Phil Taylor, the greatest player to have walked up to an oche, will confront a young pretender to his throne in the Ladbrokes World Championship final tomorrow night.
Taylor, 52, was one year short of lifting the first of his 15 world titles when Michael van Gerwen, his opponent, was born and he looked like he was showing his age and fallibility when he missed two darts for victory and allowed a 5-1 lead to slip against Raymond van Barneveld in the semi-finals last night.
The Dutchman found the courage to stage an extraordinary comeback in taking three consecutive sets. Taylor wobbled before eventually hitting double 16 for a 6-4 win.
But after a tension-filled match more drama was to come, when Taylor became embroiled