Premier League 07 Review - Night 6
Posted on March 9th, 2007
PHIL TAYLOR stormed to the top of the Holsten Premier League Darts table at Aberdeen’s AECC on Thursday night as Dennis Priestley suffered his first loss in the tournament. Taylor established himself as the event’s only unbeaten player this year with an 8-2 demolition of former practice partner Adrian Lewis. The defending Premier League champion reeled off six straight legs to leap over the winning line with a 105.5 average and near 50 percent checkout ratio.
“Adrian played was superb in the first few legs and put me under pressure but let me in in the fifth leg and I didn’t look back,” said Taylor, who finished with a 47 percent checkout ratio. “I was full of confidence coming into this match and I’m happy to go to the top of the table - but there’s still a long way to go.” Taylor moved a point clear of Dennis Priestley at the top of the table, with the 56-year-old Yorkshireman going down 8-6 to Peter Manley.
Priestley suffered from a bout of double trouble to let six legs slip through his grasp as Manley got his play-off challenge back on track. Raymond van Barneveld bounced back from last week’s loss to Taylor with an 8-1 destruction of Roland Scholten. The World Champion averaged 104.12 and hit seven maximums in a brilliant display.
Terry Jenkins held off a thrilling fightback from Colin Lloyd to maintain his position in the top four with an 8-6 win. Jenkins led 5-1 at the break before Lloyd took five legs in a row - including missing double 12 for a nine-darter - only for Jenkins to win the final three and take both points.
Holsten Premier League Darts - Press & Journal Arena, Aberdeen AECC
Peter Manley 8-6 Dennis Priestley
Phil Taylor 8-2 Adrian Lewis
Raymond van Barneveld 8-1 Roland Scholten
Colin Lloyd 6-8 Terry Jenkins
DENNIS PRIESTLEY 6-8 PETER MANLEY
PETER MANLEY inflicted Dennis Priestley’s first defeat in the Holsten Premier League Darts with a thrilling 8-6 win at the Aberdeen AECC. Priestley went into the game unbeaten in his first five matches, and looked set to claim another win when he pulled back from two legs down to lead 4-2. But Manley recovered to level and then punished missed darts which would have given Priestley a point to snatch the victory.
“It’s only my second win of the year and I’m pleased,” said Manley. “It’s taken me a long time to get used to these massive crowds, and if I can get the scoring right to match my finishing I can be up there with the best. “Dennis gave about five of those legs to me, and I’m the last person you want to do that to. “I’ve got Roland Scholten next week and Im looking forward to it.”
Manley started well, living up to his ‘One Dart’ nickname by punishing Priestley’s missed doubles in the first two legs to take out double six and double five. Priestley stepped up a gear with his finishing, taking out double 18 to get off the mark, 70 on double top and then 140 and 100 to create a 4-2 lead at the break. Manley took out 107 for the seventh leg, and then landed double top to square matters.
Priestley responded with a 14-darter in leg nine, and the next two legs were shared to leave the 56-year-old 6-5 up. He gave himself a chance to secure at least a point in the next leg, but was off-target with three darts at double top before Manley landed the same bed. Priestley missed a further five darts to win the 13th leg, leaving Manley double five to move 7-6 up and earn himself a draw.
The Carlisle-based thrower then landed his first maximum of the match in the final leg, with Priestley missing one dart at double top for 101 finish to allow Manley to wrap up the win. Priestley admitted: “I’m very disappointed but I missed far too many doubles. “My scoring was probably better than in any of the games I’ve won, but my finishing let me down and I’ll have to work on that.”
PHIL TAYLOR 8-2 ADRIAN LEWIS
PHIL TAYLOR stormed to the top of the Holsten Premier League Darts table with an 8-2 destruction of Adrian Lewis. Taylor showed that he is getting back to his best last week, coming from 5-1 down to win against Raymond van Barneveld, and took his display to another level against Lewis. The pair shared the first four legs, including an 11-darter from Lewis before the emerging star missed three darts to break Taylor’s throw in the fifth.
The defending Premier League champion took out double top to go 3-2 up, and never looked back from that point with some sensational darts. He began leg six with a 174, and went out in 14 darts before returning from the break with four successive 12-darters to seal the win. Taylor included a brilliant 128 finish on the bull as well as three maximums in lifting his average to almost 106.
“Adrian played was superb in the first few legs and put me under pressure but let me in in the fifth leg and I didn’t look back,” said Taylor, who finished with a 47 percent checkout ratio. “He’s a fierce competitor and he must keep that up. He has a great future, so to beat him is lovely for me. “I was full of confidence coming into this match and I’m happy to go to the top of the table - but there’s still a long way to go.”
ROLAND SCHOLTEN 1-8 RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD
RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD produced a running display to demolish Roland Scholten 8-1 and get back to winning ways in the Holsten Premier League Darts. The World Champion allowed a 5-1 lead to slip last week against Phil Taylor, but never looked likely to repeat that in a scintillating performance. He landed seven maximums in the game and hit a 104 average to match the best win so far in this year’s Premier League.
Scholten, for his part, hit five 180s and produced quality darts to win his only leg, hitting double 19 with his first dart. It was, though, one of few chances he was given as van Barneveld avenged his defeat to Scholten in last year’s semi-final with some return. “In the semi-final he beat me 11-3 so I was after revenge,” admitted van Barneveld. “I can’t describe what happened last week against but it was important to win this game and I’m delighted with how I did that.”
COLIN LLOYD 6-8 TERRY JENKINS
TERRY JENKINS survived a thrilling comeback from Colin Lloyd to continue his play-off challenge in the Holsten Premier League Darts with an 8-6 win. Jenkins made a superb start to lead 5-1 against the former World Matchplay champion, before Lloyd produced a rousing fightback. He took five successive legs to lead 6-5, and narrowly missed double 12 for a nine-darter, only for Jenkins to take the last three legs and victory.
“I’m getting better and better every week and I hope I can keep that form going,” said Jenkins. “Colin has struggled in his first few weeks but fair play to him, he was superb tonight in that comeback. “The break did affect me, I was on a roll and wanted to keep playing but I got it back together at the end.”Finishes of 96 and 141 - the night’s best, to earn Jenkins a £1,000 bonus - gave the Ledbury man a 2-0 lead before Lloyd took out a 96 finish of his own to hit back.
Jenkins took the fourth leg with an 80 finish and won the next two in 14 darts to open up a four-leg cushion going into the break. Lloyd came back from the interval with back-to-back 13 darters and took out 102 to pull back to 5-4, before landing two 180s, treble 20 and treble 19 to set up a nine-darter - only to see his dart land just outside double 12 for a perfect leg.
He returned to the oche to land the double with his next dart for a 10-darter, and then took leg 11 to move ahead for the first time. Despite a fifth maximum of the match in the next leg, Lloyd could only watch as Jenkins levelled matters on double top. Jenkins then ensured at least a point with Lloyd sat on 36 in the 13th leg, and won the decider with ease after four successive ton-plus scores.
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