Grand Slam of Darts 2014 Results: Final and Semi-Final Scores, Prize Money Purse
Phil Taylor won his sixth Grand Slam of Darts title and a £100,000 purse, per ESPN, after beating Dave Chisnall 16-13 in the tournament final at the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton.
Earlier in the day, “The Power” made light work of Mervyn King in their clash semi-final clash, eventually running out a 16-9 victor. But the match of the day came in the first clash, when “Chizzy” won a last-leg thriller 16-15 with Kim Huybrechts to take his place in the final.
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Here are the results and a recap of the action from the final day of what has been a fascinating championships.
| Semi-Finals | ||
| Dave Chisnall vs. Kim Huybrechts | Chisnall | 16-15 |
| Phil Taylor vs. Mervyn King | Taylor | 16-9 |
| Final | ||
| Phil Taylor vs. Dave Chisnall | Taylor | 16-13 |
Final Recap
Taylor picked up his sixth Grand Slam of Darts trophy after dispatching of Chisnall 16-13 in an intriguing final. The Power has been in exceptional form throughout the course of the tournament, and his eventual coronation as champion in Wolverhampton was a well-deserved honour on the back of some scintillating displays.
After making light work of King earlier in the day, Taylor looked in high spirits as he strode to the oche for the final, per Live Darts:
But his opponent took to Twitter to express his excitement at taking part in his first Grand Slam final:
Unfortunately for Chisnall, a relaxed Taylor typically means an accurate Taylor, and that proved to be the case in the opening exchanges, as Chizzy was unable to get near the 16-time world champion as he raced into a 5-0 lead.
Such was Taylor's dominance, the man from St. Helens didn't even get a shot at a double in the opening five games. As we can see here courtesy of Sky Sports Darts, Chisnall was shell-shocked after that early blitz from The Power:
After the break, Chizzy started to establish himself, picking up the sixth and seventh legs of the match to reduce the deficit. But such is the class of Taylor, it's so difficult to put together a run of three, four or five legs. Subsequently, the five-time champion was able to keep the scoreboard ticking over. By the time the 13th leg rolled around, The Power had re-established his five-point buffer and led 9-4.
But Chisnall showed great heart to come through a semi-final thriller with Huybrechts, and he immediately dispelled any notion that he'd be falling out of contention with a whimper. Chizzy won the 14th leg to cut the gap to four, and he followed that up by breaking Taylor's throw and moving to within three of the reigning champ.
At the third break, Live Darts broke down the vital figures:
With the momentum and crowd at his back, Chisnall sensed an opening. The gap was down to two legs when the man from St. Helens won the next, and when he won the next two legs to move level with The Power on 9-9, the Wolverhampton crowd were sent into raptures.
But Taylor has incomparable levels of experience to call upon, and despite the spectators being well in favour of the underdog, he regrouped as only a 16-time world champion can. He won five of the next six legs to move into a 14-10 lead, and despite some late pressure from Chisnall he eventually emerged as a 16-13 victor.
Chisnall has showcased a fortitude throughout this tournament and he's a player that seems to be improving week-by-week. And while he can be extremely proud of himself for fighting back from 5-0 down, he just didn't have enough in his Arsenal to get the better of The Power. Somewhat ominously for the rest of the darts landscape, Taylor is looking in majestic touch with the World Championships on the horizon.
Semi-Final Recap
Chisnall and Huybrechts put on a stunning match in their semi-final of the 2014 Grand Slam of Darts, as the man from St. Helens edged out the Belgian 16-15 to make it to his first Grand Slam final.
The result was confirmed by Sky Sports Darts, who had high praise for the pair:
Much was expected of Huybrechts ahead of this one after he conquered Michael van Gerwen with a swagger in the quarter-finals; he notched a perfect nine-dart finish against the Dutchman last time out. Yet it was Chisnall who settled better in front of the Wolverhampton crowd.
Chizzy raced into a 5-2 lead in the early stages of the match, showcasing a forensic edge when it came to hitting vitals doubles. As the contest wore on, however, it was the Belgian who began to look the stronger player. After 25 games, it was he who led 13-12. Huybrechts was just three legs away from the showpiece finale.
But Chisnall—roared on by the Civic Hall crowd—rallied in the latter stages to put himself within one point of glory at 15-14. He could have finished it off in style too, but he hit the wire on the bullseye when looking to complete a remarkable 161 checkout.
Huybrechts seized on the opportunity and sent the match into a decider, but Chisnall began the final leg with a flourish, knocking off scores of 180 and 140 before taking out 86 to book his place in the final.
The second semi-final was a much more straightforward affair, as Taylor motored past King to secure a comfortable 16-9 win. Sky Sports Darts confirmed the result and provided us with the statistics to back up The Power’s dominant performance:
In the quarter-finals, Taylor dispatched of Michael Smith 16-3, and he admitted in the aftermath of that victory that he was expecting a much more difficult challenge from King in the last four, per Sky Sports:
"I wasn't going to let Michael off the hook, even when I got to 14 or 15 legs because he can fight back.
It will be a different kettle of fish in the semis against Mervyn because he's on a high and he's doing brilliantly at present.
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While it wasn’t quite as one-sided a scoreline come the end of the contest, it certainly wasn’t far off. King was never able to establish himself in this one after falling 4-1 behind, and that pattern continued throughout the match as Taylor raced into an 8-2 lead thanks to some irrepressibly accurate finishing.
With the match seemingly beyond his reach, King resembled an already vanquished opponent as Taylor continued to turn the screw. The Power surged into a 15-5 lead, and with only one leg needed, he should have wrapped the match up swiftly. But some complacency creeped into his game, as King rallied to take the next four legs.
In the 25th leg of the match, though, Taylor struck and he admitted afterwards that not being under pressure was the cause for that late blip, per Live Darts:
The final should be an encapsulating one, but it’s difficult to see anything other than a Taylor win. Chisnall has proven himself to be a dogged competitor and a player that can capitalise at big moments, but the 16-time world champion looks a class above any player on the planet at this juncture.
The last time the duo met in a final was at the 2013 World Grand Prix, a match in which Chizzy failed to register a point as Taylor ran out a 6-0 victor. The upcoming clash should be a lot tighter, but The Power has far too much in his armoury and will surely emerge as a comfortable champion.
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