Gerwyn Price won the PDC's William Hill World Darts Championship for the first time with a 7-3 victory over Gary Anderson at the Ally Pally and he's now replaced Michael van Gerwen as world number one.
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Gerwyn Price's remarkable journey from rugby union to the very summit of darts is now complete after becoming the first Welshman to be crowned PDC world champion as well as the organisation's world number one.
The Iceman, who was scoring tries in a domestic cup final for Cross Keys at the Millennium Stadium in 2012 before switching sports permanently two years later when coming through Q School, produced the kind of blockbusting performance in a one-sided 7-3 victory against Gary Anderson that had already helped him win five other major titles since his career well and truly took off with that infamous 2018 Grand Slam of Darts triumph over the Flying Scotsman.
Price's finishing during the majority of the contest was remarkable and at one point his checkout percentage was almost 80%, while he was frighteningly faultless on double top with his first 13 attempts at it.
During this breathtaking run that blew a stunned Anderson away, the 35-year-old also broke the record for the highest set average in World Championship history when he won the sixth with a ludicrous mark of 136.64 thanks to an 11-darter with 100 checkout, a 12-darter that he finished with a 161 checkout and then a 10-darter which was agonisingly close to a perfect leg.
Price's winner's cheque of £500,000 ends Michael van Gerwen's seven-year run at the top of the PDC's Order of Merit, which now means he's only the second active player to know what being world number one feels like.
He's the 10th player overall to reach the top of the rankings, following in the footsteps of Alan Warriner, Dennis Priestley, Rod Harrington, Phil Taylor, Peter Manley, John Part, Colin Lloyd, Raymond van Barneveld and van Gerwen.
Indeed, Taylor in his pomp may have struggled to deal with such an astronomical standard of play but he would certainly have punished him more than Anderson did when his levels started to drop as the inevitable finishing line nerves approached.
Even the double top bed started to shrink in size the closer to destiny he got but thankfully for him, the 2015 and 2016 champion was too far back and even started missing more and more doubles himself when the prospect of staging a dramatic comeback stopped looking so impossible.
The first signs of pressure finally started to show when Price led 2-0 in the seventh set and after spurning his first attempt at double top, Anderson clawed his way back and pinched it on a decider.
The Welshman, who also won the World Cup for his country this season as well as the World Grand Prix and World Series Finals, seemed to settle the wobbles by edging the eighth 3-2 for a 6-2 lead and then moved 2-0 up in the ninth but that's when they returned in abundance.
Price spurned nine match darts over the next two legs as Anderson kept the final alive - just - and looked as though he might take the 10th set as well before blowing two doubles when leading 2-1 and then a further four in the decider either side of the eventual champion missing another two title darts.
Eventually Price pinned double five with his 12th match dart and although those late struggles to hurl himself over over the line brought his average down to 100.08 and his checkout percentage to 45.61%, it was his performance over the first six sets of this final which will live long in the memory.
After lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy, the two-time Grand Slam of Darts winner told www.pdc.tv: "This means everything to me. It means the world. I bombed numerous opportunities to win it towards the end but I knew that I had put myself in such a good position that I would have another chance. Gary missed to give it me and I'm glad I took it.
"I've never felt pressure like that in my life. It was so tough to hit that winning double but the feeling after doing it is so difficult to explain. I'm the World Champion; it's unbelievable.
"I'm proud to be world number one too. It's probably even tougher to achieve that than it is to become World Champion. To manage both is incredible for me."
His historic triumph makes Price the 10th PDC world champion since it was first staged way back in 1994 and the first to have achieved the feat as a product of Qualifying School, having earned his maiden Tour Card in 2014 when MVG had just reached world number one.
MVG drops down to second but remains ahead of last year's world champion Peter Wright.
Playing in his fifth Ally Pally final - 10 years after his first and four since his last - Anderson never really got going apart from landing the seventh 170 checkout of the tournament and he finished up with a disappointing 94.25 average that wasn't helped by missing 49 attempts at doubles and being outgunned on the 180s front by 13 to 10.
"Getting beat in the final is disappointing but I'll give myself a pat on the back for getting this far," said Anderson, who has still moved up five places to eighth in the Order of Merit following a run that few predicted after a troubled season with injuries and form despite reaching the World Matchplay final and the Premier League play-offs.
"What I've done over the last few weeks has been a big bonus for me. I started the final alright but I started to struggle and you can't do that against players like Gerwyn."
Gary Anderson 3-7 Gerwyn Price: Final stats
Set Scores: 2-3, 3-1, 1-3, 1-3, 1-3, 0-3, 3-2, 2-3, 3-2, 2-3
- Averages
Anderson: 94.25
Price: 100.08 - 180s
Anderson: 10
Price: 13 - 140s
Anderson: 22
Price: 27 - 100s
Anderson: 56
Price: 62 - Doubles
Anderson: 18/67 (26.87%)
Price: 26/57 (45.61%) - 100+ Checkouts
Anderson: 170, 128
Price: 161, 120, 100
SCROLL FURTHER DOWN FOR THE FULL LEG-BY-LEG MATCH REPORT
Gerwyn Price's roll of honour
- Major PDC titles
2018 Grand Slam of Darts (16-13 v Gary Anderson)
2019 Grand Slam of Darts (16-6 v Peter Wright)
2020 World Series of Darts Finals (11-9 v Rob Cross)
2020 World Grand Prix (5-2 v Dirk van Duijvenbode)
2020 World Cup of Darts (3-0 v England)
- Major runner-up
2017 UK Open (6-11 v Peter Wright)
2019 European Championship (6-11 v Rob Cross)
2019 Players Championship Finals (9-11 v Michael van Gerwen)
2020 UK Open (9-11 v Michael van Gerwen)
- Non-televised titles
Belgian Darts Championship (2020)
International Darts Open x2 (2018, 2019)
Players Championship x8 (2016 x2, 2019 x3, 2020 x4)
Gerwyn Price's route to glory
- Rd 2: 3-2 Jamie Lewis (1-3, 3-1, 3-1, 0-3, 3-0)
Average: 91.97
180s: 5
Doubles: 10/29 (34.48%)
100+ Checkouts: 160, 116, 104, 100 - R3: 4-3 Brendan Dolan (3-2, 0-3, 3-0, 2-3, 3-0, 2-3, 3-2)
Average: 99.74
180s: 9
Doubles: 16/32 (50%)
100+ Checkouts: 170, 138 - R4: 4-1 Mervyn King (3-0, 1-3, 3-0, 3-1, 3-0)
Average: 97.71
180s: 4
Doubles: 14/27 (51.85%)
100+ Checkouts: 148, 116, 115 - QF: 5-4 Daryl Gurney (3-1, 3-0, 1-3, 1-3, 3-1, 3-2, 0-3, 0-3, 3-2)
Average: 96.36
180s: 9
Doubles: 17/36 (36.96%)
100+ Checkouts: 143, 108, 107 - SF: 6-4 Stephen Bunting (2-3, 3-2, 3-2, 3-1, 1-3, 1-3, 3-2, 1-3, 0-3, 1-3)
Average: 100.92
180s: 15
Doubles: 25/53 (47.17%)
100+ Checkouts: 140, 131, 128, 116, 112, 109, 103, 100 - F: 7-3 Gary Anderson (2-3, 3-1, 1-3, 1-3, 1-3, 0-3, 3-2, 2-3, 3-2, 2-3
Average: 100.08
180s: 1513
Doubles: 26/57 (44.61%)
100+ Checkouts: 161, 120, 100
Gerwyn Price's tournament stats
- Tournament Average: 98.44
Tournament Best: 100.92 - Total 180s: 55
180s per leg ratio: 0.29
Most 180s in a match: 15 - 100+ checkouts (Highest): 23 (161)
Most 100+ checkouts in one match: 8
100+ checkouts to win legs ratio: 0.21
Checkout % overall: 44.26% (108/244)
Best match checkout %: 51.85% (14/27) - Sets won/lost: 29/17
Legs won/lost: 108/79
Gary Anderson 3-7 Gerwyn Price: Leg-by-leg report
SET 10 SCORE: Gary Anderson 2-3 Gerwyn Price
MATCH SCORE: Gary Anderson 3-7 Gerwyn Price (Best of 13 sets)
- Leg Five
Gerwyn Price becomes World Darts Champion and the new world number one after finally getting over the line by converting his 12th match dart - on double five! He missed two more at double 10 in his penultimate visit only for Anderson to miss three of his own at tops to present the Welshman with yet another opportunity and this time he made no mistake! - Leg Four
Price is within a leg of glory again - and he'll be throwing for the match - after taking advantage of two missed darts at doubles from Anderson to break in 13 darts.
Anderson 2-2 Price
- Leg Three
An ironic celebration from Price who ends his double troubles on - yes, you've guessed it - tops to complete a classy 13-darter and that may well settle his finishing line nerves.
Anderson 2-1 Price - Leg Two
Price's levels are dropping and his body language is that of a man who is losing 6-3! Two more missed darts at a double allows Anderson to hold in 17 darts and double his advantage.
Anderson 2-0 Price - Leg One, Price to throw first
This could be the start of the most miraculous comeback in darts history and one of the biggest meltdowns. Price opened the set with visits of 140, 180 and 137 but he failed to take out 44 in two visits as Anderson punished him with a 70 checkout to complete a 14-dart break.
Anderson 1-0 Price
SET NINE SCORE: Gary Anderson 3-2 Gerwyn Price
MATCH SCORE: Gary Anderson 3-6 Gerwyn Price (Best of 13 sets)
- Leg Five
Anderson adds a degree of respectability to the scoreline by defying Price's 11th 180 of the match - not to mention his nine missed title darts in the previous legs - with a 13-dart hold to take the set.
Anderson 3-2 Price
- Leg Four
Price almost wins the title in style with a 116 checkout but he misses double tops before coming back and misses a further three at double 10. Anderson fluffs his two attempts to save the match when attempting to take out 92 but gets another repreive when Price spurns three at double five before the Scotsman takes the set to a decider.
Anderson 2-2 Price - Leg Three
Anderson misses four more darts at a double which allows Price his first attempts at the outer ring to take the title. However he misses both chances - one at tops and the other at double 10 - as the Flying Scotsman keeps the match alive. Just.
Anderson 1-2 Price
- Leg Two
Price hits double tops for the 15th time for a scrappy 21-dart hold after Anderson had spurned four darts at a double and that pretty much sums up the fortunes of both players tonight.
Anderson 0-2 Price - Leg One, Anderson to throw first
The Welshman is on the brink of glory after a 14-dart break which included his 10th 180 of the match while Anderson wasn't helped by an unfortunate bounce out.
Anderson 0-1 Price
Gary Anderson 2-6 Gerwyn Price (Best of 13 sets): Sixth interval stats
Sky Bet latest odds: Just in case there's a shock comeback and you'll want to know what the odds were - Anderson is 20/1 and Price is 1/100 . Click here now for all the Sky Bet live darts markets including most 180s & highest checkout.
- Averages
Anderson: 94.83
Price: 101.63 - 180s
Anderson: 8
Price: 9 - Doubles
Anderson: 13/41 (31.71%)
Price: 21/34 (61.76%) - 100+ Checkouts
Anderson: 170, 128
Price: 161, 120, 100
SET EIGHT SCORE: Gary Anderson 2-3 Gerwyn Price
MATCH SCORE: Gary Anderson 2-6 Gerwyn Price (Best of 13 sets)
- Leg Five
Price is almost there now after making the most of his ninth 180 by pinning tops yet again after Anderson's visit of 174 had left him waiting on the same target. Pressure? What pressure?
Anderson 2-3 Price - Leg Four
Anderson keeps his cool on double one for an 18-dart hold after watching Price miss the bullseye for what would have been a 72 checkout and the set.
Anderson 2-2 Price - Leg Three
Price lets out his biggest roar of the match so far but it's to greet an 18-darter after Anderson, who had earlier fired in his eighth maximum, had missed a dart at double 11 for a crucial break.
Anderson 1-2 Price
- Leg Two
Anderson may have been rattled inside but he's never let it show and some decent scores of 131 and 137 help him on his way to a 15-darter.
Anderson 1-1 Price - Leg One, Price to throw first
Price was furious with himself as he left the stage after letting that last set go but he looks back on track with two visits of 135 and 131 - either side of Anderson's seventh 180 of the match - on his way to a 13-dart hold.
Anderson 0-1 Price
Gary Anderson 2-5 Gerwyn Price (Best of 13 sets): Fifth interval stats
Sky Bet latest odds: Anderson is 6/1 having cut the gap but Price is still obviously a hot favourite at 1/10 to complete his victory. Click here now for all the Sky Bet live darts markets including most 180s & highest checkout.
- Averages
Anderson: 94.22
Price: 102.3 - 180s
Anderson: 6
Price: 8 - Doubles
Anderson: 11/34 (32.35%)
Price: 18/29 (62.07%) - 100+ Checkouts
Anderson: 170, 128
Price: 161, 120, 100
SET SEVEN SCORE: Gary Anderson 3-2 Gerwyn Price
MATCH SCORE: Gary Anderson 2-5 Gerwyn Price (Best of 13 sets)
- Leg Five
Comebacks have to start somewhere and perhaps it's now, even if it does seem a little too late. A third sloppy leg of darts in a row by Price, who had earlier missed five set darts in the last two, doesn't get an attempt at the outer ring on this occasion as Anderson finishes off a 17-dart leg to steal it and reduce the huge deficit.
Anderson 3-2 Price - Leg Four
The wheels have come off! Gerwyn Price has actually missed a dart at double top for the first time in the match...and he did so by missing double one. Anderson takes advantage by pinning double 10 for a 17-darter.
Anderson 2-2 Price - Leg Three
Finally Anderson halts Price's relentless charge - for the time being at least - by edging a scrappy 21-darter in which both players missed multiple darts at double. Even the Welshman missed four although none of them on tops, of course.
Anderson 1-2 Price - Leg Two
Make that 13 out of 13 as he follows up visits of 180, 100 and 177 to complete an 11-darter.
Anderson 0-2 Price
- Leg One, Anderson to throw first
Price continues the onslaught albeit with a mediocre 17-darter and he takes his perfect record on tops to 12 out of 12! Farcical.
Anderson 0-1 Price
SET SIX SCORE: Gary Anderson 0-3 Gerwyn Price
MATCH SCORE: Gary Anderson 1-5 Gerwyn Price (Best of 13 sets)
- Leg Three
Astonishing! Gerwyn Price opens up with 177 before landing a sixth 180 to give himself a chance of a nine-darter! He hits two more treble 20s but then just misses the double 12 before returning to hit it for a 10-darter. Even Phil Taylor in his heyday would struggle to live with this. Price averaged 136.6 in that set, the highest in World Championship history.
Anderson 0-3 Price
- Leg Two
Mind blowing darts from the Iceman as he now follows up scores of 140, 100 and 100 with a stunning checkout of 161 to complete a 12-dart leg. I can't keep up!
Anderson 0-2 Price
- Leg One, Price to throw first
Price is raising his game to new levels now as visits of 140, 121 and 140 before a checkout of 100 complete an 11-darter in a leg that Anderson fired in a 180 but could only get to 179.
Anderson 0-1 Price
Gary Anderson 1-4 Gerwyn Price (Best of 13 sets): Fourth interval stats
Sky Bet latest odds: Anderson might be friendless in the betting now at 5/1 while the submarkets are probably the place to go now with Price as short as 1/8 for glory. Click here now for all the Sky Bet live darts markets including most 180s & highest checkout.
- Averages
Anderson: 95.9
Price: 101.83 - 180s
Anderson: 4
Price: 5 - Doubles
Anderson: 8/22 (36.36%)
Price: 13/18 (72.22%) - 100+ Checkouts
Anderson: 170, 128
Price: 120
SET FIVE SCORE: Gary Anderson 1-3 Gerwyn Price
MATCH SCORE: Gary Anderson 1-4 Gerwyn Price (Best of 13 sets)
- Leg Four
The World Grand Prix champion is running away with this right now and his best mate is double tops! He's just pinned it for the 10th time in 10 attempts to complete a 76 checkout and a 15-darter. His scoring wasn't too shabby either with a couple of visits of 134 in his 15-darter but his finishing has been the key to this dominance.
Anderson 1-3 Price
- Leg Three
Finally Price shows he's human on the doubles when missing two darts to finish off 78 and Anderson returns to the oche, having previously missed two of his own, to pin double five for a 16-darter.
Anderson 1-2 Price - Leg Two
Unreal finishing from Price! He's now nine out of nine on tops but to get a shot at it from 97 he went single 19, double 19 which means he's now hit the outer ring 13 times from 16 attempts - even though his official checkout stats will say 12 from 15. If that makes any sense! Earlier in the leg Anderson hit his fourth 180 and followed it with a 140 to put pressure on Price's throw but failed to take out 96 with two visits, including a two spurned darts at doubles.
Anderson 0-2 Price - Leg One, Anderson to throw first
Anderson throws his third 180 of the match but it fails to mask over his problems as he later leaves 60 when trying to take out 90. Price takes full advantage with an 83 checkout to complete a 15-dart break.
Anderson 0-1 Price
Gary Anderson 1-3 Gerwyn Price (Best of 13 sets): Third interval stats
Sky Bet latest odds: Gerwyn Price is now hot favourite at 2/7 to win his first world title while Anderson is drifting out to 11/4. Click here now for all the Sky Bet live darts markets including most 180s & highest checkout.
- Averages
Anderson: 95.07
Price: 102.47 - 180s
Anderson: 2
Price: 5 - Doubles
Anderson: 7/11 (41.18%)
Price: 10/13 (76.92%) - 100+ Checkouts
Anderson: 170, 128
Price: 120
SET FOUR SCORE: Gary Anderson 1-3 Gerwyn Price
MATCH SCORE: Gary Anderson 1-3 Gerwyn Price (Best of 13 sets)
- Leg Four
The Iceman is looking like a warrior right now and shows absolutely no sign of pressure when pinning tops for the eighth time out of eight to move 3-1 clear in sets. He's only missed three darts at any double! At this moment in time, you'd never guess this is his first world championship final and Anderson needs to produce some old magic fast.
Anderson 1-3 Price - Leg Three
Finally Price joins the 100+ checkout club in this final thanks to a superb 120 finish to complete a 15-darter. Having landed a record-equalling eight of them last night, will the floodgates now open?
Anderson 1-2 Price
- Leg Two
Anderson initially spurned two darts at double to hold his throw comfortably but Price couldn't land a killer blow from 140 and the Flying Scotsman made no mistake on double two for a flakey 18-darter.
Anderson 1-1 Price - Leg One, Price to throw first
Price is pumped up right now and a fourth 180 of the match leaves him 84, which he takes out for a 15-dart hold at the start of this fourth set.
Anderson 0-1 Price
SET THREE SCORE: Gary Anderson 1-3 Gerwyn Price
MATCH SCORE: Gary Anderson 1-2 Gerwyn Price (Best of 13 sets)
- Leg Four
Price isn't fazed by the dramatic finale of the last leg as he races away with a hold in 14 darts to move ahead in sets.
Anderson 1-3 Price - Leg Three
The Big Fish is caught for the seventh time at this World Championship and this time it's Gary Anderson! The Flying Scotsman followed up Gerwyn Price's third 180 with a wonderful 170 checkout to complete a 12-darter and stay alive in the set.
Anderson 1-2 Price
- Leg Two
The Welshman maintains the momentum with a clinical 13-dart hold although Anderson did apply a little pressure on his tops by leaving 74.
Anderson 0-2 Price - Leg One, Anderson to throw first
Price blasts out of the blocks after the second interval with opening visits of 174, 134 and 130 before taking out 63 for a superb 12-dart break with Anderson waiting on 82.
Anderson 0-1 Price
Gary Anderson 1-1 Gerwyn Price (Best of 13 sets): Second interval stats
Sky Bet latest odds: Gerwyn Price remains favourite but he's now 5/6, with Anderson now even-money. Click here now for all the Sky Bet live darts markets including most 180s & highest checkout.
- Averages
Anderson: 94.04
Price: 97.63 - 180s
Anderson: 2
Price: 1 - Doubles
Anderson: 5/11 (45.45%)
Price: 4/7 (57.14%) - 100+ Checkouts
Anderson: 128
Price: NA
SET TWO SCORE: Gary Anderson 3-1 Gerwyn Price
MATCH SCORE: Gary Anderson 1-1 Gerwyn Price (Best of 13 sets)
- Leg Four
Price looked as though he was going to take advantage of Anderson's below-par scoring to break straight back but he missed two darts at double 16 for a 15-darter following a great set-up visit of 137 and the Flying Scotsman made the most of his reprieve by pinning tops to level up the match.
Anderson 3-1 Price - Leg Three
It doesn't take much for the tide to turn in darts and Anderson may have just done that in double quick time by breaking Price's throw with a 71 checkout - after the Welshman had left 90 from 150 - to complete a classy 15-darter that featured three 100+ visits.
Anderson 2-1 Price - Leg Two
Anderson's scoring is still well below his best but he may have just fired himself back into life after taking out 308 in six darts. With Price in full control of the leg against the darts, Anderson followed up his second 180 with a wonderful checkout from 128 for a much needed hold to steady the ship.
Anderson 1-1 Price
- Leg One, Price to throw first
Price makes it four legs on the trot with a comfortable hold in 14 darts that included a couple of visits over 100 and a finish of 59, whil;e Anderson was back on 156.
Anderson 0-1 Price
Gary Anderson 0-1 Gerwyn Price (Best of 13 sets): First interval stats
Sky Bet latest odds: Gerwyn Price is now 8/15 favourite after coming from behind to take the opening set while Anderson is 6/4. Click here now for all the Sky Bet live darts markets including most 180s & highest checkout.
- Averages
Anderson: 94.09
Price: 97 - 180s
Anderson: 1
Price: 1 - Doubles
Anderson: 2/6 (33.33%)
Price: 3/4 (75%) - 100+ Checkouts
Anderson: NA
Price: NA
SET ONE SCORE: Gary Anderson 2-3 Gerwyn Price
MATCH SCORE: Gary Anderson 0-1 Gerwyn Price (Best of 13 sets)
- Leg Five
Price ends his wait for his first maximum with his opening visit and although Anderson reached a finish first, he could only leave 40 from 112 before the Iceman followed up his prior a visit of 140 with a cool finish from 46 to take a set he looked almost guaranteed to lose when Anderson had darts to win it at 2-0 up!
Anderson 2-3 Price - Leg Four
A timely 140 after lukewarm start to the leg leaves Price with tops and he pins it at the first attempt for a 16-darter that forces a decider.
Anderson 2-2 Price
- Leg Three
Anderson finally hits the opening 180 of the final but he goes on to spurn four darts at doubles for the set and Price capitalises with an 84 checkout before letting out his first roar.
Anderson 2-1 Price - Leg Two
Sloppy start for Price on throw as he fails to get an attempt at a double and Anderson makes him pay with a 76 checkout for a 15-dart break.
Anderson 2-0 Price - Leg One, Anderson to throw first
No fireworks in the opening leg but it's Gary Anderson who manages to hold throw on double two for a 17-darter, with Gerwyn Price waiting on 40.
Anderson 1-0 Price
1950: After plenty of build-up on Sky Sports, the players are now out on the stage. Let battle commence!
1925: Now here's some suggested tips for anyone who fancies a flutter on the match, which will probably start in around 10 minutes or so. I did write an in-depth preview of the final which features a lot of what we've discussed in this blog so I may as well just list my selections to save you some reading time (but click here if you want all the reasons!)
- Gary Anderson to win the match, score over 13.5 180s and checkout over 132.5 at 5/1 (Sky Bet)
- Gerwyn Price to win the match, score over 13.5 180s and checkout over 134.5 at 9/2 (Sky Bet)
- Match to have over 45.5 legs, highest checkout to be over 150.5 and over 26.5 total 180s at 3/1 (Sky Bet)
- Both players to hit 15+ 180s each and also manage four 100+ checkouts apiece at 20/1 (Sky Bet)
- Both players to hit 14 or more 180s each at 9/4 (Sky Bet)
- Winning double to be double 10 at 5/1 (Most bookies)
Yes, I'm aware I've backed both Gary and Gerwyn with the first two bets but as I mention in my analysis, it should be a match of such high standard that this is potentially making a profit on whoever wins - although running the risk of losing twice! Overall I'd say my 'banker' bet is both players to hit 14 or more 180s each. They'd need to play 51 legs (maximum is 65) to reach that target based on their current 180 per leg ratios but I expect them to find another level from that tonight.
1920: Just so you don't have to do any number crunching from their route to the final stats below, I've done it for you. Once again, Gary Anderson's figures are on the left of each category...
- Tournament Average: 97.41 - 97.95
Tournament Best: 101.01 - 100.92 - Total 180s: 33 - 42
180s per leg ratio: 0.27 - 0.29
Most 180s in a match: 13 - 15 - 100+ checkouts (Highest): 11 (161) - 20 (160)
Most 100+ checkouts in one match: 4 - 8
100+ checkouts to win legs ratio: 0.15 - 0.24
Checkout % overall: 39.36% (74/188) - 43.85% (82/187)
Best match checkout %: 52.17% (12/23) - 51.85% (14/27) - Sets won/lost: 22/8 - 22/14
Legs won/lost: 74/46 - 82/61
In terms of averages, they have obviously been very similar overall, while their match-by-match averages have also followed a similar spread between the 92 and 100 mark. Neither have gone ridiculously high or into the tragic depths of the 80s.
Price has been more prolific on the 180s - and also has a marginally higher maximum per leg ratio - but the biggest difference between the pair has been the Welshman's superior finishing, especially in the 100+ range.
He equalled Michael van Gerwen's long-standing record for most ton+ checkouts in a single World Championship match with eight against Stephen Bunting, who also contributed to a record-breaking combined tally of 13, while he also managed 12 in his previous four matches which means his 100+ checkout per leg won rate is an insane 0.24. Anderson's 0.15 isn't too shabby by any means so let's hope for more blockbusting finishing tonight.
1915: By the way, if you want to look back at all the round-by-round results and match averages from the entire World Championship then just click here.
1910: By contrast, Gerwyn Price's run to his maiden Ally Pally final has been far more nerve-jangling for his supporters - although he never seemed fazed even during two last-leg deciders...
- Rd 2: 3-2 Jamie Lewis (1-3, 3-1, 3-1, 0-3, 3-0)
Average: 91.97
180s: 5
Doubles: 10/29 (34.48%)
100+ Checkouts: 160, 116, 104, 100 - R3: 4-3 Brendan Dolan (3-2, 0-3, 3-0, 2-3, 3-0, 2-3, 3-2)
Average: 99.74
180s: 9
Doubles: 16/32 (50%)
100+ Checkouts: 170, 138 - R4: 4-1 Mervyn King (3-0, 1-3, 3-0, 3-1, 3-0)
Average: 97.71
180s: 4
Doubles: 14/27 (51.85%)
100+ Checkouts: 148, 116, 115 - QF: 5-4 Daryl Gurney (3-1, 3-0, 1-3, 1-3, 3-1, 3-2, 0-3, 0-3, 3-2)
Average: 96.36
180s: 9
Doubles: 17/36 (36.96%)
100+ Checkouts: 143, 108, 107 - SF: 6-4 Stephen Bunting (2-3, 3-2, 3-2, 3-1, 1-3, 1-3, 3-2, 1-3, 0-3, 1-3)
Average: 100.92
180s: 15
Doubles: 25/53 (47.17%)
100+ Checkouts: 140, 131, 128, 116, 112, 109, 103, 100
Price initially struggled to show the form that had helped him win so many titles this season and three of his first four matches went the full distance in sets and two of those - against Brendan Dolan and Daryl Gurney - went to sudden death legs, with Price pinching them both under intense pressure when his opponents waited on 72 and 52 respectively.
Heading into the semi-finals, Price and Bunting had been involved in four of the 15 sudden-death deciders during the tournament and it looked as though another decider was on the cards when the Iceman trailed 4-3 before he won nine of the next 11 legs to race through the next three sets.
The Welshman did win one match at a canter when defeating Mervyn King 4-1 but that was achieved with an average of 97.71 and he'll need to perform to the standards he showed against Bunting at the very least to live with a legend who knows exactly what it takes to win a best-of 13-sets showdown.
1905: So how did both players get this far? Let's start with Gary Anderson...
- Rd 2: 3-1 Madars Razma (3-0, 1-3, 3-1, 3-2)
Average: 96.86
180s: 4
Doubles: 10/26 (38.46%)
100+ Checkouts: 161, 101 - R3: 4-3 Mensur Suljovic (3-2, 2-3, 3-2, 0-3, 0-3, 3-0, 3-0)
Average: 92.49
180s: 5
Doubles: 14/47 (29.79%)
100+ Checkouts: 156, 130, 106, 102 - R4: 4-0 Devon Petersen (3-0, 3-2, 3-2, 3-0)
Average: 95.55
180s: 5
Doubles: 12/23 (52.17%)
100+ Checkouts: 160 - QF: 5-1 Dirk van Duijvenbode (1-3, 3-1, 3-0, 3-0, 3-1, 3-2)
Average: 101.07
180s: 6
Doubles: 16/32 (50%)
100+ Checkouts: 131, 127 - SF: 6-3 Dave Chisnall (2-3, 3-2, 2-3, 1-3, 3-1, 2-3, 3-1, 0-3, 0-3)
Average: 100.03
180s: 13
Doubles: 22/60 (36.67%)
100+ Checkouts: 124, 116
Gary Anderson has pretty much coasted through but his one major scare came in that bizarre battle with Mensur Suljovic last Monday night - after which he'd express his frustration over the apparent rising gamesmanship in darts.
He got over that quickly and dropped a combined 11 legs against Devon Petersen and Dirk van Duijvenbode, who have both been two of the breakthrough stars of 2020, thanks largely to his ruthless finishing of over 50% which was a significant improvement on what he managed against Madars Razma and Suljovic.
His finishing dropped off again in his semi-final with Chizzy and he was quick to brand that performance 'terrible' despite still managing to post a second 100+ average of the tournament so far.
1855: Touching on the below update it's perhaps important to note that Gerwyn Price has scooped eight of his titles this season - more than any other player - having won the World Grand Prix, World Series, World Cup, Belgian Darts Championship and four Players Championship events on the floor. As previously mentioned, Anderson's sole title was the Players Championship event back in February in which he beat Price along the way.
1850: If you want a refresh on their major career honours so far, then search wikipedia no longer. Gary Anderson has won 46 PDC titles overall since coming over from the BDO - where he'd never managed to claim the Lakeside title - and 15 of those have been in front of the TV cameras. There's always debate about what consists as a major but in the lists below I've just ruled out the globe-trotting 'World Series' events - of which he's managed to win six - but kept in the Champions League and the World Cup of Darts. That leaves him with nine 'majors' by my unofficial reckoning but it could have been more had he not lost as many as 12 major finals, including this year's World Matchplay to Dimitri Van den Bergh.
As for Gerwyn Price, well he began picking up floor titles with two in 2016 but his overall tally has shot up 17 since 2018 with five majors (although my inclusion of this year's World Series of Darts Finals may be called into question) and 10 non-televised ones. He has also lost four major finals including the 2020 UK Open to Michael van Gerwen.
GARY ANDERSON'S MAJOR TITLES
- 2011 Premier League (10-4 v Adrian Lewis)
2014 Players Championship Finals (11-6 v Adrian Lewis)
2015 World Darts Championship (7-6 v Phil Taylor)
2015 Premier League (11-7 v Michael van Gerwen)
2016 World Darts Championship (7-5 v Adrian Lewis)
2018 UK Open (11-7 v Corey Cadby)
2018 World Matchplay (21-19 v Mensur Suljovic)
2018 Champions League of Darts (11-4 v Peter Wright)
2019 World Cup of Darts (3-1 v Ireland)
GERWYN PRICE'S MAJOR TITLES
- 2018 Grand Slam of Darts (16-13 v Gary Anderson)
2019 Grand Slam of Darts (16-6 v Peter Wright)
2020 World Series of Darts Finals (11-9 v Rob Cross)
2020 World Grand Prix (5-2 v Dirk van Duijvenbode)
2020 World Cup of Darts (3-0 v England)
1835: Right, so we've toughed on their biggest previous meeting but what about the rest of their head-to-head record. This is their 16th ever meeting but their first in set-play format and although Gary Anderson holds the edge with eight wins, Gerwyn Price has won five of their last six on TV, including 'that' final. They are 2-2 this year, with both of Price's coming in the Premier League post lockdown whereas Anderson's two both came in February. One of them came on the floor of the Players Championship arena where he went on to win his sole title of 2020. Here's all the TV results and those in 2020, with Anderson's figures on the left in each one.
- Overall H2H: 8-7
- Televised Meetings: 4-5
2020 Premier League: 3-8 (Group, Sep 20)
2020 Premier League: 1-7 (Group, Aug 26)
2020 Masters: 10-2 (QF, Feb 2)
2019 Grand Slam of Darts: 9-16 (QF, Nov 16)
2019 US Darts Masters: 6-8 (QF, Jul 5)
2018 Grand Slam of Darts: 13-16 (Final, Nov 18)
2018 Premier League: 7-3 (Group, Feb 8)
2018 Masters: 10-6 (QF, Jan 28)
2017 World Series of Darts Finals: 10-8 (QF, Nov 5) - All 2020 Meetings: 2-2
Premier League: 3-8 (Group, Sep 20)
Premier League: 1-7 (Group, Aug 26)
Players Championship: 6-3 (Rd 3, Feb 6)
Masters: 10-2 (QF, Feb 2)
1825: Before we go into head-to-head records more closely, you'll no doubt have heard plenty of references to the infamous 2018 Grand Slam of Darts final over the past 24 hours. Neither player have ever liked talking about it - especially Price due to the massive £10,000 fine that ate considerably into his winnings of £100,000 - and although they'll never be on each others' Christmas card list, there does at least seem to be a mutual 'respect' of sorts now which has ensured none of their five televised meetings since have spiralled out of control.
Here is how that match unfolded but you "may" want to fast-forward to 53 minutes and 10 seconds.
Also, you might want to remind yourself of 'that' post-match interview Gerwyn Price gave amidst a sea of boos. If you're a Price fan you'll laugh, if you're an Anderson fan, it'll fire you up even more for tonight.
1815: As far as nine-dart finishes go, we've already had the 10th in PDC World Championship history thanks to James Wade's unenthusiastic efforts in round three - while it was also the fifth time when the player who achieved perfection ended up losing the leg.
You can back either player at 16/1 to hit a nine-darter tonight while you can take the safer option of backing them together at 8/1 or shoot for the moon with the 100/1 available on them both to do it!
The list of all 10 - plus a link to watch them all - is available below but here's the moment Gary Anderson got himself on that list during his stunning performance against Jelle Klaasen in the 2016 semi-finals.
- Raymond van Barneveld - 2009 (QF win v Jelle Klaasen)
- Raymond van Barneveld - 2010 (2nd Rd win v Brendan Dolan)
- Adrian Lewis - 2011 (Final win v Gary Anderson)
- Dean Winstanley - 2013 (2nd Rd loss v Vincent van der Voort)
- Michael van Gerwen - 2013 (SF win v James Wade)
- Terry Jenkins - 2014 (1st Rd loss v Per Laursen)
- Kyle Anderson - 2014 (1st Rd loss v Ian White)
- Adrian Lewis - 2015 (3rd Rd loss v Raymond van Barneveld)
- Gary Anderson - 2016 (SF win v Jelle Klaasen)
- James Wade - 2021 (3rd Rd loss v Stephen Bunting)
1810: Gary Anderson obviously knows what it likes to handle the pressure of the grandest stage of all on the biggest night of all having featured in four Ally Pally finals. He was beaten 7-5 in the first of those by Adrian Lewis in a 2011 classic but four years later he'd eventually get his hands on the Sid Waddell Trophy when overcoming Phil Taylor in just the fourth final ever to go to a deciding set.
Twelve months on he'd get revenge on Lewis by the same scoreline he'd lost by but he was unable to make it a historic three titles in a row when he was stunned by a performance from Michael van Gerwen that would have even challenged Taylor in his absolute pomp. Here's highlights from both of Anderson's crowning moments.
1800: Good evening and welcome to our live blog of the PDC World Darts Championship final, as Gerwyn Price bids to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy for the first time in his maiden Ally Pally final while Gary Anderson is chasing the sport's biggest prize for the third time in his fifth.
The Welshman is the marginal favourite to edge what is expected to be a thrilling clash - but without any of the crowd fuelled controversy of their infamous Grand Slam of Darts showdown of 2018 - and if he fulfils his dream and pockets the top prize of £500,000 then he'll also usurp Michael van Gerwen as the world number one.
As Price's career continues to go from strength to strength, Anderson has still be able to roll back the years at the age of 50 over the past few weeks even though he'd arrived at the Ally Pally on the back of a season he'd "written off" as a big disappointment.
The final begins at around 1930 GMT so between now and then we'll run through the routes to the final, tournament statistics, head-to-head records and some predictions.
Before we get into the present, here is quick look at the previous finals in the tournament history.
PDC World Darts Championship Finals
Final scores in sets
- 1994 - Dennis Priestley 6-1 Phil Taylor
- 1995 - Phil Taylor 6-2 Rod Harrington
- 1996 - Phil Taylor 6-4 Dennis Priestley
- 1997 - Phil Taylor 6-3 Dennis Priestley
- 1998 - Phil Taylor 6-0 Dennis Priestley
- 1999 - Phil Taylor 6-2 Peter Manley
- 2000 - Phil Taylor 7-3 Dennis Priestley
- 2001 - Phil Taylor 7-0 John Part
- 2002 - Phil Taylor 7-0 Peter Manley
- 2003 - John Part 7-6 Phil Taylor
- 2004 - Phil Taylor 7-6 Kevin Painter
- 2005 - Phil Taylor 7-4 Mark Dudbridge
- 2006 - Phil Taylor 7-0 Peter Manley
- 2007 - Raymond van Barneveld 7-6 Phil Taylor
- 2008 - John Part 7-2 Kirk Shepherd
- 2009 - Phil Taylor 7-1 Raymond van Barneveld
- 2010 - Phil Taylor 7-3 Simon Whitlock
- 2011 - Adrian Lewis 7-5 Gary Anderson
- 2012 - Adrian Lewis 7-3 Andy Hamilton
- 2013 - Phil Taylor 7-4 Michael van Gerwen
- 2014 - Michael van Gerwen 7-4 Peter Wright
- 2015 - Gary Anderson 7-6 Phil Taylor
- 2016 - Gary Anderson 7-5 Adrian Lewis
- 2017 - Michael van Gerwen 7-3 Gary Anderson
- 2018 - Rob Cross 7-2 Phil Taylor
- 2019 - Michael van Gerwen 7-3 Michael Smith
- 2020 - Peter Wright 7-4 Michael van Gerwen
PDC World Darts Championship Most Titles
- Phil Taylor - 14
- Michael van Gerwen - 3
- John Part - 2
- Adrian Lewis - 2
- Gary Anderson - 2
- Peter Wright - 1
- Rob Cross - 1
- Dennis Priestly - 1
- Raymond van Barneveld - 1