Key events
Van Gerwen 2-1 Rydz (legs 1-2) Rydz scoring has slipped ever so slig- no it hasn’t, he’s just hit 162 to leave 140, the old Rob Cross shot. He was in a bit of trouble in the leg but that put him in charge and he went out in 13 darts. The match, as the brilliant Dan Dawson points out on Sky, has been without a break for the last six legs.
Van Gerwen 2-1 Rydz (legs 1-1) There’s a lovely pace to this game, and a lovely contrast between the two: a sublimely talented 26-year-old on the way up and a 35-year-old trying to release his dormant genius. It reminds me a little of the 2019 final, in which Michael Smith played arguably the more eye-catching darts and Van Gerwen won 7-3.
I need to shut up and report what’s happening. Another Rydz 180 pressure Van Gerwen, who takes out 72 in two darts to hold.
Van Gerwen 2-1 Rydz (legs 0-1) Rydz takes out 52 in two darts with Van Gerwen waiting on 36 for a big break.
Van Gerwen wins the third set!
Van Gerwen 2-1 Rydz (legs 3-2) A show of mental strength from Van Gerwen, who starts with 139 and 180 to take control of the deciding fifth leg. He farts around thereafter, chasing trebles on the next two visits, but he hits T20 and D4 for a 14-darter. That’s the first time in the whole match that Rydz hasn’t had a dart to win the leg.
This is excellent stuff; Van Gerwen withstood a battering to take that set.
Van Gerwen 1-1 Rydz (legs 2-2) Almost every leg has been closely fought; in fact Rydz has had a dart to win the lot. He gets two more when Van Gerwen misses tops for the set and hits D8 to take the set to a deciding leg. This is really big, especially for Van Gerwen.
Van Gerwen 1-1 Rydz (legs 2-1) Van Gerwen leaves 112 after 12 on his own throw with Rydz on 76. He gets the T20 only to miss tops by a distance. Rydz hits single 1, almost redeems it on the bull but hits two 25s. Now MvG goes chasing round the board, missing three more doubles, but Rydz gives him another chance and he takes it.
MvG’s doubles are a worry, below 30 per cent now, but he’s hanging in there.
Van Gerwen breaks back! Van Gerwen 1-1 Rydz (legs 1-1) At the moment MvG is feeding on scraps, like a 138 here against the throw. He can only bring it down to 80 – but he returns when Rydz misses his only dart at tops.
MvG does likewise after hitting only single 20s on his first two visits. Rydz dances round the board and busts his throw after missing D5 on the inside. Van Gerwen punishes him to bring the set – and the game – back on throw. This is tremendous stuff.
Rydz breaks! Van Gerwen 1-1 Rydz (legs 0-1) We all knew how talented Rydz was – he has won floor tournaments and he was outstanding at the Worlds three years ago – but he has still been a revelation at this tournament. Rydz hits back-to-back 180s to set up a stunning 111 and a 12-dart break. Right here, right now, he is battering MvG, who is averaging over 100 himself.
Rydz wins the second set in 41 darts!
Van Gerwen 1-1 Rydz (legs 0-3) Another 180 from Rydz leaves him on 44 after 12. He misses two at double, as does Van Gerwen, and Rydz returns to finish on D4. That is a glorious response from Rydz, who averaged 109.98 in the set. MvG averaged over 100 but was whitewashed. Rydz won each leg in 12, 12 and 17 darts – and he was on a finish after 13 in that final leg. His scoring is wonderful: he leads 5-1 on 180s and 10-5 on 140+ scores.
Rydz breaks! Van Gerwen 1-0 Rydz (legs 0-2) Van Gerwen is doing well to stay afloat because Rydz is bullying him on the scoring. He starts with five perfect darts against the throw and hits D13 for another 12-darter! He is playing beautifully.
Van Gerwen 1-0 Rydz (legs 0-1) What a leg from Callan Rydz! He left 135 after nine and took it out with 25, 60 and then the bull. It’s only a hold but that’s a helluva statement of intent. For a player with his talent, a world ranking of 43 is a scandal.
Set averages
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Van Gerwen 102.38
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Rydz 103.93
Rydz did very little wrong, just those two set darts at tops. All five legs were won in 15 darts or fewer.
Van Gerwen wins the first set!
Van Gerwen 1-0 Rydz (legs 3-2) A third 180 for Rydz is followed by a first – and a huge roar – from Van Gerwen. He’s on 130 after nine, Rydz on 113. MvG hits two T20s only to miss D5 for the set; Rydz sets up tops but misses another set dart. Van Gerwen punishes him to take a pulsating first set. More of this please!
Van Gerwen breaks back again! Van Gerwen 0-0 Rydz (legs 2-2) Callan Rydz misses tops for a 115 – and the set. MvG has three at tops and does the necessary at the second attempt. Four breaks out of four; MvG will throw for the set.
Rydz breaks again! Van Gerwen 0-0 Rydz (legs 1-2) Rydz is outscoring MvG thus far and hits a second 180. Both men miss darts at double – MvG two at double 8 – before Rydz returns to hit D6 and continue this early break-off.
Van Gerwen breaks back with a 154 finish!
Van Gerwen 0-0 Rydz (legs 1-1) Game on indeed: Rydz misses one at tops for a 2-0 lead and Van Gerwen bulldozes a spectacular 154 for a 15-dart break!
Rydz breaks! Van Gerwen 0-0 Rydz (legs 0-1) This is MvG’s first afternoon game at Ally Pally since he beat Gary Anderson in the last 16 in December 2013. Why the hell was that an afternoon game?!
Rydz hits the first 180 to pressure the MvG throw. MvG misses one at tops; Rydz nails his one and only dart at the same target. Game on!
MvG to throw first. Game on!
Here come the players. Callan Rydz (99.43) has a higher tournament average than Michael van Gerwen (98.26) and has been playing beautifully, but MvG was majestic in beating Jeffrey de Graaf and his experience makes him a strongish favourite. If he gets ahead early he could crush Rydz, as he did Chris Dobey at this stage two years ago. But Rydz played really well in his only previous semi-final, losing 5-4 to the eventual winner Peter Wright in 2021-22. I’m pencilling in at least eight sets.
“Crivens, it’s not even 9am here and I’ve already got to change my drawers (or pants as you might call them),” says J.R in Illinois, winning the Guardian prize for First Overshare of 2025. “I really thought Dobey was toast after those wild misses at double to win the match in the seventh set. It’s going to be a long day.”
I’m off for a quick break before MvG v Callan Rydz. Chris Dobey – who has just jumped to No10 in the world and could go as high as No4 if he makes the final – awaits the winner.
Dobey 5-3 Price: match stats
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Average Dobey 95.38, Price 92.74
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Doubles Dobey 41%, Price 27%
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180s Dobey 12-6 Price
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Legs Dobey 20-15 Price
Chris Dobey’s reaction
[Where does this rank in your career?] It’s at the top. Getting over the defeat last year and getting over the line means a lot.
The fans have been fantastic. I’ve never been so nervous throwing at a winning double as I was today.
It reminded us of last year. I thought, ‘Just keep going, you will get another chance’, and thankfully I got over the line. Honestly, I’m overwhelmed.
He didn’t give it as much [aggression] as I thought I would, which might have helped me. I’m buzzing to get that win and I probably wouldn’t have done it without these guys.
[On the possibility of a semi-final against Callan Rydz] For a little town like Bedlington to have two lads in the semi-finals would be amazing. I do believe he can do it and I’m praying we get that clash.
That’s a landmark moment in the career of a hugely likeable young player. He was facing quarter-final misery for the third year in a row when Gerwyn Price raced into a 2-0 lead. But Dobey’s scoring got heavier as Price’s doubling went south, and he was cruising to victory when, out of nothing, he missed five match darts. It could have broken Dobey, especially after his defeat to Rob Cross from 4-0 up a year ago. It probably should have broken him. But he came back to break Price again and finish the match with two double 18s.
Chris Dobey beats Gerwyn Price 5-3
Dobey’s second dart slips out so badly that he hits double 19, a happy accident if ever there was one. Price starts with a 140, his best opening visit for a long while, before the leg descends into an unwelcome orgy of trebleless visits. This is unbelievably tense. Eventually Dobey leaves 92 with Price on 40 for a potentially devastating break.
Here comes Dobey: single 20, double 18 and another double 18 to reach his first World Championship semi-final! I need a lie-down, goodness knows how he feels. Gerwyn Price is very sporting in defeat; he will lament the mid-match doubling that allowed Dobey back in.
Price holds! Dobey 4-3 Price (legs 2-1) First Price’s doubles fell off a cliff; now his trebles have gone the same way. A poor scoring leg from Dobey allows Price to hold on D6, so Dobey will be asked to serve it out.
Dobey holds to move within one leg of victory!
Dobey 4-3 Price (legs 2-0) Dobey has outscored Price consistently since the third set, so if he holds his nerve on doubles he should – should – win this.
Another 180 gives Dobey a shot at a 12-darter. He can’t hit D16 but Price is miles back when Dobey returns to hit D8. This is a sensational response to those five missed match darts.
Dobey breaks! Dobey 4-3 Price (legs 1-0) Dobey misses the bull for 164 to break at the start of set eight. My word, that would have been a palate cleanser. Price lets him off the hook by missing two more darts at double and Dobey shows admirable nerve to hit D8 with his last dart.
The players are back after the break. I have no idea which way this is going.
“I love darts,” says Max Williams. “There’s no sport like it: you’re basically playing yourself over and over again. (Golf must be the closest equivalent?) It’s so simple and yet so psychologically nuanced. Plus there are so few world class athletes I think I could beat in a foot race and 95 per cent of them play darts. They’re real people, people with one incredibly specific skill set that couldn’t be applied in any other field or indeed anywhere else in human history. (Whereas Ben Stokes, say, would’ve made a brilliant gladiator and I can imagine Roger Federer going down a storm at court.)”
I think it’s the most psychologically interesting sport around. It’s like a never-ending penalty shootout, except you’re taking all the penalties, and your own subconscious is the goalkeeper. (I think that’s a bit harsh on darts players by the way – John Part and Wayne Mardle, for example, are possibly the most articulate people I’ve heard when discussing the mental side of sport.)
Gerwyn Price averaged 83.30 in that set, and he won it against the darts. This game.
That is a devastating blow to Chris Dobey, especially in the context of last year; the first two match darts were miles off. Price is arguably the favourite now. Darts, bloody hell.
Price breaks to win the seventh set!
Dobey 4-3 Price (legs 2-3) Dobey starts the biggest leg of his life to date with a 180! Wonderful stuff. He leaves 20 after just 12 darts, with Price back on 184.
Dobey misses D10 by an absolute mile, walks away in disgust and then returns to split 10. He misses D4 by an equally large distance. Suddenly this is getting all too interesting.
Price leaves 50 from 184. Dobey is on 4 for the match. He goes inside, then misses two at D1! This is crazy. Price hits tops to steal the set against the darts. Dobey has missed five match darts and the game is back on throw.
Dobey 4-2 Price (legs 2-2) Dobey doesn’t get a shot from 130, allowing Price to return on 95 with a chance to save the match. He misses T19, hitting T7 instead, but he pulls it out of the fire with T18 and a superb D10. Now then.
Dobey holds! Dobey 4-2 Price (legs 2-1) Dobey has been so smooth in the last few sets. He keeps scoring on the heavy side of consistent to leave 40 after 12 on his sown throw. Price is back on 160 when Dobey returns to hit tops first dart.
Dobey needs one more leg to exorcise the demons of New Year’s Day 2024.
Price holds! Dobey 4-2 Price (legs 1-1) Price celebrates sarcastically after hitting his first 180 since the second set. But even with Dobey back on 220, Price misses three at his favourite D12. This is an astonishing collapse on the outer ring. He finally gets the job done on D3, flexes his guns to the crowd and is booed heartily for the first time this afternoon. Maybe the booing will work in his favour for once.
Dobey 4-2 Price (legs 1-0) The crowd are on Dobey’s side but, unlike in previous years, they haven’t been particularly unfair to Price. He has just fallen apart on the doubles, a recurring problem in recent years.
Dobey starts set seven with a 12-dart hold, his sixth leg on the spin; he needs two more to reach his first World Championship semi-final.
Dobey comes from 2-0 down to lead 4-2!
Dobey breaks again! Dobey 4-2 Price (legs 3-0) Price roars after starting with 134, an attempt to get himself going. Was it Corey Cadby he played in that hilarious game of oneupmanship, in which they were celebrating 60s at one stage?
Price has one darts at tops to hold with Dobey waiting on 30 for a break. He misses, of course he does, and Dobey hits D15 first up for a rapid set victory against the darts. He’s won four sets in a row and is throwing for the match!
Dobey 3-2 Price (legs 2-0) Dobey misses the bull for 167. Price can only leave 112 from 170, and Dobey is up to hit D8 for his fourth straight leg. Gerwyn Price is in all sorts.
Dobey breaks! Dobey 3-2 Price (legs 1-0) As frustrated as Price will be, the match is still on throw. But Price is an open book and he is starting to look haunted by the ghosts of Ally Pally past. He needs a big moment, a huge finish or some such, to reverse the momentum – because he is in all sorts of trouble.
Price misses eight darts at double, some by a distance, and is broken by Dobey, who missed four himself. That mildly shambolic leg might just be the most important of the match.
Fifth set stats
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Average Dobey 98.16, Price 93.57
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Doubles Dobey 37.5, Price 25%
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180s Dobey 2-0 Price
Dobey wins the fifth set!
Dobey holds! Dobey 3-2 Price (legs 3-2) A lesser-spotted hold, the first of the set, gives Chris Dobey a 3-2 lead! He totally outscored Price in the deciding leg and had time to return after missing D10 on the inside. He hit D5 with his second dart to go ahead in sets for the first time. For Price, it’s all down to those pesky doubles.
Dobey breaks back again! Dobey 2-2 Price (legs 2-2) “A break is only a break if you hold,” says John Part, and Price is really struggling to do that.
Both men are down to 170 – but Dobey is first there, against the darts, and misses the bull for the big fish. No matter: he returns to complete a 14-darter and will now throw for the set!