But there was huge disappointment for Peter Manley, who has now lost five World Grand Prix semi-finals.
Taylor was pushed to the limit by his great rival in a Dublin epic, which matched their brilliant matches in the last two World Matchplay Championships, which were also mighty close. It was two-and-a-half hours of pure darting theatre at the City West Hotel and there is no doubt that Taylor was given a real scare, before winning 6 sets to 3.
Priestley rolled back the years to pile the pressure on ‘The Power’ who was clearly rattled for long periods. He finally regained his composure, digging deep to show just why he is the greatest ever and visibly breathed a huge sigh of relief, when he nailed double top to take the match.
The scoreline certainly didn’t reflect just how close it was. The turning point came with Taylor leading 4-3 in sets and it was two legs apiece….Priestley missed one dart at tops to make it four sets all but ‘The Power’ didn’t miss double 16 and that was that.
Taylor stormed through the next set and nearly won it with a 151 finish but he stays on course for a remarkable 7th World Grand Prix crown in the nine-year history of the event.
From two sets down, ‘The Menace’ caused Taylor all sorts of problems. He won six of the next eight legs to give us a level game. The tungsten pendulum was swinging one way, then the other……it went 3-2 Taylor, then 3-3, before the Unicorn ace edged ahead again.
Both players were producing golden darts and that 8th set gave Taylor the momentum he needed to see off the brilliant Yorkshireman.
He said: “That was tough…..really tough – Dennis is still a class act and I had to work very hard up there. I know I wasn’t at my best but I had enough left in the tank. That was one of the hardest matches I have played in a long, long time.”
Taylor now has to regroup and focus on yet another ‘Major’ final and the opportunity to write more darting history.
Manley wasn’t ahead at any stage of his 6 sets to 4 defeat against Jenkins and will be gutted that he failed to perform when it really mattered.
It will be Jenkins first ever ‘Major’ final and his win also means he clinches the 6th and final automatic spot in the 2007 Premier League, at the expense of Wayne Mardle.
Jenkins was lethal on his starting doubles in the early stages of the semi-final and despite a 136 finish from Manley, the man from Herefordshire raced into a two set lead. In the third set, Jenkins hit seven perfect darts but Manley held his nerve and a 12 dart leg gave ‘One Dart’ the fourth set as well.
But Manley was too inconsistent and Jenkins edged the next two sets by 3 legs to 2, helped by three 180s in successive legs. The Team Unicorn star though, refused to throw the towel in. A dramatic 7th set saw Manley miss an incredible 11 darts, before he finally clawed one back.
The tension was tangible as Manley then made it four sets apiece and at that stage, he was favourite to go on and reach that illusive first final in Dublin…..but it wasn’t to be, as Jenkins displayed nerves of steel in the biggest match of his career.
They had been on stage for over two hours, when Jenkins produced a brilliant 119 finish – and after Manley missed six more darts at a double – a 76 check-out took Jenkins past the winning post.
Manley was gutted after more semi-final heartache: “It’s a real shame,” he said. “The heat on the stage was unbearable but that isn’t an excuse, because I let myself down on the doubles – especially finishing.
But at least he could still manage a smile…..when it was pointed out that he has now lost five World Grand Prix semi-finals, he joked: “At least I’m consistent!”
Jenkins was clearly stunned after reaching the final and clinching that prized place in the Premier League. This victory will be worth over £30,000 to him.
He said: “I just feel so pleased. Two years ago I was absolutely nowhere and just playing darts for fun. Now all this is happening to me and it is incredible. I have done better than I thought I would – even in my wildest dreams.”
SkyBet World Grand Prix Semi-Final results:
Peter Manley 4-6 Terry Jenkins
Final – 7pm (best of 13 sets – live on Sky Sports 2):
Terry Jenkins v Phil Taylor
BY STUART PYKE
