World Matchplay

The World Matchplay 2013 was held from July 20 till 28. In the previous stagings of the event all games had to be won by two clear legs with no sudden-death legs. However, this year the PDC decided that games will now only proceed for a maximum of five extra legs before a tie-break leg is required. For example, in a best of 19 legs first round match, if the score reaches 12–12 then the 25th leg will be the decider.

The finale was one to remember. Both Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis took their best game to the stage, which resulted in a great fight for the title. Lewis threw nineteen maximums, but still had to settle for second place behind Taylor who reached the required eighteen legs first: 18-13. It was 'The Power’s' fourteenth World Matchplay title. He also set new records by winning the title for a whopping sixth year in a row. The last winner who was not named other than Phil Taylor was James Wade in 2007. His average of 111.23 in the final is the highest ever in a World Matchplay final.

From the quarterfinals onwards all games were simply wonderful to see. Michael van Gerwen defeated Dave Chisnall with 16-11 and went to the semi-finals for the first time in Blackpool. The match between Phil Taylor and Justin Pipe was close for a long time, but eventually 'The Power' did make the difference: 16-10. The other two quarterfinals brought even more excitement. James Wade squeezed past Simon Whitlock, beating the Australian in the tiebreak 18-16. The duel between Adrian Lewis and Andy Hamilton also went into overtime. It turned out the brand new European Champion was the better player, but only just and he booked a 19-17 victory.

The two semi-finals that followed were of a very high level. Phil Taylor defeated James Wade 17-12 with a 107,61 average. The other semi-final between Adrian Lewis and Michael van Gerwen was a real 'cracker'. Lewis threw 180 after 180, and eventually he also recorded the 17-15 victory.