Clinical Lisa Ashton seals world title number four

Ashton, the fourth seed and defending champion, reeled off eight straight legs to add another world title to the ones she won in 2014, 2015 and 2017. An 89.8 average was enough to hold off Dobromyslova, now the only player to have won three world titles.
The game started in rip-roaring fashion. Ashton opened with a 140. After a pair of 45s, Dobromyslova found her range, and fired in a 180. An unperturbed Ashton did the same to put herself on 121 after nine darts. But the Lancashire Rose missed three darts for a break, and Dobromyslova nailed tops with her first attempt for a hold.
Ashton then narrowly missed double 10 for a 100 checkout, and bust 10. A cool two-dart 100 checkout gave Dobromyslova the break. A second 180 gave the Russian star a chance to wrap up the set in straight legs. Treble 15 for double eight meant she did just that. It was the first set in two years that Ashton had lost on the Lakeside stage. And it was emphatic.
The intense practice put in by the 2008, 2012 and 2013 champion after taking time off to look after her baby son was clearly paying off. The solid scoring and brilliant combination work had her in an excellent position at the first break.
After the break, it was a different story. With Dobromyslova waiting on 100 again, Ashton struck tops with her first attempt to get her first leg on the board. Having averaged 95 in the first set, Dobromyslova wasn't as dominant in the second. But she narrowly missed bull for a 124 checkout, before hitting double eight to cling on to her throw. A 125 and a 140 helped the Lancashire Rose make the perfect start to the third leg. Despite missing two darts at tops, double five came to her rescue. Ashton once again reached a finish first on her opponent's throw, but Dobromyslova wrestled back control with a third maximum. This time, she could not find the necessary doubles. But Ashton striking bull when aiming for the outer gave her another shot. Drifting into single 13 was not the plan when aiming for double four. Ashton pounced, and the scores were level at 1-1.
Three successive 140s kicked off the third set for Ashton, who now had all the momentum. Double 12 sealed a 12-darter against the throw. Anastasia set up the chance to bounce back. Four darts for the break all missed their target, though, and Ashton punished her error. On a run of seven missed darts at a double in a row, Dobromyslova needed to stop the rot. A missed dart at tops for a 116 made it eight in a row. And Ashton wasn't interested in giving her another chance. An outstanding 130 finish on the bull put her within a set of glory.
Ashton narrowly missed tops for a 119 finish, but quickly returned to make it six legs won on the spin. Dobromyslova's scoring, like her finishing, had abandoned her. An excellent two-dart combination finish on 66 gave Ashton another break, and victory was in reach. Considered by many as the underdog before the final, Ashton showed her class to remind the world why she was the three-time world champion. And soon, it became four. Tops for a 62 checkout sealed Ashton's spot at the top of women's darts once again.