PHIL TAYLOR defeated Welsh youngster Jamie Lewis 6-1 to claim the Gibraltar Darts Trophy title on Sunday night, taking his first European Tour victory of 2013 in style with an imperious weekend of darts.
Taylor claimed the £20,000 first prize and claimed his second big win of the month, following his Speedy Services UK Open title, as he swept through the field at the Victoria Stadium.
The World Champion dropped only seven legs throughout six wins over the weekend, with Friday's first round defeat of Gino Vos and Saturday's win over Dean Winstanley followed by four victories in Sunday's decisive final stages.
Taylor had defeated Leon De Geus 6-1 in the third round on Sunday afternoon, before whitewashing Steve Beaton in the quarter-finals and then seeing off Dave Chisnall 6-2 in the semis.
He then lost only one leg against 21-year-old Welsh ace Lewis, who was appearing in his first senior final.
Taylor took the final's first three legs to assume command, finishing 77 in the opener and double 16 in the next two - despite Lewis landing a pair of maximums and missing one dart at a double in both legs.
Lewis then got off the mark by landing double 18 in the fourth, after Taylor missed the bull to take out 81 - but the world number one landed a brace of double top finishes to claim the next two legs, the latter being in 13 darts as he took a 5-1 cushion.
Taylor then missed the bull for a 167 checkout which would have sealed the victory in style, but he returned to post double eight for a 14-darter which wrapped up the £20,000 winner's prize and his first European Tour win since last June in Berlin.
"It's fantastic to win this and I'm over the moon," said Taylor. "I've had a good month with winning the UK Open and now the Gibraltar Darts Trophy.
"It's been a great weekend for me and I've really enjoyed it in Gibraltar."
Taylor added: "I'm very chuffed for Jamie to have got to the final because he's a lovely kid - very quiet and humble and it's great to see people like him coming through.
"I hope he kicks on from this now and he's like a little silent assassin, he just gets on with it and I can't fault him today."
Lewis, who won a PDC Tour Card 18 months ago and has won two PDC Unicorn Youth Tour titles and a Challenge Tour event earlier this year, enjoyed a dream day as he won through to his first senior final.
The 21-year-old from Cardigan had to qualify for this event last month and had defeated Colin Osborne and Robert Thornton to reach Sunday's final stages, where he whitewashed Steve Brown 6-0 with a superb third round display.
Lewis then edged past Kevin Painter 6-5 in the quarter-finals and repeated the scoreline against two-time World Champion Adrian Lewis in the semis, before losing out in the decider.
The £10,000 prize money he receives as runner-up will also ensure that Lewis qualifies for a BetVictor World Matchplay debut this summer, and he admitted: "It's been a crazy weekend.
"I never thought I'd get this far to be honest - in fact I had a flight booked back to the UK for Sunday afternoon, so I've had to reschedule that!
"To beat Adrian Lewis in the semi-finals was huge for me. He's a two-time World Champion and it was a big match because I knew that if I beat him I was going to be in the World Matchplay, so I was quite nervous and it was my 'final' really to win that.
"I believe if I can keep improving that I can do a lot more in the game and I'd love to kick on from here."
Chisnall, a two-time European Tour finalist, was unable to reach a third final but produced some scintillating darts throughout the weekend and hit 24 180s during the event, including eight in his third round win over Andy Hamilton before he overcame Kim Huybrechts 6-4 in the quarter-finals.
Lewis, meanwhile, ended Michael van Gerwen's bid to win a third successive European Tour title with a superb 6-5 victory in the last eight, but paid the price for missed doubles against his namesake in the semis.
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Gibraltar Darts Trophy
European Tour Event Five
Sunday June 30
Quarter-Finals
Michael van Gerwen 5-6 Adrian Lewis
Kevin Painter 5-6 Jamie Lewis
Steve Beaton 0-6 Phil Taylor
Kim Huybrechts 4-6 Dave Chisnall
Semi-Finals
Adrian Lewis 5-6 Jamie Lewis
Phil Taylor 6-2 Dave Chisnall
Final
Jamie Lewis 1-6 Phil Taylor
Match Information
Quarter-Finals
Adrian Lewis ended Michael van Gerwen's European Tour winning streak with a thrilling 6-5 victory in an exciting 11-leg contest to kick off the Gibraltar Darts Trophy quarter-finals. Lewis raced into a 3-0 lead, winning the opening leg on double four, breaking throw with a 12-darter in the second, which featured a 180, and finishing 70 in two darts to win leg three, after van Gerwen missed double 11 for a 124 finish. Lewis hit another 180 in the fourth, but missed the bull for a 124 finish as van Gerwen scrambled home double five to get off the mark, and the Dutchman then took leg five on double nine after the Stoke ace missed the bull for a 170 finish and two further darts at double top. Van Gerwen fired in with a 180 of his own in leg six as he levelled, before Lewis landed a 177 in another 12-darter to regain the lead at 4-3. Van Gerwen posted a 174 as he levelled once more, and traded 180s with Lewis in leg nine only for the world number three to hit tops for a 5-4 cushion. Lewis missed two match darts at tops in the tenth as van Gerwen posted double four to force a decider, but Lewis - with the advantage of throw - was first to a finish as he fired in tops for a 13-darter to seal the win.
Jamie Lewis' best-ever run in a PDC ProTour event continued as he edged out Kevin Painter 6-5 to reach his first senior semi-final at the Gibraltar Darts Trophy. After Lewis took the opening leg, Painter levelled on double four, took out 99 to break in leg three with a classy combination of single 19 and two double tops, before landing double 12 to take a 3-1 lead. Lewis replied with a third 180 of the game and double 14 to hit back before levelling with a 108 checkout in leg six, after his opponent missed two darts at double 16. Painter returned the favour by punishing two misses from Lewis with a 96 checkuot in the seventh, before Lewis levelled with a 13-darter and then added another 180 in a 14-dart finish to move 5-4 up. Painter landed double six to take the game into a decider, but Lewis posted his sixth maximum of the game before edging to victory on double 14.
Phil Taylor stormed into the Gibraltar Darts Trophy semi-finals with a sensational 6-0 whitewash of Steve Beaton, averaging a superb 112.73 to over 100 from his opponent. Beaton was actually first to a finish in the opening leg, missing two darts at tops as Taylor finished 65 on the same bed to break throw before taking out 48 to win the second with another 14-darter, despite a 180 from Beaton. Beaton was also punished for missed doubles in leg three, as Taylor took out double 12 for a 13-darter before posting a 177 and tops for a four-leg lead. The pair traded 180s in leg five, which Taylor took in 11 darts, before Taylor sealed victory with a 13-darter on double 14.
Dave Chisnall's brilliant run in the Gibraltar Darts Trophy continued as he defeated Kim Huybrechts 6-4 to reach the semi-finals at the Victoria Stadium. After Huybrechts took the opening leg with a third-dart double four, Chisnall hit a 13-darter to level - scoring 120, with a bounce-out, 180 and 177 before landing double six - and traded 180s with the Belgian before breaking in leg three, and after the pair again swapped maximums in the fourth it was Chisnall who took out 86 in two darts for a 3-1 lead. Huybrechts replied with a 180 and double 14, before Chisnall fired in a maximum and double 12 for a 4-2 cushion. Huybrechts took out a 71 finish on double 16 to win leg seven, but was punished for a miss at tops to level in the next as Chisnall moved a leg away from victory. Double 16 kept Huybrechts in the game, but Chisnall was first to a finish in the tenth leg and posted double eight to progress to a semi-final with Phil Taylor.
Semi-Finals
Jamie Lewis stunned namesake Adrian Lewis with a dramatic 6-5 victory which puts him into his first PDC ProTour final and into the frame for qualification for the BetVictor World Matchplay next month. The youngster punished missed doubles from Adrian to win the opening leg on double 12, before the two-time World Champion replied to win the next two on tops and double 19. Jamie levelled with double five and landed a 180 and double 16 to move ahead 3-2, and though Adrian levelled on double 18, it was the Welshman who took the next two, with the aid of maximums, to take a 5-3 cushion. Adrian hit back with an 80 finish and tops to force a deciding leg, but Jamie hit three ton-plus scores to be first to a finish - initially missing two match darts but returning when Adrian missed double top, ten and five to claim his place in the decider on double two - ensuring the biggest pay-day of his career with a minimum £10,000 prize money.
Phil Taylor marched into his first European Tour final of 2013 with a fine 6-2 win over Dave Chisnall in their semi-final clash. Taylor took control early on, winning the opening leg on double eight, taking out 109 to break in the second and finishing double ten for a 3-0 lead. He traded 180s with Chisnall in the fourth, and when the St Helens ace missed two darts at tops, Taylor landed double six to win a fourth straight leg, before the world number ten finished 100 in two darts to hit back. Chisnall, though, missed three darts at double 18 in the next as Taylor took out double 16 for a 5-1 cushion. Chisnall landed a 180 and took out 95 to win a second leg, with Taylor waiting on 32, and the pair trade maximums in the next - but Chisnall missed a dart at tops to keep his hopes alive, and Taylor swooped by finishing 90 on the bull to seal the win.
Final
Phil Taylor defeated Welsh youngster Jamie Lewis 6-1 to claim the Gibraltar Darts Trophy title on Sunday night, taking his first European Tour victory of 2013 in style with an imperious weekend of darts. Taylor took the final's first three legs to assume command, finishing 77 in the opener and double 16 in the next two - despite Lewis landing a pair of maximums and missing one dart at a double in both legs. Lewis then got off the mark by landing double 18 in the fourth, after Taylor missed the bull to take out 81 - but the world number one landed a brace of double top finishes to claim the next two legs, the latter being in 13 darts as he took a 5-1 cushion. Taylor then missed the bull for a 167 checkout which would have sealed the victory in style, but he returned to post double eight for a 14-darter which wrapped up the £20,000 winner's prize and his first European Tour win since last June in Berlin.