I think it’s going to be wide open this year. You can’t really say an outsider [will win it], but I don’t think it will be one of the favourites. Maybe it could be an old 52-year-old, you never know!” Of course, not everyone warms to Van Gerwen. Mervyn King, one of his middle-aged opponents, suggested that the wild celebrations were “disrespectful”. Van Gerwen, now looking like a bulldog which has swallowed that pesky old wasp, shrugs. “Maybe. But I don’t care what people think. I just need to be me. 100%. They are always looking for excuses. So I don’t worry about them. I just love the Ally Pally atmosphere. Everyone’s in a good mood because it’s Christmas and New Year. I love playing for the big crowds and, yeah, I like to celebrate when I win. I don’t see the problem.” The Asp looks as though he's carved out a pressure-free dart at a double to break MVG until the Dutchman throws a 180 to leave himself 30 - but nevertheless he pins double 16 with his first attempt for a classy and nerveless 13 darter. Michael is a fantastic player and when he gets on the roll like that he's hard to contain," said Price. "It just didn't happen for me tonight. He's a deserved winner."

The young Dutchman missed three darts for a whitewash win on debut, before spurning a further three opportunities in a dramatic decider as Searle completed an unlikely turnaround. The injury has gone, but of course I'm using painkillers and physio because you need to keep it going. You have to try to do everything to make the Play-Offs."Women’s World Matchplay champion Greaves converted 101 and 124 finishes to seize the early initiative, but following a run of eight straight holds, Aspinall sank a nerveless 98 finish to deny Greaves a debut victory. Having dropping just a couple of legs against Gary Anderson, MVG looked to be storming into the quarter-finals when winning seven legs on the trot to move 1-0 up against the Bullet in the fourth set, and was averaging over 10 points more at that point. All international deliveries will be sent using Royal Mail with the exception of heavy items such as dartboards, these will be shipped using a reputable delivery service such as DPD or DHL. A shy waitress explains that linguine is pasta and Van Gerwen’s brooding expression suddenly lights up. “OK,” he says. “Spaghetti bolognaise. I’ll have that. Soup and spaghetti bolognaise.” Van Gerwen was, then, still working as a part-time tiler in Holland. One of the internet’s typically overblown stories claims he tiled Dennis Berkgamp’s bathroom. “That’s not true,” Van Gerwen says. “I did the tiling at a house across the road from Bergkamp. But, sure, it was a very posh area. I was 18 and working two days a week. It’s different today. I own two houses and, well, I’m married to Daphne. We’ve been together seven years. She was only 14 when we met, and I was nearly 18. They had a music evening and she was with her parents. I asked if I could watch a movie with her. Life has changed since then because darts has got really big.”

In response to Van Gerwen’s comments, the PDC said in a statement on Tuesday evening: “We hope both Vincent and Michael remain in good health and share their disappointment that they were unable to continue in the tournament. We won’t comment on individual players’ circumstances and we continue to follow approved protocols at the World Darts Championship, which includes testing for all players involved in the event.”Two-time winner James Wade – one of five former champions in the field – is also part of a stellar opening night line-up, as he takes on Poland’s premier player Krzysztof Ratajski. I love this event - I owe a lot to the Grand Slam, and hopefully it keeps being kind to me," said Smith, who is bidding to become the fourth player to retain the coveted title. Van Gerwen couldn't find a maximum in the sixth leg but was far enough clear to at last take his eye off the ball, leaving 32 with three darts in hand and needing all of them, the only blemishes on an impressive scorecard. 'It's like playing against Michael Jordan' Luke is a good player. I helped him qualify last week by beating Scott Williams [in Budapest], but I’m just going to relax and play the board, not the player.”

There was an electric atmosphere in the Empress Ballroom for this highly anticipated match-up and it was the 2021 world champion Price who raced off to lead 4-0. The continued rise of darts has been escalated by Van Gerwen’s colourful emergence – and his compelling rivalry with Taylor. “Darts gets bigger every year,” he says. “It’s really popular in Holland and, after football, it’s our most-watched sport. It’s the same in Britain and it’s amazing Sky are having their own darts channel for the world championships. That shows how popular darts has become. So I get stopped all the time now. Everyone notices me, the green shirt and my bald head. Daphne’s a hairdresser and of course she can’t do anything with me. But that doesn’t matter because it’s become like my brand.” MVG takes five darts to get away and fails to record a 100+ score in his next four visits as Aspinall breaks with a 17-darter to force a deciding leg in this set. He now has the darts! That was a great win,” Van Gerwen says, “especially as all the pressure was on me as the new world champion. Phil was a bit off that day but I played really well. In the early days against Phil, I lost eight in a row. But the first time I played Phil on TV I beat him in Holland 3-0. In television matches he’s 9-7 up. That shows we’re close in the big matches. We have a great rivalry and we like to play each other.” Looking ahead to facing Smith, he said: "I've stayed in the UK to get myself prepared and now I'm looking forward to Thursday night.

Dartboard with a difference

He's been phenomenal all week but I never gave in. It's another final and I'm very happy." MICHAEL VAN GERWEN ROLL OF HONOUR You don’t need to know much about darts when watching Van Gerwen to sense a rare talent at work. He still only has one world championship to compare to Phil Taylor’s imperious 16 titles, but not even the greatest darts player in history can match the surreal euphoria generated by Mighty Mike.