The best darters in the world will be stepping up to the oche at the famous Alexandra Palace in mid-December to take on the challenge of the 2019 PDC World Darts Championship. This is as big as it gets in the sport. It is the ultimate prize, the honour of being crowned the best player in the world. This will be the first edition without the greatest darts player ever, namely Phil Taylor. So the famous tournament moves into a new era. This year’s event will also see two female contenders lining up in the first round.
The action starts on December 13th, 2018. The tournament is being broadcast on SkySports.
Without the Power
How much will the game miss Phil Taylor? From an entertainment perspective, immensely. He almost signed off from his remarkable darts career in epic fashion last year, reaching the final of the 2018 World Championship. After already having announced that he was retiring at the end of the tournament, ‘The Power’ almost wrote the perfect ending. He went for his 15th World Title in the final. It wasn’t to be though as he was overturned 7-2 by Rob Cross in a shock upset. Despite being the most successful player in the history of the event, the fact is that Taylor won just one of the last eight editions. After 19 finals and 14 titles, his influence was already waning. Still, it will be strange not to see the legend lining up at the Ally Pally.
MVG
It’s Michael van Gerwen who is the current dominant force in the game. He is the one now to beat. The Dutchman is the one that everyone is gunning for and at the same time, basically hoping to avoid in any draw of any tournament. Going into this year’s edition he has two World Championship titles under his belt. The most recent of MVG’s titles was earned in 2017. That leaves Mighty Mike as just one of five players to have won the World Championship of Darts on more than one occasion.
MVG, along with Scotland’s Gary Anderson, England’s Adrian Lewis and the retired John Part has won the event twice. That’s something to put into context really when you stack it up against the 14 World titles that Phil Taylor won. Taylor basically has won more World Championship titles than every other player in the history of the tournament has managed, combined (14 v 11).
MVG has already picked up the World Grand Prix, Premier League and the Masters titles this year from the PDC Premier events. He also got his hands on the World Series of Darts crown. Van Gerwen is the 11/8 outright favourite at top bookmakers to get his hands on his third World Championship title. Once again, while the tournament starts in mid-December the final itself is being played on January 1st of next year so technically it is the 2019 PDC World Darts Championship.
Can Cross defend?
There was a remarkable outcome at last season’s World Championship. England’s Rob Cross came totally out of nowhere to topple the entire field. Of course, upsets in sport happen, and this was a remarkable one. It was Cross’s first-ever appearance in the main draw of the World Darts Championship. With some luck and remarkable calmness under pressure, Cross prevailed. Along the way, he survived two match darts against Michael Smith, survived six match darts in managing to overcome favourite Michael Van Gerwen in the semifinals and then he went up against Taylor in the final.
Although it was a wonderful underdog story at the tournament it was actually the 10th time a player had won the World Championship at the first attempt. There are general odds of 5/2 available on a First Time Winner happening at this year’s event. Cross failed to win a PDC Premier title at any other event in 2018, but there is a history of title defences at the World Championship. Phil Taylor, of course, did it, but Adrian Lewis won his two titles in back to back years (2011/12), as did Gary Anderson (2015/16). Cross is a general 18/1 shot at top bookmakers to defend his title.
The Chasing Pack
Among the other key players who are lining up at 2019 World Championship include Peter Wright, Michael Smith and Mensur Suljovic. Of them, it would be “Snakebite” Wright who would be the least surprising of them to come through and scrap his way to the title. Scotland’s Wright reached the final for the 2014 edition where he was stopped by Michael van Gerwen but is always a dangerous threat.
Michael Smith surprised everyone in reaching the final of this year’s Premier League of Darts and he got the first major title of his career this year in winning the Shanghai Darts Masters over Cross. He also reached finished as runner-up in Melbourne and at the World Series of Darts. There there is Mensur Suljovic perhaps the player who fits the bill as the best outside shot most of all.
He shocked everyone in winning the Champions League of Darts last year and the Austrian has had a strong season. “The Gentle” reached the final of this year’s World Matchplay and was a semifinalist at four other PDC Premier events. While like Smith he doesn’t have a particularly great track record at the World Championship, he would only have to look at the inspiration that Cross’s win twelve months ago for inspiration.
One of the greats
The atmosphere at the Ally Pally for the Darts World Championship is what makes this event so special on top of the prestige of the title. It’s a raucous affair and the crown participation really amps up the intensity of the event. The occasion can put tremendous pressure on even the best players in the world. It is one of the greatest sporting spectacles around and it is a perfect staple for snuggling up on a cold winter’s night in front of the box and watching the arrows fly.
