PDC World Darts Championship – Live Stream and Gary Anderson vs. Phil Taylor Preview
Gary Anderson vs. Phil Taylor takes place tonight in the final of the 2015 PDC World Darts Championship.
The final takes place at the Alexandra Palace and play tonight is scheduled to start at 20:00 GMT.
In the UK, the World Darts Championship airs live on Sky Sports 3/Sky Sports 3 HD and online (see here), while outside of the UK, the action is also streaming live online with 365.
Preview:
Two of Britain’s greatest darting powerhouses collide for the right to raise the coveted Sid Waddell trophy tonight, with 16-time champion Phil Taylor taking on Gary Anderson in the final at Alexandra Palace.
Two veterans of the big stage with contrasting levels of success renew their fascinating rivalry, with one looking to extend his dominance of the sport over the last three decades, while the other hopes to realise his dream by winning the world title for the first time.
Second seed Taylor has reiterated his strong desire to regain this crown throughout the past fortnight and the 54-year-old has suggested it could be his last realistic chance to add to his tally as he enters the twilight of his glittering career.
The Power is appearing in his 20th World Championship final, and ominously for Anderson, he has lost just three, stretching back to 1990.
Taylor aims to mark the 25th anniversary of his first world title win against Eric Bristow with perhaps his most treasured triumph of all. Defying the sporting script like a fine wine, he just keeps getting better with age.
While ‘The Power’ has not been at his vintage best up to this stage, he holds the highest tournament average (101.50) and has made a career out of peaking at the right times.
Taylor coasted past Germany’s Jyhan Artut and Welsh ace Mark Webster, before edging through gruelling battles against Kim Huybrechts and Vincent van der Voort and brushing aside rival Raymond van Barneveld 6-2 to complete his progress.
He notably made major alterations to his darting armoury mid-way through this campaign and that gamble looks to have paid off, with the Stoke great appearing more upbeat than ever about his setup.
Anderson, meanwhile, aims to culminate the most memorable 12 months of his career to date by landing the £250,000 top prize on English soil to open his account of world crowns.
Arguably one of the greatest players yet to win a world title, the Scottish star looks to avoid a repeat of his heartbreak at this stage four years ago, when he lost out to a nine-dart Adrian Lewis in the final.
The winner of the Players Championship Finals, Anderson’s stellar season has seen him end his major drought and clinch a further seven non-televised triumphs, making him one of the most consistent performers on both floor and stage.
His run to the final saw him dispatch America’s Scott Kirchner before edging out Jelle Klaasen in a last-set thriller and coming from behind to defeat surprise package Cristo Reyes.
He then powered past fellow countryman Peter Wright 5-1 with a 102 average, before gaining revenge on rival Michael van Gerwen, dethroning the Dutchman 6-3 in the Semi-Finals 24 hours ago.
No player has hit more 180s in the tournament than the Flying Scotsman – who is certain to add to his impressive tally of 45 so far, and it’s that deadly scoring power which could hold the key to causing a ‘Power cut’ this evening.
The duo have met a total of 37 times in previous major competition, and unsurprisingly, it’s Taylor who holds the superior head-to-head record with 27 victories to Anderson’s eight plus two draws.
As well as recording a 10-7 victory over Taylor in the Quarter-Finals en route to glory in Minehead in November, Anderson has also tasted success over the maestro in the Premier League.
That said, Taylor edged a classic World Matchplay Semi-Final 17-15 and also denied his rival 10-6 on Scottish soil at the Masters. Anderson will be determined to turn the tables in the capital.
The match gets underway at around 8.15pm GMT and will be played over the best of 13 sets (best of five legs per set).
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