2 Jan 2017

Van Gerwen to meet Anderson in World Darts final

1:14 pm on 2 January 2017

Van Gerwen produced a tournament-record average on his way to a 6-2 win over fellow Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld in the semi-finals.

World Darts champion Michael van Gerwen.

World Darts champion Michael van Gerwen. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The duo maintained their usual high standards throughout, with 'Mighty Mike' racking up a record average of 114.05 for the event in a semi-final that produced 29 maximums.

Anderson stayed on course to retain his title by beating Peter Wright 6-3 to reach his third successive final.

The Flying Scotsman rocketed out of the blocks, winning five straight legs to kick off the contest as he stormed into a two-set lead in the best-of-11 match - which included a 127 checkout.

2015 World Darts Champion, Gary Anderson

2015 World Darts Champion, Gary Anderson Photo: Photosport

World number two Anderson, won the event in 2015 and 2016 and will attempt to become only the third man, after Phil Taylor and Eric Bristow, to win three successive world titles in either the PDC or BDO tournaments.

The winner of the competition will bank 623 thousand dollars.

-aap/bbc