Phil Taylor beats Daryl Gurney to set up Michael van Gerwen Grand Slam showdown
Written by News on 19/11/2017
Phil Taylor, 10 years after winning his first Grand Slam of Darts, is on course for the title on his final appearance at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall after a vintage victory over Daryl Gurney.
From 4-4, the Power reeled off 12 legs in succession to record a 16-4 triumph that had echoes of some of his finest displays down the years.
Taylor earlier in the week had attempted to get inside Gurney’s head and claimed afterwards that the gameplan had worked perfectly. He then turned his attention to the night’s second quarter-final insisting he would do the same again no matter who prevailed.
That opponent will be Van Gerwen who managed to shake off Cross with a trademark burst to eventually account for the former electrician, playing the longest match of his meteoric rise through the ranks this year.
The pair racked up 21 maximums and seven 100+ finishes but a trademark burst from MVG saw him claim a 16-13 victory and a showdown with Taylor.
Van Gerwen needed to dig deep before accounting for Cross – who vowed before the match to take the game to the world No 1 and two-time defending champion.
The pace started relentlessly and didn’t let up throughout in a breathless affair that underlined Cross’ standing as the game’s fastest rising star.
The 27-year-old wasn’t even a professional 12 months ago, but after Van Gerwen fired six perfect darts in the opening leg, Cross served notice of his intent to pinch the leg with a 12-darter for a break of throw.
A clinical 112 finish put Voltage in front before MvG finally got on the board and then struck with a break of his own.
The back and forth nature of the contest continued with Van Gerwen pushing his average beyond 112 with an 11-dart leg and a 3-2 lead.
With Cross unphased, the pair continued to trade legs, Cross fighting back from a deficit to take a lead before Van Gerwen’s three-leg burst from 11-11 proved the deciding factor.
A 122 finish on the bull gave MvG a 12-11 lead despite being under pressure from a Cross 177 and when Van Gerwen found a 108 finish for a 13-11 lead, Cross wavered only slightly but it proved decisive.
With Van Gerwen a leg away from the match, Cross produced one last flourish to close to 15-13 and then miss darts for 15-14 that allowed the Dutchman to take his place in the semi-final and account for Cross again, although there were more positives than negatives in defeat for Voltage.
Taylor kicked off the evening’s action, with a ruthless display that saw him pounce on missed darts from Gurney for a 2-1 lead.
The Power, a six-time Grand Slam champion, found the first break of throw to lead 2-1 and, with the world No 4 poised to break back, Taylor took out the first of four 100+ finishes to forge two legs clear.
Double 16 kept Superchin in the contest and levelled the match at 4-4 but that was as good as it got for the man from Derry as Taylor steamrollered his way to 12 consecutive legs and a place in the last four
Sunday’s action pitches the top three players in the world after Van Gerwen joined Friday’s night’s winners Peter Wright and Gary Anderson – and they are joined by Taylor who is refusing to go quietly into retirement.
The Grand Slam of Darts continues on Sky Sports on Sunday with a double session, semi-final coverage is underway on Sky Sports Action from 1pm with the final on Sky Sports Arena and Main Event from 6.30pm
Keep up to date with the news as the tungsten enters its busiest time of year with the PDC World Championships just around the corner get all the latest at www.skysports.com/darts and join in the conversation @SkySportsDarts.
(c) Sky News 2017: Phil Taylor beats Daryl Gurney to set up Michael van Gerwen Grand Slam showdown
