 Adams (left) and Nixon are both 50 |
Qualifier Phill Nixon will face top seed Martin Adams in Sunday's Lakeside World Championship final. The 50-year-old Nixon, a 150-1 outsider at the start of the tournament, got the better of Dutch 11th seed Niels de Ruiter 6-4. Adams, also 50, withstood a comeback from fifth seed Mervyn King to win 6-5. The England captain led 5-2 at one stage but King fought back superbly to take three straight sets before Adams recovered his poise in the decider. It means the two oldest players among the 32 that began the tournament will battle it out for the £70,000 first prize. Adams had trailed 2-1 in the early stages of his match but stormed through the next four sets with King struggling to hit his shots.  | I want to win this title in my 50th year and I'm in the final so I've got an opportunity |
He used all his experience to clinch the seventh set with a 10-dart finish after coming from two legs down and his confidence was high. But with defeat looming, King stormed back into the match by winning five legs in a row on his way to levelling it as Adams failed to take his chances. Adams regained his composure in the final set, winning the first leg and then breaking the throw in the second to set himself up for victory. As King continued to struggle to find the trebles, Adams finally clinched the win with double five. 606 DEBATE: Who do you want to win in the final? "I would have been happier to win in straight sets. But I wasn't worried when it went to 5-5," he said. "I've played tie-breakers with Mervyn before so it was nothing new. I fully expected him to make a big comeback. "I want to win this title in my 50th year and I'm in the final so I've got an opportunity." King admitted afterwards he had been beaten by a better player. | It was a dream come true just to get into the tournament, but to get to the final - I'm lost for words |
"I got it back to 5-5 and then he had one brilliant set. I can't argue with that," he said. Durham player Nixon, a house-husband and father of eight, has beaten four seeds to reach the final. But for the second consecutive match, he found it difficult to get over the winning line as he allowed De Ruiter to recover from 5-1 down to 5-4. He missed eight darts to win the match but then managed a 121 checkout to triumph. "I'm absolutely ecstatic to be in the final and I love playing Martin," he said. "It was a dream come true just to get into the tournament, but to get to the final - I'm lost for words. "It's been tough and I've got to hit more doubles against Martin. But I'm going to enjoy the final - and I'm determined to win."
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