The most exciting sporting event I have ever witnessed took place over the New Year weekend. No, it wasn’t a 6-0 thrashing of West Ham by Reading. No, it wasn’t the England cricket team finally playing with some semblance of skill in Australia. It was the final of the PDC darts championship in Purfleet, Essex.

Pitting PDC newcomer Raymond Van Barneveld (also affectionately known as ‘Barney’) against 13-times world champion Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, the final had more ups and downs than the Himalayas and more passion than even the most-emotionally charged episode of Eastenders.

In the past it has been difficult to say with any certainty who really is the world champion due to the sport being split into two rival organisations. Barney previously plied his trade in the British Darts Organisation and after dominating that league for the last five years, came to the PDC to take on the Power and settle once and for all the question that all darts fans have been asking for the last few years: who really is the best in the world?

The final got off to a gripping start with Taylor powering his way into a 3-0 lead. However, Barney has been playing the darts of his life at this tournament and he soon came back and eventually overtook Taylor. Throughout the match Van Barneveld scored an amazing 21 separate 180s, and the highest check-out of the tournament with a 170 in the fourth set.

With the score six sets all and two legs each, after Barneveld had four championship-winning darts, a sudden-death leg started and Taylor, despite the pressure, scored a 180 only to have Barneveld respond with a maximum of his own. Barney set himself up for a double 20 for his fifth championship-winning dart of the game and with it secured his first PDC World Championship trophy.

This was quite simply the best darts has to offer. Here were the two greats finally on-stage together at a major tournament, in the final that all neutrals wanted to see. There were some wonderful darts with 180s flying in with ease, a number of 12-dart legs and two players raising their game to offer the viewing public the best sporting entertainment possible. After the match, both players agreed that it was the best final ever, and the best match that they had ever participated in.

Darts fans had been waiting for a long time to find out, once and for all, who was the best in the sport. After the almost incessant sniping by the Power over the last few years, Barney finally came over to the PDC just to play this match and prove critics and Taylor alike wrong. The former postman from The Hague walked away with a £100,000 cheque and his place in darts history as the current undisputed best player on the planet. Until next year that is. Expect a Power backlash as he tries to regain "his" trophy.  I can't wait.

What did you think of the final? Who do you think is the best darts player in the world? Let us have your comments here at sportingo.com.