Tuesday 16 June 2015 23:54, UK
After England regained the World Cup of Darts, we pick five things that we learned from a thrilling tournament in Frankfurt.
Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis again proved a winning combination in this year’s tournament, taking the title for a third time in the five years it has been held.
The two Stoke men did not drop a point until the final, easing past Denmark and Japan in the first two rounds, before ruthless wins over Germany and the Belgian pairing of Kim and Ronny Huybrechts.
Questions had been asked in the build-up about whether Taylor and Lewis could find their form at the same time after their disappointing campaigns in the recent Premier League.
But they both played their part in a tense 3-2 win over Scotland in the final. Taylor averaged 113 during his 4-0 rout of Peter Wright in the singles, while Lewis held his nerve to land the trophy with another decisive singles win over ‘Snakebite’.
Taylor praised the contribution of his younger team-mate, who has produced erratic performances on the tour this season.
"Once he took the first leg, I thought he was going to get him, because he's a confidence player," he told Sky Sports.
"He's been - practice wise - the best player, he has thrashed me.
"It's been fantastic."
World Champion Gary Anderson has waged a personal duel with world No 1 Michael van Gerwen this year and the Scot again emerged as a winner.
He helped his team to a semi-final win over the Netherlands, adding to his Premier League triumph over ‘Mighty Mike’, while he also eliminated his Dutch rival in the semi-finals of this year's World Championship.
The two men only came head-to-head in the doubles and Wright took centre stage by eliminating the defending champions with a nerveless checkout.
Van Gerwen had been at his blistering best in his singles win over Wright, but an off-colour Raymond van Barneveld was defeated by Anderson.
However, Anderson could not steer the Scots to victory in the final, despite his impressive singles wins over Lewis and Taylor.
Kim and Ronny Huybrechts booked Belgium’s place in the quarter-finals after an emotionally charged victory over Australia’s Paul Nicholson and Simon Whitlock.
In recent months, Kim, nicknamed ‘The Hurricane’, has earned a reputation for his passionate celebrations on the oche.
The equally combustible Nicholson is well known for his fired-up behaviour on the tour and they served up a predictably spiky encounter in Frankfurt.
Celebrations between both teams became increasingly emotional during the decisive doubles match, with Kim sinking to his knees following the winning dart.
Nicholson took exception to the conduct of the Belgians, offering little eye contact at the handshakes, and pointing angrily at Kim in the aftermath of Australia’s exit.
But both teams patched up their differences away from the oche and Kim posed for a photo with the Newcastle-based Aussie on social media.
Few would have tipped Hong Kong to become a team to follow at this year’s tournament, but the pairing of Scott MacKenzie and Royden Lam became firm favourites with the fans.
Wales, featuring former BDO world champion Mark Webster, were expected to make short work of MacKenzie and Lam in the first round.
But the Hong Kong duo completed a 5-3 upset win and Lam, wearing flamboyant shades, completed a dazzling 131 checkout.
Better was to follow in the second round as MacKenzie finally held his nerve to seal a tense 2-1 win over Ireland after missing a string of match darts.
Scotland ended Hong Kong’s hopes in the quarter-finals, but Lam and MacKenzie had already left their mark on the tournament.
Darts fans enjoyed another action-packed four days as 16 teams battled for the trophy in front of a vociferous crowd in Germany.
Yes, the expected contenders appeared in the latter stages, and England have now reached four of the five finals, but the event showcased the best aspects of the sport.
Scotland defeated the Netherlands in a thrilling semi-final, despite Van Gerwen’s one-man show, and Sunday’s showpiece proved a fitting finale.
England edged out the Scots in a high quality encounter and both sets of players shared a mutual respect throughout.
"The spirit in which it was played, was second to none, in any tournament I have ever seen," said Sky Sports expert Wayne Mardle.
"The fact that it happened to be the World Cup means even more. I hope we come back here year after year.
"What a venue and what a tournament now."
