STAIRWAY TO SEVEN

MVG blasts his way back to final in demolition Dobey

- MIKE WALTERS

AFTER Hogmanay came Clogmanay and Michael van Gerwen was never going to let the party fall flat.

Easing into his seventh PDC World Darts Championship final with a brutal 6-1 demolition of an outclassed Chris Dobey, MVG needed just 49 minutes to seal his place in tonight's showpiece.

From the first dart, Van Gerwen looked like a man in a hurry to end his six-year wait for a fourth title.

Only Phil Taylor, with 16, and fellow Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld, with five, have won more world titles than Clog Almighty.

No wonder his excitement got the better of him and he turned the air blue in his post-match TV interview.

Since the last of his three world titles six years ago, Van Gerwen has invented a variety of ways to leave Alexandra Palace with regrets.