Tuesday 10 March 2015 21:13, UK
Michael van Gerwen claimed a sweet 11-5 victory over Peter Wright in the UK Open final.
The pair had swapped heated words after last week’s Premier League draw in Exeter, but van Gerwen silenced his colourful rival with a commanding performance in Minehead.
Wright, who toppled Phil Taylor in the quarter-finals, could not maintain his composed finishing as the world No 1 seized command with a string of legs.
Opening with a 180, van Gerwen soon added another maximum while forcing a break in the first leg.
Wright responded with an 88 finish, ending on the bull to trim the 2-1 deficit, while he found double 16 in the following leg to break back.
Heading into the interval with a 3-2 deficit, ‘Mighty Mike’ came roaring back, taking the next three legs with a spell of heavy scoring.
A sizzling 164-finish propelled van Gerwen into a 6-4 lead, while he fashioned a further break with a 56 checkout, winning six out of the last eight legs.
Wright spurned darts to break back and van Gerwen seized his reprieve, finding the double for a commanding 9-5 advantage.
He added the next leg following more wayward finishing from Wright and sealed victory with a 72 checkout.
Any animosity between the duo appeared to have been resolved as they embraced afterwards on the oche.
Van Gerwen edged out Andrew Gilding with a 10-8 win in the semi-finals and was delighted to claim the trophy for the first time.
“To win tournaments - that’s the best thing in life,” he told ITV4 “This is already my second major this year. I’ve never won this tournament before and I always wanted to win this one.
“Last year I was in the semi-final, but I’ve never got further than that. This means a lot to me."
Referring to their row, Wright jokingly said: “I’m not bad for not a professional and this baby is pretty good.
“I’ve only had these darts for eight or nine days, so watch out, I’m coming after you mate.”
