Michael van Gerwen cruises past Chris Dobey to reach World Darts Championship final for the seventh time

Six years is a long time to wait for a world crown – too long when your name is Michael van Gerwen – and it was with relative ease that ‘Mighty Mike’ dispatched of Chris Dobey to move to within one victory of a fourth coronation.

Van Gerwen’s one and only slip in this 6-1 win arrived in his televised interview with Sky Sports on stage afterwards, when the three-time champion dropped the F-bomb as he said: ‘I’ve won f*** all yet.’ Otherwise, this was effective, efficient, and oh so straightforward.

Dobey never turned up, in truth. His name was on the scoreboard, sure, and the £100,000 cheque from the PDC will make it look like he was in a contest. But really, he wasn’t.

It was an illusion, a fugazi, as fake as the excuses that will be made by the Ally Pally patrons who phone in sick to work in the morning. Van Gerwen started this match with a 180 and never looked back. His average of 98.84 was not his greatest, but it did not need to be.

Speaking afterwards, MvG said: ‘I wasn’t playing as explosive as I was in the last game. When I had to do things, I did them in the right moments. 

‘To win on this stage, especially in the semi-final, means a lot to me. We’re still so far away. I’m only in the final. I’ve won f*** all yet.’

Since Van Gerwen won the last of his three world titles in 2019, we have seen the ‘Queen of the Palace’ in Fallon Sherrock, and the ‘Prince of the Palace’ in Luke Littler. 

One more victory, and we will be celebrating the return of the ‘King’. If they sound like big words, they came directly from Van Gerwen’s mouth after defeating Callan Rydz in the quarter-finals. 

There was no messing around from Van Gerwen in this semi-final, the 35-year-old Dutchman beginning with a maximum for an immediate break of throw. 

It took him six minutes to wrap up that first set. Not quite as quick as Luke Littler’s three minutes and 33 seconds versus Nathan Aspinall, but swift enough as a statement of intent.

Locked at two legs apiece in the second set, we arrived at a crossroads as Dobey had the chance to level up the match. 

He required 40 and had three throws at it, yet missed the double at 20, then 10, then five. Van Gerwen inevitably cleaned up his 74 checkout to add insult to injury.

Though 2-0 down, there was no need for panic from Dobey. Long way to go when it is best of 11, and he had trailed in his matches to Gerwyn Price, Kevin Doets and Josh Rock here at Ally Pally.

Dobey ignored what had happened before when the 34-year-old Englishman returned to reel in the Big Fish, that 170-checkout living up to his ‘Hollywood’ name and helping him towards halving the deficit to 2-1.

How did Van Gerwen respond? With a 10-darter to break Dobey’s throw, of course. Not one who takes too kindly to being upstaged, he soon extended his lead to 3-1 then 4-1.

Van Gerwen never did possess the greatest poker face. Before becoming ‘Mighty Mike,’ his first nickname was ‘The Bulldog’, and he can certainly look like he is chewing a wasp at times. 

The look he was wearing here was one of steeliness, with all of his trademark snarls on show.

Dobey needed to up his game, his 92.91 average hardly troubling Van Gerwen. He could not afford to wait for a capitulation from his opponent, those being so rare. 

Just when the Englishman thought he had the chance to sneak the lead in a set, the Dutchman wiped out 158. It was that relentlessness which took the score to 5-1.

Van Gerwen missed two match darts, but not the third, double 16 landed yet again to secure him safe passage into Friday’s showdown.