And that’s all from me this evening. Hope you enjoyed the match, which was certainly dramatic – if lacking in quality and consistency from both players. It was not quite the epic we expected, but Wright produced when he was on the back foot. Smith is visibly devastated after failing to get over the line, but he does look capable of winning it, if he can produce a little more consistency under pressure. Thanks for reading and see you next time. Wright, standing next to Smith: “It’s about the future of darts, this man ... he let me in today ... I feel so bad because I know as soon as he gets a major he will just trounce everybody, he will.” Smith: “I got five sets, instead of three, so ... I must have done something terrible in a past life because it’s doing my head in now ... I’ll have a bad night tonight, now, but I’ll definitely be back on that board and I’ll be getting ready for the nex one. “I think I have matured as a player ... I kept fighting back and fighting back ... in the end that bullseye wouldn’t go in .. that’s darts I guess.” Wright: “Obviously I’m over the moon ... I done it ... but, you know ... obviously me and Mike didn’t perform how we can. I can’t explain what went wrong for 90 per cent of that match. I just kept swapping darts, trying to find something. The atmosphere in here just affected my darts so badly, it affected Michael’s as well ... but, you know, it will be Michael’s turn soon. “I was playing so bad ... we both were ... we had patches of two or three legs and that was it ... the atmosphere in here was really strange tonight and my darts were going in everywhere ... luckily enough I won ...” Smith, shaking his head in disbelief, takes his runner-up trophy and a handy £200,000 prize money. Michael Smith looks devastated, almost in tears, but he sportingly applauds his opponent after the winning dart. He had a chance there, in a match in which both players struggled for consistency, but when he really needed to, Wright turned it on. Peter Wright is the 2022 PDC World Darts champion! He wins 7-5 A stunning shot for treble 20 sets up double 32 finish for ‘Snakebite’ at the next visit ... and he nails it at the first time of asking! That was an incredible spell of darts from Wright when he needed it most. And he is world champion for the second time in his career, claiming a 7-5 win from 5-4 down. Smith hits back for 2-1 in the 12th. That could be big ... but now Wright has the darts and will throw for the title. And that’s 2-0 to Wright - he is one leg away from glory! He has really brought his ‘A’ game in the past few minutes. As the great Sid Waddell once said: he looks as focused as a hitman with a bag of cement and a map to the river. Wright breaks at the start of the 12th! He seals a stunning 12-dart leg with a bullseye. Smith looks shell-shocked. Wright has won seven legs in a row. It’s 1-0 to ‘Snakebite’. Wright wins the 11th set! He leads 6-5! Wright, he of the spectacular hair, has turned it on. He seals a 3-0 win in the latest set and Smith is seriously on the back foot here. If Smith can’t respond now, this is looking all but over, all of a sudden. Wright breaks for 2-0 in the 11th! He is the one who is moving through the gears now ... and he has fashioned a significant lead in this set. Smith looks a bit annoyed with how he’s playing right now. Wright hits tops to hold, opening up the 11th set. Is Smith going to find another gear in response to that remarkable comeback by Wright in the previous set? “It might not have hit the heights, but there’s always drama at the darts,” emails Simon McMahon. Very true. “Whoever loses will have nightmares about how either set 9 or set 10 ended. Will take a brave person to call this one now.” Five apiece, indeed. What a script! Well, sort of. Wright wins the 10th set! It"s level at 5-5! Great stuff from Wright, who reels off three legs in a row to roar back from 2-0 down and force it to 5-5. How will Smith react? If he’d closed out that set, he had one hand – or at least a couple of fingers – on the trophy. Now he’s back in a proper scrap, against this tenacious opponent who may not be at his best, but is so hard to beat. Annnnd it’s now 2-2 in the 10th. Smith with the darts, throwing for the set, which would put him within one of world title glory. Wright strikes back for 2-1 in the 10th. A bit of sloppiness creeping into the Smith game again, while Wright hit a ton-80 at a crucial juncture there, to put the leg out of reach of his opponent. Smith holds for 1-0 in the 10th set ... and then breaks with another smooth leg, for a 2-0 lead in the 10th! Smith is the player with the rhythm and the scoring right now. It’s worth remembering that Wright was nursing a knee injury last night, although he insisted it would be OK for tonight. Perhaps that is the reason he is not producing his best. Smith wins the ninth! He leads 5-4 Another nervy set from both men. Wright ends up missing at madhouse (double one, in layman’s terms) and leaves the door ajar for Smith. Smith forces that door open and he leads again! All square at 2-2 now – massive leg coming up. The tension is rising considerably ... A 14-dart hold for Wright, with two shots at double top. Again, it feels like it’s all gone a bit flat, with neither player producing their best darts. Smith, in turn, holds his throw and we are locked at 1-1 in the ninth. Wright holds to open up what promises to be a pivotal ninth set. Wright wins the eighth set! The final is level at 4-4! Smith holds for 2-1 ... then he hits consecutive 180s to put Wright under tonnes of pressure on his own throw ... eventually, Wright hits his double nine, having missed a shot at double 18, and we are all square in this final. As a spectacle, even though it’s been a ding-dong battle, it feels like it hasn’t really taken off yet. But that is probably about to change, locked as they are at 4-4. Wright breaks at the start of the eighth! He now has the darts to try and take a 2-0 lead in and stem the flow of success for his opponent ... Five legs in a row took Smith into the lead in the match for the first time ... Smith wins the seventh set and leads 4-3! “Bully Boy” Smith has hit back from 2-0 down to lead 4-3. This time, Smith closes out a 93 finish with a treble 19 and a double 18. He’s warming up now, really warming up, and the crowd respond as he is starting to produce the darts which has got him to this advanced stage of the tournament. Smith holds in style for 2-0 in the seventh! He’s on the verge now of moving into a 4-3 lead. Just in case you need reminding, it’s first to seven. Smith breaks at the start of the seventh! First, he misses a chance at tops as the nerves appear to creep back in ... but Wright then misses THREE darts at the double 11 ... Smith gets a chance again, and nails double top, to move into the lead in the match overall! It’s 1-0 to Smith in the seventh set. Smith wins the sixth set! It"s 3-3! Smith breaks! He fluffs a chance at an initial finish, but with Wright on 184, he comes back to the oche and nails a double 16 to force it to 3-3 in sets, taking the sixth set by three legs to one. Smith holds again for 2-1 in the sixth. He’s finding a lot more rhythm now with his throwing, but is still being put under considerable pressure by his opponent. Smith holds, then Wright holds, and it’s 1-1 in legs in the sixth set. The standard is much higher now, with Wright holding that 3-2 lead overall. Wright wins the fifth set, and leads 3-2! Smith butchers an attempted 106 finish, leaving Wright to close out the leg, and the set, with a comfortable hold. The 2020 champion, Peter Wright, edges back in front having previously seen his 2-0 lead in sets evaporate. Smith holds with a nerveless, smooth shot at double six at the first time of asking. It’s 2-2 in legs in the fifth set – a huge leg now coming up. Wright breaks! The players trade 180s, one after the other, but Wright keeps the pressure up with an 11-dart leg, hitting double nine to take the leg, and he leads 2-0 in legs in the fifth. Wright holds, with double eight, for 1-0 in this crucial fifth set. Here we go. This final has come to life with Smith and Wright locked at 2-2. Can Smith turn it around and forge a 3-2 lead from 2-0 down? Smith wins the fourth set! It"s level at 2-2! Drama. Looking out of the leg and hence the set, Wright digs out a 180 to leave himself a 46 finish. Smith then has a shot at tops to win it, but misses ... Wright is back on the oche can’t hit his double, and Smith nails a double 10 to level up the final at 2-2 in sets!