2002 World Matchplay

{{Short description|Professional darts tournament}} {{good article}} {{Use British English|date=March 2019}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}} {{Infobox individual darts tournament |tournament_name = 2002 Stan James World Matchplay |image = |dates = 28 July–3 August 2002 |venue = [[Winter Gardens, Blackpool|Winter Gardens]] |location = [[Blackpool]] |country = England |organisation = [[Professional Darts Corporation|PDC]] |format = Legs |prize_fund = [[Pound sterling|£]]75,500 |winners_share = £15,000 |nine_dart = {{flagathlete| [[Phil Taylor (darts player)|Phil Taylor]]|ENG}} |high_checkout = '''170''' {{flagathlete|[[Keith Deller]]|ENG}} |winner = {{flagathlete|'''[[Phil Taylor (darts player)|Phil Taylor]]'''|ENG}} |prev = [[2001 World Matchplay|2001]] |next = [[2003 World Matchplay|2003]] }} The '''2002 Stan James World Matchplay''' was a professional [[darts]] tournament held from 28 July to 3 August 2002 at the [[Empress Ballroom]] in the [[Winter Gardens, Blackpool|Winter Gardens]] of [[Blackpool]]. It was the ninth staging of the [[World Matchplay (darts)|competition]] since the [[1994 World Matchplay|1994 edition]] and the 18th of 35 [[Professional Darts Corporation]] (PDC) tournaments in the 2002 season. The tournament was broadcast on [[Sky Sports]] and was sponsored by the betting company [[Stan James]].

The tournament's defending champion [[Phil Taylor (darts player)|Phil Taylor]] defeated [[John Part]] by 18 [[Leg (darts)|legs]] to 16 in the final, winning his third consecutive World Matchplay title and his fifth overall since his first in the [[1995 World Matchplay|1995 event]]. He defeated qualifier [[Shayne Burgess]] in round one, [[Kevin Painter]] in round two [[Chris Mason (darts player)|Chris Mason]] in the quarter-finals and [[John Lowe (darts player)|John Lowe]] in the semi-finals en route to the final. Taylor made a [[nine-dart finish]] in the fifth leg of his quarter-final match against Mason, the first time the achievement had been broadcast live in the United Kingdom. [[Keith Deller]] achieved the competition's highest [[Glossary of darts#C|checkout]], a 170, in his second-round match against [[Alan Warriner-Little|Alan Warriner]].

==Tournament summary== ===Background=== [[File:Empress Ballroom Winter Gardens Blackpool.jpg|thumb|The [[Empress Ballroom]], where the tournament was held.]] Tommy Cox, the tournament director and co-founder of the [[Professional Darts Corporation]] (PDC), conceived the idea of staging a [[darts]] tournament in the [[North West England]] seaside resort of [[Blackpool]] in the early 1990s.<ref name=SportsmanMatchplay>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thesportsman.com/articles/history-of-the-world-matchplay-darts|title=History of the World Matchplay Darts|last=Kitson|first=Jack|date=15 July 2019|website=The Sportsman|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121154216/https://www.thesportsman.com/articles/history-of-the-world-matchplay-darts|archive-date=21 January 2020|access-date=21 January 2020}}</ref> The [[World Matchplay (darts)|World Matchplay]] was first held in 1994 and is the second most prestigious competition in the PDC in terms of prize money behind the [[PDC World Darts Championship|World Championship]].<ref name="SportsmanMatchplay" /><ref name="PDCMatchplay">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pdc-europe.de/tournament-series/|title=Description of all tournament series|publisher=PDC Europe|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121172832/https://www.pdc-europe.de/tournament-series/|archive-date=21 January 2020|access-date=21 January 2020}}</ref> The 2002 tournament was held between 28 July to 3 August in Blackpool, England,<ref name="MCallerMPlay2002">{{cite web|title=World Matchplay 2002|url=https://mastercaller.com/tournaments/world-matchplay/2002|publisher=Mastercaller|access-date=21 January 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319061515/https://mastercaller.com/tournaments/world-matchplay/2002|archive-date=19 March 2020}} {{cite web|title=World Matchplay 2002 – Match results|url=https://mastercaller.com/tournaments/world-matchplay/2002/results|publisher=Mastercaller|access-date=21 January 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319061516/https://mastercaller.com/tournaments/world-matchplay/2002/results|archive-date=19 March 2020}}</ref> and was the 18th of 35 PDC-sanctioned events that year.<ref name="2002PDCCalendar">{{cite web|url=http://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/EventList.aspx|title=2002 PDC Darts Event Calendar|publisher=Darts Database|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118002742/http://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/EventList.aspx|archive-date=18 January 2012|access-date=10 November 2019}}</ref> It was the ninth edition of the tournament and featured a 32-player main draw that was played at the [[Empress Ballroom]] in the [[Winter Gardens, Blackpool|Winter Gardens]].<ref name=PDCMatchplay/><ref name=MCallerMPlay2002/>

A total of 28 players automatically qualified for the main draw according to their final position from 1 to 28 in the PDC rankings with 16 [[Seed (sports)|seeds]]. The tournament's defending champion [[Phil Taylor (darts player)|Phil Taylor]] was seeded first and [[Alan Warriner-Little|Alan Warriner]] was the second seed.<ref name=MCallerMPlay2002/><ref name=Qualifiers>{{cite web|title=Cardiff Double Header|url=http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=100098&Nv=1|publisher=Planetdarts.co.uk|date=19 July 2002|access-date=21 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020929230350/http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=100098&Nv=1|archive-date=29 September 2002|url-status=dead}} {{cite web|title=Burgess Is Back|url=http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=100201&Nv=1|publisher=Planetdarts.co.uk|date=20 July 2002|access-date=21 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020929225953/http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=100201&Nv=1|archive-date=29 September 2002|url-status=dead}}</ref> The remaining four places were decided by a two-stage play-off tournament contested by members of the [[Professional Dart Players Association]] at the [[Cardiff International Arena]] in [[Cardiff]], Wales, on 20 July. [[Shayne Burgess]], Mark Holden, [[Mark Walsh (darts player)|Mark Walsh]] and Paul Whitworth were the four players who progressed from qualifying to the main draw.<ref name="Qualifiers" /> The maximum number of [[Leg (darts)|legs]] played in a match increased from 19 in the first round to 25 in the second and 31 and 33 in the quarter and semi-finals respectively, leading up to the final which was played as best-of-35 legs.<ref name="BENPart1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.bullseyenews.com/specreport2205-1_sjwm.html|title=Special Report: 2002 Stan James World Matchplay: Part One|last=Farmer|first=Gayle|date=August 2002|website=Bull's Eye News|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030429145653/http://www.bullseyenews.com/specreport2205-1_sjwm.html|archive-date=29 April 2003|access-date=21 January 2020}}</ref> Sponsored by the betting company [[Stan James]],<ref name=DDResults>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/EventResults.aspx?EventKey=250|title=2002 World Matchplay Results|publisher=Darts Database|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215122953/http://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/EventResults.aspx?EventKey=250|archive-date=15 December 2018|access-date=21 January 2020}}</ref> it had a total prize fund of £75,500,<ref name="MCallerMPlay2002" /> and the host broadcaster was [[Sky Sports]].<ref name=DDResults/>

===Round 1===

The draw for the first round of the championship was conducted on [[Sky Sports News]] by Cox and [[Sid Waddell]] on 19 June.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=96261&Nv=1|title=Stan James World Matchplay Draw|date=13 June 2002|publisher=Planetdarts.co.uk|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030330061433/http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=96261&Nv=1|archive-date=30 March 2003|access-date=21 January 2020}}</ref> The first round of the competition, in which 32 players participated, took place from 28 to 30 July.<ref name="MCallerMPlay2002" /><ref name=BENPart1/> [[Steve Brown (darts player, born 1962)|Steve Brown]] defeated the ninth seed [[Dennis Smith (darts player)|Dennis Smith]] 10–7. Brown led 5–3 with a 137 [[Glossary of darts#C|checkout]] before Smith took the next two legs to tie at 5–5. Brown then reestablished a two-leg lead and won the match on the [[Glossary of darts#D|double 20 outer ring]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=101111&Nv=1|title=Brown Shocks Smith|last=O'Rourke|first=Peter|date=28 July 2002|publisher=Planetdarts.co.uk|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020929232446/http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=101111&Nv=1|archive-date=29 September 2002|access-date=22 January 2020}}</ref> [[Kevin Painter]], the 16th seed, averaged 53.85 points per dart to win 10–4 over former world champion [[Dennis Priestley]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=101115&Nv=1|title=Painter Brushes Aside Priestley|last=O'Rourke|first=Peter|date=27 July 2002|publisher=Planetdarts.co.uk|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020929232600/http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=101115&Nv=1|archive-date=29 September 2002|access-date=22 January 2020}}</ref> Taylor achieved a [[Glossary of darts#Average|three-dart average]] of 100.74 and a checkout of 161 in [[Whitewash (sport)|whitewashing]] qualifier Burgess 10–0; he attempted to complete a nine-dart finish in leg seven before he missed the [[Glossary of darts#T|triple]] 20 inner ring on his seventh throw.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=101117&Nv=1|title=Power Savages Bulldog|last=O'Rourke|first=Peter|date=28 July 2002|publisher=Planetdarts.co.uk|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020929232907/http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=101117&Nv=1|archive-date=29 September 2002|access-date=22 January 2020}}</ref>

A 64 checkout gave Holden the opening leg of his match against the [[2002 Las Vegas Desert Classic|Las Vegas Desert Classic]] runner-up [[Ronnie Baxter]], who won ten legs in a row to win by 10–1 with finishes of 121 and 70. Fourth seed [[Denis Ovens]] was untroubled in a game with Whitworth and made a checkout of 121 in leg five en route to a 10–4 win.<ref name="BENPart1" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A89911771/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=GPS&xid=99321aa3|title=Darts: Ronnie Baxter|date=30 July 2002|work=[[The Birmingham Post]]|access-date=22 January 2020|page=31|via=Gale OneFile: News|url-access=subscription}}</ref> 12th seed [[Jamie Harvey]] emerged a 10–5 winner over [[Andy Jenkins]] as both missed their targets. Harvey said afterwards he required a victory at the tournament due to him being drawn to play Taylor in the previous two years. [[John Lowe (darts player)|John Lowe]] made a three-dart average of 90.93, a checkout ratio of 30.31 and a checkout of 114 to defeat [[Alex Roy (darts player)|Alex Roy]] 10–2.<ref name="BENPart1" /> A 52 finish and a 89.60 three-dart average allowed [[Chris Mason (darts player)|Chris Mason]] to win 10–1 over [[Richie Burnett]], the [[2001 World Matchplay (darts)|2001 World Matchplay]] runner-up. Mason failed to achieve a nine-dart finish because he missed the triple 19 inner ring at his eighth throw.<ref name="BENPart1" /> Second seed Warriner won 11–9 over [[Les Fitton]]. Both players took the game to 9–9 and Warriner won by two legs over Fitton on a [[Tiebreaker|tie-break]].<ref name="BENPart1" /><ref name="TimesJul02">{{Cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A90269001/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=GPS&xid=93d33020|title=Warriner survives bold fightback by Fitton; Darts|last=Webb|first=Mel|date=30 July 2002|work=[[The Times]]|access-date=22 January 2020|page=34|via=Gale Academic OneFile|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Number 20 seed [[Keith Deller]], who had lost in the first round of the previous three World Matchplays, came from 4–1 and 6–3 behind the two-time tournament winner [[Rod Harrington]] for a 10–8 victory with finishes of 116, 32 and 76 after the latter had a series of [[Glossary of darts#B|bounce outs]] that affected his flow.<ref name="BENPart1" /> Another tie-break was required in a match between [[Bob Anderson (darts player)|Bob Anderson]] and seed eight [[Peter Manley]] in which the former won 18–16;<ref name=TimesJul02/> both competitors compiled high scores with checkouts of 111 and 116.<ref name="BENPart1" /> World number eight [[Colin Lloyd]] came from 4–7 behind Mick Manning to claim six legs in succession and win 10–7, saying afterwards, "I started thinking am I going to hit the double? And saying to myself 'keep going the way you are and the doubles will come'"<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=101315&Nv=1|title=Lloyd Banks Win Over Manning|last=Seery|first=Philip|date=30 July 2002|publisher=Planetdarts.co.uk|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020929230418/http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=101315&Nv=1|archive-date=29 September 2002|access-date=22 January 2020}}</ref> [[Dave Askew]] won 10–4 over [[Peter Evison]]. Both players tied at 2–2 before Askew took a 4–3 lead. Askew won the following six legs and Evison the thirteenth. Askew took victory on the double eight outer ring and had an average finish of 93.29.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=101328&Nv=1|title=Diamond Cuts Through Evison|last=Seery|first=Philip|date=30 July 2002|publisher=Planetdarts.co.uk|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020929230157/http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=101328&Nv=1|archive-date=29 September 2002|access-date=22 January 2020}}</ref>

[[John Part]], the Ireland Open Class champion, had a three-dart average of 84.92 in whitewashing the error-prone Walsh 10–0. Part said he felt slightly awkward for Walsh not performing and that "it ended more or less like a practice match."<ref name=BENPart2>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bullseyenews.com/specreport2205-2_sjwm.html|title=Special Report: 2002 Stan James World Matchplay: Part Two|last=Farmer|first=Gayle|date=September 2002|website=Bull's Eye News|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030429145949/http://www.bullseyenews.com/specreport2205-2_sjwm.html|archive-date=29 April 2003|access-date=22 January 2020}}</ref> [[Cliff Lazarenko]] averaged 98.67 in defeating [[Steve Beaton]] 10–8. The match saw Lazarenko lead 5–1 before Beaton responded to bring it to 8–9; the former finished on the double 16 outer ring to win.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A183373055/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=GPS&xid=5745d4e9|title=Lazarenko Beats 'The Adonis' To Last 16|date=1 August 2002|work=Leamington Spa Courier|access-date=22 January 2020|via=Gale OneFile: News|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The final first round match was played between the world number six [[Roland Scholten]] and [[Paul Williams (darts player)|Paul Williams]]. Scholten compiled high scores as the game went to 4–4 and later 8–8 before winning two more legs for a 10–8 victory on the double 20 outer ring.<ref name=BENPart2/>

===Round 2===

The second round consisted of best-of-25 legs between 30 and 31 July.<ref name=Schedule>{{Cite web|url=http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=97148&Nv=1|title=Stan James World Matchplay – Schedule|date=22 July 2002|publisher=Planetdarts.co.uk|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030508073047/http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=97148&Nv=1|archive-date=8 May 2003|access-date=22 January 2020}}</ref> Taylor was the first player to progress to the quarter-finals with a 13–6 victory over Painter. He led Painter 3–2 and later 6–4. before checkouts of 68, 127 and 167 gave him the win;<ref name="BENPart2" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A89948215/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=GPS&xid=927fd563|title=Painter's best falls well short of Taylor; Darts|last=Webb|first=Mel|date=31 July 2002|work=The Times|access-date=22 January 2020|page=34|via=Gale Academic OneFile|url-access=subscription}}</ref> he missed compiling a 170 checkout.<ref name="BENPart2" /> Mason won 13–6 over Brown; he had an average of 97 in the first six legs, which he won. Brown subsequently returned to contention before Mason won the match. The next second-round match saw Baxter beat Harvey 13–7. Baxter threw accurately enough to claim the opening three legs until Harvey mounted a short comeback.<ref name="BENPart2" /> Harvey had a three-dart average of 85 before he was unable to complete a 140 checkout and Baxter returned to a three-leg lead at 7–3. Harvey took a further four legs in the match before Baxter claimed victory.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=101462&Nv=1|title=Rocket Steams into Quarters|last=Seery|first=Philip|date=31 July 2002|publisher=Planetdarts.co.uk|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020929232007/http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=101462&Nv=1|archive-date=29 September 2002|access-date=22 January 2020}}</ref> Lowe beat Ovens 14–12.<ref name="MCallerMPlay2002" /> The game was closely contested until the 14th leg, when Ovens hit the double one ring to go 8–6 in front. It went to 10–11 and then 11–11 before Lowe took the win.<ref name="BENPart2" />

Lloyd earned a 13–5 victory against Scholten. Both players shared the first two legs before Lloyd claimed seven sets in a row to lead Scholten 9–2. Scholten then lowered his deficit to 9–3 until Lloyd had finishes in the double five and fifteen outer rings to earn a spot in the quarter-final. Deller emerged from 5–2 behind Warriner to level the score at 6–6 and then 7–7.<ref name="BENPart2" /> As Warriner drew clear,<ref name="BENPart2" /> Deller made the tournament's highest checkout of 170 in the 18th leg and then finished in the double one, five and sixteen rings to win by 13–11;<ref name="BENPart2" /><ref name=Times1Aug>{{Cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A89990211/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=GPS&xid=690be6c7|title=Tenacious Deller reaches last eight; Darts|last=Webb|first=Mel|date=1 August 2002|work=The Times|access-date=22 January 2020|page=35|via=Gale Academic OneFile|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Deller's form allowed him to hit 13 out of 30 targets.<ref name=Times1Aug/> Anderson defeated Askew 13–9 after he overcame a late match challenge from his opponent. He led 8–2 when Askew took 7 of the next 11 legs before Anderson won the match by hitting the double 20 outer ring in the 22nd leg. The last second-round match was contested by Part and Lazarenko. Both players shared the first 18 legs with neither taking a clear advantage. At 9–9, Part clinched the 19th leg and made a checkout of 117 to lead 11–9. He then won two more legs for a 13–11 victory.<ref name="BENPart2" />

===Quarter-finals === The four quarter-finals entailed best-of-31 legs on 1 August.<ref name=Schedule/> Lloyd defeated Deller 16–6 in the first match. Level at 2–2 after checkouts of 138 and 60, Lloyd won two legs in a row before Deller took leg seven after Lloyd was unable to complete a checkout of 130. Lloyd then won four consecutive legs, and responded each time Deller won a leg to claim a 16–6 victory and a berth in the semi-final.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www1.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=101605&Nv=1|title=Jaws Sinks Teeth into Deller|date=1 August 2002|publisher=Planetdarts.co.uk|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030110215139/http://www1.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=101605&Nv=1|archive-date=10 January 2003|access-date=23 January 2020}}</ref> Part beat Anderson 16–5 for the second semi-final spot. He won 11 legs in succession and 15 of the last 16 to set up a semi-final meeting with Lloyd.<ref name=BENPart3>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bullseyenews.com/specreport2205-3_sjwm.html|title=Special Report: 2002 Stan James World Matchplay: Part Three|last=Farmer|first=Gayle|date=September 2003|website=Bull's Eye News|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030113095756/http://www.bullseyenews.com/specreport2205-3_sjwm.html|archive-date=13 January 2003|access-date=23 January 2020}}</ref>

Taylor made the first nine-dart finish (two maximums and completing a 141 checkout by hitting the triple 20 and 19 inner rings and the double 12 outer ring) to be broadcast live in the United Kingdom in the fifth leg of his 16–7 victory over Mason and won £100,000 for doing so.{{efn|Tournament broadcasters Sky Sports erroneously stated that Taylor's nine-dart finish was the first in history to be televised live. [[Shaun Greatbatch]] had made a nine-dart finish earlier in 2002 live on Dutch television in the [[Dutch Open (darts)|Dutch Open]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Lowe|first=John|title=Old Stoneface – My Autobiography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hTetDwAAQBAJ&q=phil+taylor+nine+dart+2002+first+uk+live&pg=PT281|publisher=Kings Road Publishing|location=London, England|isbn=978-1-78219-571-9|date=8 June 2009|access-date=23 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Irwin|first=Justin|title=Murder on The Darts Board|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JYF23gOtbekC&q=shaun+greatbatch+phil+taylor+nine-dart&pg=PA60|page=60|publisher=[[Pavilion Books|Anova Books]]|location=London, England|year=2008|access-date=9 February 2020|isbn=978-1-906032-04-3}}</ref>}}<ref name=9Darter>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/2167116.stm|title=Taylor hits nine-darter|date=1 August 2002|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040519121141/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/2167116.stm|archive-date=19 May 2004|access-date=23 January 2020}}</ref> He had a three-dart average of 112.17 with checkouts of 120, 126, 167, 87 and 106 for victory.<ref name=BENPart3/> Of the achievement, Taylor said: "I was a bit tearful at the end but I had to dig in.... Once I'd done the nine-darter it was a bit off-putting to then win the match. When everyone's waving betting slips at you, it takes you a few legs to think that this fella could knock me out of the competition if I'm not careful."<ref name=9Darter/> Lowe took the last semi-final berth with a 16–13 win over Baxter. The players split the first two legs before Baxter won the third. Lowe then won three legs in a row until Baxter tied at 5–5. The score went to 8–7 and then 11–11 until Lowe claimed another three legs to be within two of victory. Baxter claimed two more legs until Lowe took two in succession to win.<ref name=BENPart3/>

===Semi-finals===

Both of the semi-finals were contested as best-of-33 legs on 2 August.<ref name="Schedule" /> Part was the first player to reach the final when he defeated Lloyd 17–12.<ref name="BENPart4">{{cite web|last=Farmer|first=Gayle|title=Special Report: 2002 Stan James World Matchplay: Part Four|url=http://www.bullseyenews.com/specreport2205-4_sjwm.html|work=Bull's Eye News|date=September 2002|access-date=23 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030329092126/http://www.bullseyenews.com/specreport2205-4_sjwm.html|archive-date=29 March 2003|url-status=live}}</ref> Lloyd won the first two legs with a checkout of 76 and a finish on the double 14 outer ring. Part used Lloyd's inability to convert his throws to claim the next four legs. The game was closely contested with neither player going more than two legs ahead after 18 legs. After a short interval, Part moved into a 15–10 lead and won a 16th leg with a checkout of 122. Lloyd delayed victory by claiming the 27th leg and the 28th saw Part win the match by finishing on the double eight outer ring.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www1.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=101780&Nv=1|title=Part Edges into Final|date=2 August 2002|publisher=Planetdarts.co.uk|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020930183501/http://www.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=101780&Nv=1|archive-date=30 September 2002|access-date=23 January 2020}}</ref> Part said after the match that he had not produced his best performance of the competition, "I didn't have my best game on hand, but it was a great fight. Colin and I gave it our best."<ref name="BENPart4" />

The other semi-final was between Lowe and Taylor.<ref name="BENPart4" /> The players split the opening two legs before Taylor won two in a row from checkouts of 106 and 64. Both players had an equal amount of competitiveness and came back several times during the match with checkouts over 100 until Taylor won 17–15 by completing a checkout on the double 16 outer ring in the 32nd leg.<ref name="BENPart4" /> Taylor praised Lowe's play and commented on the final: "I can relax now and enjoy it. John's got to play well against me. Every time I've played him I've given him a good hiding but tomorrow's a different story. John wants to beat me badly and it's going to be a good final."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www1.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=101790&Nv=1|title=Taylor's High Praise For Lowe|date=2 August 2002|publisher=Planetdarts.co.uk|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030110215109/http://www1.planetdarts.co.uk/article.asp?id=101790&Nv=1|archive-date=10 January 2003|access-date=23 January 2020}}</ref> Mel Webb of ''[[The Times]]'' wrote that the match had seen Taylor taken further than he had been in a major darts competition since his semi-final tie with [[Eric Bristow]] at the [[1997 WDC World Darts Championship]] went to nine [[Set (darts)|sets]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A90065315/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=GPS&xid=306bdfaf|title=Old stager Lowe fails maths test; Darts|last=Webb|first=Mel|date=3 August 2002|work=The Times|access-date=23 January 2020|page=33|via=Gale Academic OneFile|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

===Final===

The final between Taylor and Part on 3 August was played to the best-of-35 legs.<ref name="MCallerMPlay2002" /> The pair shared the first two legs before Taylor took legs three and four and added the fifth after the two had missed chances to secure it earlier on. Part replied by compiling checkouts of 72 and 81 to remain in close contention, and took the lead by winning leg eleven. From the 12th to 18th legs, both players levelled the scoreline until Taylor ended the deadlock. Part later achieved a checkout of 104 in the twentieth leg as Taylor grew more frustrated by the 25th leg. Taylor made a 161 checkout to which Part replied with checkouts of 160 and 87 to regain an advantage over the former. The match was tied once again until Part returned to the lead with a 61 checkout on the 31st leg. Taylor claimed the 33rd and 34th legs to win the match 18–16 and the tournament.<ref name="BENPart4" />

It was Taylor's third consecutive World Matchplay title and his fifth overall since first winning it at the [[1995 World Matchplay (darts)|1995 edition]]. He won £15,000 for winning the competition and £100,000 for his nine-dart finish, earning him a cumulative total of £115,000.<ref name="MCallerMPlay2002" /> Taylor commented on Part's form during the game: "He really pushed me. Every time I missed, he would finish his shots. At 16-all, I thought this is a best of three now and I need to do the business. Adrenaline and the will to win pulled me through."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A90112159/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=GPS&xid=e358c2e6|title=Darts: Taylor edges thriller to survive 'vulture' attack|last=Adams|first=Eric|date=5 August 2002|work=[[The Independent]]|access-date=23 January 2020|page=11|via=Gale General OneFile|url-access=subscription}}</ref> He called it "one of the hardest tournaments I’ve ever played in" because he had underestimated players whom he perceived as sub-par and called them "vultures", adding: "They are getting fed up with losing, and you can tell by the way they are playing against me."<ref name="BENPart4" />

==Prize fund== The breakdown of prize money for 2002 is shown below.<ref name="MCallerMPlay2002" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/EventResultsPrize.aspx?EventKey=250|title=2002 World Matchplay Player Prize Money|publisher=Darts Database|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312082330/http://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/EventResultsPrize.aspx?EventKey=250|archive-date=12 March 2016|access-date=23 January 2020}}</ref>

* Winner: £15,000 * Runner-up: £7,500 * Semi-finalists (×2): £4,500 * Quarter-finalists (×4): £2,500 * Last 16 (×8): £1,750 * Last 32 (×16): £1,250 * [[Nine-dart finish|9-Dart checkout]]: £100,000 * Highest checkout: £0 * Total: £75,500

==Main draw==

Numbers given to the left of players' names show the seedings for the top 16 players in the tournament. The four qualifiers are indicated by a (Q). The figures in brackets to the right of a competitor's name state their three-dart averages in a match. Players in bold denote match winners.<ref name="MCallerMPlay2002" /><ref name="Qualifiers" /><ref name="DDResults" />

{{32TeamBracket | RD1='''First round''' ''(best of 19 legs)'' 28–30 July | RD2='''Second round''' ''(best of 25 legs)'' 30–31 July | RD3='''Quarter-finals''' ''(best of 31 legs)'' 1 August | RD4='''Semi-finals''' ''(best of 33 legs)'' 2 August | RD5='''Final''' ''(best of 35 legs)'' 3 August | seed-width= | team-width=200 | RD1-seed01=1 | RD1-team01={{flagathlete|'''[[Phil Taylor (darts player)|Phil Taylor]]'''|ENG}}100.86 | RD1-score01='''10''' | RD1-seed02=Q | RD1-team02={{flagathlete|[[Shayne Burgess]]|ENG}} 87.72 | RD1-score02=0 | RD1-seed03=16 | RD1-team03={{flagathlete|'''[[Kevin Painter]]'''|ENG}} 94.98 | RD1-score03='''10''' | RD1-seed04= | RD1-team04={{flagathlete|[[Dennis Priestley]]|ENG}} 91.38 | RD1-score04=4 | RD1-seed05=8 | RD1-team05={{flagathlete|[[Richie Burnett]]|WAL}} 78.03 | RD1-score05=1 | RD1-seed06= | RD1-team06={{flagathlete|'''[[Chris Mason (darts player)|Chris Mason]]'''|ENG}} 89.01 | RD1-score06='''10''' | RD1-seed07=9 | RD1-team07={{flagathlete|[[Dennis Smith (darts player)|Dennis Smith]]|ENG}} 89.02 | RD1-score07=7 | RD1-seed08= | RD1-team08={{flagathlete|'''[[Steve Brown (darts player, born 1962)|Steve Brown]]'''|USA}} 90.67 | RD1-score08='''10''' | RD1-seed09=5 | RD1-team09={{flagathlete|'''[[Ronnie Baxter]]'''|ENG}} 92.01 | RD1-score09='''10''' | RD1-seed10=Q | RD1-team10={{flagathlete|Mark Holden|ENG}} 75.68 | RD1-score10=1 | RD1-seed11=12 | RD1-team11={{flagathlete|'''[[Jamie Harvey]]'''|SCO}} 82.74 | RD1-score11='''10''' | RD1-seed12= | RD1-team12={{flagathlete|[[Andy Jenkins]]|ENG}} 72.49 | RD1-score12=5 | RD1-seed13=4 | RD1-team13={{flagathlete|'''[[Denis Ovens]]'''|ENG}} 85.89 | RD1-score13='''10''' | RD1-seed14=Q | RD1-team14={{flagathlete|Paul Whitworth|ENG}} 82.67 | RD1-score14=3 | RD1-seed15=13 | RD1-team15={{flagathlete|'''[[John Lowe (darts player)|John Lowe]]'''|ENG}} 90.93 | RD1-score15='''10''' | RD1-seed16= | RD1-team16={{flagathlete|[[Alex Roy (darts player)|Alex Roy]]|ENG}} 82.38 | RD1-score16=2 | RD1-seed17=2 | RD1-team17={{flagathlete|'''[[Alan Warriner-Little|Alan Warriner]]'''|ENG}} 79.67 | RD1-score17='''11''' | RD1-seed18= | RD1-team18={{flagathlete|[[Les Fitton]]|ENG}} 79.25 | RD1-score18=9 | RD1-seed19=15 | RD1-team19={{flagathlete|[[Rod Harrington]]|ENG}} 76.95 | RD1-score19=8 | RD1-seed20= | RD1-team20={{flagathlete|'''[[Keith Deller]]'''|ENG}} 76.23 | RD1-score20='''10''' | RD1-seed21=7 | RD1-team21={{flagathlete|'''[[Colin Lloyd]]'''|ENG}} 85.32 | RD1-score21='''10''' | RD1-seed22= | RD1-team22={{flagathlete|[[Mick Manning (darts player)|Mick Manning]]|ENG}} 85.87 | RD1-score22=7 | RD1-seed23=10 | RD1-team23={{flagathlete|'''[[Roland Scholten]]'''|NED}} 92.85 | RD1-score23='''10''' | RD1-seed24= | RD1-team24={{flagathlete|[[Paul Williams (darts player)|Paul Williams]]|ENG}} 89.47 | RD1-score24=8 | RD1-seed25=6 | RD1-team25={{flagathlete|[[Peter Manley]]|ENG}} 85.74 | RD1-score25=15 | RD1-seed26= | RD1-team26={{flagathlete|'''[[Bob Anderson (darts player)|Bob Anderson]]'''|ENG}} 87.52 | RD1-score26='''17''' | RD1-seed27=11 | RD1-team27={{flagathlete|'''[[Dave Askew]]'''|ENG}} 93.29 | RD1-score27='''10''' | RD1-seed28= | RD1-team28={{flagathlete|[[Peter Evison]]|ENG}} 85.69 | RD1-score28=4 | RD1-seed29=3 | RD1-team29={{flagathlete|'''[[John Part]]'''|CAN}} 84.90 | RD1-score29='''10''' | RD1-seed30=Q | RD1-team30={{flagathlete|[[Mark Walsh (darts player)|Mark Walsh]]|ENG}} 64.59 | RD1-score30=0 | RD1-seed31=14 | RD1-team31={{flagathlete|[[Steve Beaton]]|ENG}} 82.23 | RD1-score31=8 | RD1-seed32= | RD1-team32={{flagathlete|'''[[Cliff Lazarenko]]'''|ENG}} 83.71 | RD1-score32='''10''' | RD2-seed01=1 | RD2-team01={{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Phil Taylor (darts player)|Phil Taylor]]''' 104.01 | RD2-score01='''13''' | RD2-seed02=16 | RD2-team02={{flagicon|ENG}} [[Kevin Painter]] 98.40 | RD2-score02=6 | RD2-seed03=  | RD2-team03={{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Chris Mason (darts player)|Chris Mason]]''' 98.71 | RD2-score03='''13''' | RD2-seed04= | RD2-team04={{flagicon|USA}} [[Steve Brown (darts player, born 1962)|Steve Brown]] 88.56 | RD2-score04=6 | RD2-seed05=5 | RD2-team05={{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Ronnie Baxter]]''' 94.41 | RD2-score05='''13''' | RD2-seed06=12 | RD2-team06={{flagicon|SCO}} [[Jamie Harvey]] 84.79 | RD2-score06=7 | RD2-seed07=4 | RD2-team07={{flagicon|ENG}} [[Denis Ovens]] 91.53 | RD2-score07=12 | RD2-seed08=13 | RD2-team08={{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[John Lowe (darts player)|John Lowe]]''' 93.92 | RD2-score08='''14''' | RD2-seed09=2 | RD2-team09={{flagicon|ENG}} [[Alan Warriner-Little|Alan Warriner]] 84.34 | RD2-score09=11 | RD2-seed10= | RD2-team10={{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Keith Deller]]''' 83.65 | RD2-score10='''13''' | RD2-seed11=7 | RD2-team11={{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Colin Lloyd]]''' 84.15 | RD2-score11='''13''' | RD2-seed12=10 | RD2-team12={{flagicon|NED}} [[Roland Scholten]] 78.50 | RD2-score12=5 | RD2-seed13= | RD2-team13={{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Bob Anderson (darts player)|Bob Anderson]]''' 81.70 | RD2-score13='''13''' | RD2-seed14=11 | RD2-team14={{flagicon|ENG}} [[Dave Askew]] 78.12 | RD2-score14=9 | RD2-seed15=3 | RD2-team15={{flagicon|CAN}} '''[[John Part]]''' 96.15 | RD2-score15='''13''' | RD2-seed16= | RD2-team16={{flagicon|ENG}} [[Cliff Lazarenko]] 88.68 | RD2-score16=9 | RD3-seed01=1 | RD3-team01={{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Phil Taylor (darts player)|Phil Taylor]]''' 112.17 | RD3-score01='''16''' | RD3-seed02= | RD3-team02={{flagicon|ENG}} [[Chris Mason (darts player)|Chris Mason]] 98.79 | RD3-score02=7 | RD3-seed03=5 | RD3-team03={{flagicon|ENG}} [[Ronnie Baxter]] 89.61 | RD3-score03=13 | RD3-seed04=13 | RD3-team04={{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[John Lowe (darts player)|John Lowe]]''' 92.52 | RD3-score04='''16''' | RD3-seed05= | RD3-team05={{flagicon|ENG}} [[Keith Deller]] 76.89 | RD3-score05=6 | RD3-seed06=7 | RD3-team06={{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Colin Lloyd]]''' 82.74 | RD3-score06='''16''' | RD3-seed07= | RD3-team07={{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bob Anderson (darts player)|Bob Anderson]] 88.89 | RD3-score07=5 | RD3-seed08=3 | RD3-team08={{flagicon|CAN}} '''[[John Part]]''' 95.19 | RD3-score08='''16''' | RD4-seed01=1 | RD4-team01={{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Phil Taylor (darts player)|Phil Taylor]]''' 95.91 | RD4-score01='''17''' | RD4-seed02=13 | RD4-team02={{flagicon|ENG}} [[John Lowe (darts player)|John Lowe]] 90.48 | RD4-score02=15 | RD4-seed03=7 | RD4-team03={{flagicon|ENG}} [[Colin Lloyd]] 88.95 | RD4-score03=12 | RD4-seed04=3 | RD4-team04={{flagicon|CAN}} '''[[John Part]]''' 91.32 | RD4-score04='''17''' | RD5-seed01=1 | RD5-team01={{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Phil Taylor (darts player)|Phil Taylor]]''' 98.76 | RD5-score01='''18''' | RD5-seed02=3 | RD5-team02={{flagicon|CAN}} [[John Part]] 94.14 | RD5-score02=16 }}

==Notes== {{notes}}

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

[[Category:World Matchplay (darts)]] [[Category:2000s in Lancashire]] [[Category:2002 in darts|World Matchplay Darts]] [[Category:2002 in English sport]] [[Category:July 2002 sports events in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:August 2002 sports events in the United Kingdom]]