Wembley win for Wade

James Wade carved a new name on the Premier League darts trophy as he defeated Mervyn King 13-8 in the 2009 final at Wembley Arena.

With the first four years of the tournament being dominated by Phil Taylor, Wade became just the second man to become the Premier League champion.

'The Machine' stormed into a 7-0 lead against a lacklustre King, who found it hard to get going after returning to the stage so soon after his epic win over Taylor in the semi-final.

King had emphatically won both of the league meetings between the two, but the shoe was on the other foot as King had to take out 156 just to get a leg on the board at 7-1.

A flat spot came for Wade just after going 8-1 ahead, and King also finally managed to find his top form as he hit back with a five-leg winning burst that really started the final going as a true contest.

Contest

At 8-6, it looked anyone's game, but Wade clung on to open up a 9-6 gap, and from then on was content to merely try and hold his throw until the end.

King was looking more drained than his opponent and Wade sniffed his chance as he crucially broke the throw to go 12-8 ahead and just a leg away from the title.

A 180 first up in the next leg broke King's spirit and Wade took it comfortably with his favoured double top sealing the £165,000 first prize and the Premier League trophy.

After losing in the final 12 months ago, Wade got his hands on the trophy this time around, and he was delighted to have captured one of the toughest prizes to win on the circuit.

"Wow, that's fantastic, I don't know what to say," a thrilled Wade told Sky Sports. "I didn't beat Mervyn once in the league stages, so to beat him in the final is great - I'm chuffed to bits.

"The money's way back in the distance, it helps of course, but I just wanted to win this trophy.

"You're in the PDC, the best organisation in darts, you're playing the best eight players in the world, and to win it, it's what dreams are made of for people like me who play darts.

"I said at the beginning of 2009 that I needed to win a major TV tournament this year, well here it is!

"This is one of the best to win, if not the best. It is probably the hardest tournament to win because of the massive crowds you play in front of every week, and the top player you are playing against, so for me to win it - I'm almost speechless."