1945 BST so between now and then we'll run through the routes to the final, tournament statistics, head-to-head records and some predictions. Luke is a good player. I helped him qualify last week by beating Scott Williams [in Budapest], but I’m just going to relax and play the board, not the player.”