"Ally Pally is Back" - 5 Greatest Darts Matches from the iconic Alexandra Palace - 180UK.com
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“Ally Pally is Back” – 5 Greatest Darts Matches from the iconic Alexandra Palace

2 December 2025
Tom Sansom

By Luca Jarman

Christmas music is blaring on the radio, festive chocolates are on shop shelves and decorations are up, Christmas is just around the corner and the PDC World Darts Championship is almost back.  

It’s the most coveted time of year for darts fans, many of whom will be making the pilgrimage to London to witness the best players on the planet battle it out on the storied Ally Pally stage.

The competition moved from the Circus Tavern to the Alexandra Palace for the 2008 tournament and has been held there ever since. Despite whispers of moving to a bigger venue, PDC chief executive Matt Turner said the World Championships would not be moved. The Alexandra Palace has been the setting for countless wondrous and fascinating darts matchups, here are the five greatest.

2009 Final: Phil Taylor 7 – 1 Raymond van Barneveld

Phil Taylor celebrates a 14th title in 2009

The most dominant performance ever in a final. ‘The Power’ reached an unprecedented 110.94 three-dart match average, which still hasn’t been beaten in a World Championship Final. This was Phil Taylor stamping down his authority in the competition once again, regaining his World title after two years without it, making it his 14th.

It was also tinged with revenge, as ‘Barney’ had beaten Taylor in a hard-fought final in 2007, the last World Championship held at the Circus Tavern.

Van Barneveld achieved a respectable average of 101.18 but was far from matching Taylor. He was able to win the third set to prevent a whitewash and pushed four of Taylor’s seven winning sets to five legs. But ‘The Power’ was a level far above, conjuring the scoring power to race ahead whilst also providing clinical finishing. Phil Taylor ruled darts for decades, and this was one of his most commanding performances.

2018 Semi Final: Rob Cross 6 – 5 Michael van Gerwen

‘The Voltage’ entered the 2018 World Championship as a relative unknown, but through excellent skill paired with grit and resilience he pushed his way in as a contender. This was the game that proved that.

Rob Cross and Michael van Gerwen met in a hard-fought battle in a bid to reach the final

It was tit-for-tat throughout and eventually came to 5-5 in sets. Michael van Gerwen had five darts to win the match but could not provide the finishing touch to extinguish Cross’ flame.

A winner could not be found in the regular leg, so the game had to be pushed to sudden death. Both players missed another match dart for ton plus finishes, but Rob Cross was finally able to end the game with double eight.

It proved he wasn’t just a fluke and that he was good enough to defeat one of the world’s best. He went on to beat Phil Taylor in the final and became the first unseeded player to win the competition.

2025 Second Round: Luke Littler 3 – 1 Ryan Meikle

Following an incredible debut campaign, expectations were high for ‘The Nuke’ as he was set to face Ryan Meikle in his first game back.

The teenage sensation endured a slow start and laboured to a 2-1 lead, with ‘The Barber’ still hot on his heels and eager to cause an upset.

But in a record-breaking final set, Littler didn’t just find his groove, he produced utter magic. He started with an eleven-darter. Then threw eight perfect darts but missed double 12 and the chance for a nine darter. This was quickly rectified with a finish on his tenth dart, followed up by another eleven-darter to snatch the game, leaving Ryan Meikle stunned without a chance to even get close to him.

His final three-dart set average was 140.91, a tournament record.

2023 Final: Michael Smith 7 – 4 Michael van Gerwen

The game that housed one of the greatest moments in sport history.

Early in the game with one set to Michael van Gerwen, the pair played a leg that will never be forgotten. With six darts thrown each, both players were on nine darters. ‘Mighty Mike’ got what he needed to set up to finish, but missed double 12 by a hair, leaving the floor for Michael Smith. ‘Bully Boy’ went that one step further and was able to pin the 141 to send the crowd, as well as the commentary booth, in the Ally Pally into raptures

Michael Smith was able to prove his mettle throughout the rest of the game and ultimately fulfilled his darting destiny, becoming world champion.

This one goes in for that moment alone. It was the most amazing leg of darts you will ever see in your life.

2017 Semi Final: Michael van Gerwen 6 –2 Raymond van Barneveld

A matchup between the two giants of Dutch darts, which produced the greatest performance the Ally Pally has ever witnessed.

‘Mighty Mike’ earned the highest three-dart match average ever in the World Darts Championship, a ridiculous 114.05. Whilst ‘Barney’ was certainly not steamrolled, producing an impressive match average of 109.34, which put him fourth in that list and is the highest ever for a losing player. He was at his best but still got relatively pummelled by his compatriot.

To reach such high averages over a long form game is extraordinary, with 15 of the game’s 32 legs won in 12 darts or less.

Van Gerwen went on to claim his second World title against Gary Anderson in the final. He romped to another stunning average of 108.06, proving that this was truly the Dutchman at his peak.

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