Ecstasy and agony on the oche for Peter Wright and Michael Smith

Michael Smith could hardly bring himself to look as the prize he had worked so hard for was lifted by someone else.

That man was Peter Wright, who on Monday night hoisted the Sid Waddell trophy for a second time as he celebrated reaching the very top of the darts world once again.

The Scot joins some of the greats of the game with a second PDC crown to go with the first he won two years ago.

This one was dogged and hard won after a see-saw battle that went 12 sets and swung from one man to the other and back again to end what has been a brilliant and dramatic tournament in fitting fashion.

Wright did so in this one while being handily outscored - Smith broke Gary Anderson's tournament record for 180s during the match - but he held his resolve, dragging himself back from 5-4 and 2-0 behind only to reel off nine of the remaining 10 legs to cross the finish line 7-5.

This, aside from the trademark mohawk and even more outlandish outfits of course, is what Wright has made himself famous for over a long and glittering career. To stay in, to battle. To keep his opponent honest all the way to the end every time.

He did it throughout the tournament here, surviving scares against Damon Heta and Callan Rydz before outlasting longtime rival and friend Anderson in the last four.

"I am over the moon. I know it is Sid, but it is my lady, I am happy to get her back," he said afterwards as a packed Alexandra Palace celebrated with him. "I have won it back-to-back with crowds in. To be part of that elite group, people might say it was lucky when I beat Michael (Van Gerwen) when he wasn't playing well, but it's nice to prove everyone I can win it horribly."

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Defeat for Bully Boy was a sixth in a major final and followed the reverse to Michael Van Gerwen at the same venue back in 2019.

It was a painful one too after a storybook run through the draw, that included hugely impressive wins over Jonny Clayton, James Wade and world number one and reigning champ Gerwyn Price, had many believing that this time his name was finally on the trophy.

But it wasn't to be, the final double from Wright reducing his heartbroken opponent to tears at the back of the stage.

Dark days will follow as he comes to grips with just how close he came here but he has vowed to return stronger despite letting another opportunity at the biggest prize of all again slip through his fingers.

"It's annoying I let him play like that, I was 5-4 up and 2-0 up and I had the darts twice and I played rubbish," he said. "I was trying, I never once gave up and then emotions took over.

"The first final I lost 7-3, the second one 7-5. The next one I'll get seven and be champion. I am getting used to these setbacks but I'll be back on the dartboard in a couple of days and I'll fight for it.

"Setbacks are there for the comebacks. I keep fighting, I keep making finals - you can't lose in a final if you are not in a final."

Wright's celebrations of his first title in 2020 were cut short after the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic saw fans banned from cheering on the new world champion.

This World Championship played out with a number of players, including Van Gerwen, testing positive for the virus but the new calendar is, for the time being, set to go ahead as normal giving Wright a chance of a victory lap at last.

"Hopefully everyone gets their jabs and that this year doesn't get worse or nothing else comes up and this year I'll be able to do the world series and be announced as world champion in special places that we are hopefully going to go," he said.

"I am going to focus on the Premier League because I have never performed well there apart from my first or second year. It is about time I tried to win that one. I will focus on that."

But for now the elation and ecstasy of victory. For Smith, only agony and regret of what might have been.