Taylor had won Saturday’s Players Championship in imperious fashion, and doubled his prize money for the weekend by picking up a further £6,000 on Sunday.

Only world number three James Wade was able to take a leg from Taylor in his opening four games, with Mark Jodrill, Sam Allen and Michael Smith all whitewashed.

He then defeated Jelle Klaasen 6-2 in the quarter-finals and repeated the scoreline in his semi-final defeat of Osborne.

However, he saved his best display for the final averaging an amazing 121.86 in a straight legs win over Derby star Caven.

Caven missed two darts at double top for a 94 finish in the final’s opening leg, and Taylor followed up an earlier 180 with double 14 for a 13-dart finish.

He added maximums in the next two legs of 11 and 13 darts, although he missed doubles to take the third in ten.

Taylor finished 97 to take the fourth in 12 darts before landing double 13 for a 5-0 lead in 13, and sealed the victory with another 12-darter, hitting three 140s and an 81 checkout.

Caven’s strong start to 2010 continued as he followed up two previous semi-finals by reaching the final at Wigan’s Robin Park Tennis Centre, with his display including 6-3 wins over Mark Dudbridge and Gary Anderson in the latter stages.

Caven also saw off former Lakeside Champion Mark Webster in the last 16, as well as Wayne Jones and Wayne Mardle on the day.

Osborne enjoyed his best PDC ProTour run of the year by reaching the semi-finals, although he counted himself lucky to see off Kevin Painter 6-5 in the quarters after allowing the Daventry player to come from 5-2 down to level their game, with Painter also missing three match darts in the decider.

Dudbridge produced another fine comeback on the day, this time overturning a 5-2 deficit to win in the quarter-finals against John Part, having also reached Saturday’s Players Championship Final in claiming £4,500 prize money for his weekend.

Klaasen’s quarter-final appearance was his second in a fortnight, and saw him overcome fellow countryman Vincent van der Voort in the last 16.

UK Open Qualifier 3
Preliminary Round
Steve Farmer 6-3 Anton Liscsey
Mark Hylton 6-1 Frazer Hill
Peter Allen 6-3 Tony Comerford
Joe Cullen 6-0 Tony Clark
Anthony Urmston-Toft 6-3 Matthew Wenham
Darren Weaver 6-4 Ian McFarlane
Kevin Dowling 6-1 Chris Loudon
James Barton 6-5 Peter Hudson
Jamie Atkins 6-1 Steve Perry
Kevin Harris 6-2 Daz Mawer
Dean Allsopp 6-2 Tony Martin
Mark Jodrill 6-3 Peter Edmonds
Tony Blundell 6-5 Rick Lowther
Mark Cox 6-2 Gary Blades
Paul Williams 6-4 Paul Rowley
Mark Jones 6-1 Danny Pinhorne
Stuart Bousfield 6-3 Marko Puls
Matt Padgett 6-1 Alex Tinsley
Darren Webster 6-3 Lee Hayes
Andy Pearce 6-3 Anastasia Dobromyslova
Tony Randell 6-3 Gary Eastwood
Steve Musson 6-1 Harry Robinson

Round One
Colin Monk 6-5 Par Riihonen
Kevin Painter 6-0 Steve Perkins
Steve Farmer 6-3 Steve Grubb
Brendan Dolan 6-2 Mark Hylton
Adrian Gray 6-3 Darren Latham
Steve Hine 6-1 Robbie Newland
Tony Eccles 6-1 Peter Allen
Joe Cullen 6-3 Paul Nicholson
Ronnie Baxter 6-1 Tom Martin
Wes Newton 6-2 Andy Callaby
Dave Smith 6-4 Kevin McDine
Alan Tabern 6-0 Anthony Urmston-Toft
Colin Osborne 6-0 Andy Pearson
Mareno Michels 6-4 Tony Ayres
Simon Whitlock 6-0 Richie Burnett
Justin Pipe 6-5 Darren Weaver
Nigel Heydon 6-2 Dennis Priestley
Colin Lloyd 6-2 Brian Whybrow
Kevin Dowling 6-3 Steve Brown
Jelle Klaasen 6-1 James Barton
John Quantock 6-0 Martyn Turner
Stephen Hardy 6-4 Mark Walsh
Jamie Atkins 6-2 Dave Honey
Vincent van der Voort 6-4 Kevin Harris
Mick McGowan 6-5 Ian Eames
Darren Johnson 6-0 Lee Williams
Michael Smith 6-3 Louis Blundell
Dean Allsopp 6-3 Peter Manley
Sam Allen 6-5 Chris Thompson
Dennis Smith 6-4 Ian Lever
James Wade 6-3 Geoff Whitworth
Phil Taylor 6-0 Mark Jodrill
John Part 6-2 Patrick Pace
Nigel Birch 6-2 Denis Ovens
Nick Fullwell 6-4 Tony Blundell
Mark Cox 6-1 Gary Welding
Mark Lawrence 6-5 Matt Gallett
Co Stompe 6-0 Tommy McIntosh
Terry Jenkins 6-4 Jimmy Mann
Steve Evans 6-2 Paul Williams
Adrian Lewis 6-2 Martyn Bevan
Peter Wright 6-5 Michael Rosenauer
Mark Frost 6-1 Robert Alford
Steve Beaton 6-3 Mark Jones
Mark Dudbridge 6-0 Paul Hodkin
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Ian Jopling
Andy Smith 6-5 Arron Monk
Matt Clark 6-0 Stuart Bousfield
Steve Maish 6-5 Simon Craven
Kirk Shepherd 6-3 James Dunlop
Mark Webster 6-3 Matt Padgett
Michael Barnard 6-0 Darren Webster
Wayne Mardle 6-2 Dave Ladley
Chris Mason 6-2 Ron Atwill
Jamie Caven 6-3 Mark Carter
Wayne Jones 6-1 Andy Pearce
Andy Hutchings 6-0 Mark Stephenson
Andy Hamilton 6-0 Matt Draper
Barrie Bates 6-0 Jimi Parr
Tony Randell 6-2 Alex Roy
Robert Thornton 6-1 Andy Fordham
Gary Anderson 6-1 Sean White
Gary Mawson 6-1 Mike Roberts
Roland Scholten 6-3 Steve Musson

Round Two
Kevin Painter 6-5 Colin Monk
Steve Farmer 6-3 Brendan Dolan
Adrian Gray 6-3 Steve Hine
Joe Cullen 6-2 Tony Eccles
Wes Newton 6-4 Ronnie Baxter
Alan Tabern 6-5 Dave Smith
Colin Osborne 6-3 Mareno Michels
Justin Pipe 6-3 Simon Whitlock
Nigel Heydon 6-4 Colin Lloyd
Jelle Klaasen 6-5 Kevin Dowling
John Quantock 6-4 Stephen Hardy
Vincent van der Voort 6-0 Jamie Atkins
Darren Johnson 6-4 Mick McGowan
Michael Smith 6-3 Dean Allsopp
Sam Allen 6-1 Dennis Smith
Phil Taylor 6-1 James Wade
John Part 6-4 Nigel Birch
Nick Fullwell 6-5 Mark Cox
Mark Lawrence 6-4 Co Stompe
Terry Jenkins 6-1 Steve Evans
Adrian Lewis 6-2 Peter Wright
Mark Frost 6-3 Steve Beaton
Mark Dudbridge 6-4 Michael van Gerwen
Matt Clark 6-2 Andy Smith
Steve Maish 6-3 Kirk Shepherd
Mark Webster 6-1 Michael Barnard
Wayne Mardle 6-4 Chris Mason
Jamie Caven 6-2 Wayne Jones
Andy Hamilton 6-2 Andy Hutchings
Tony Randell 6-4 Barrie Bates
Gary Anderson 6-3 Robert Thornton
Roland Scholten 6-5 Gary Mawson
Losers £200

Round Three
Kevin Painter 6-3 Steve Farmer
Joe Cullen 6-2 Adrian Gray
Alan Tabern 6-5 Wes Newton
Colin Osborne 6-2 Justin Pipe
Jelle Klaasen 6-2 Nigel Heydon
Vincent van der Voort 6-2 John Quantock
Michael Smith 6-5 Darren Johnson
Phil Taylor 6-0 Sam Allen
John Part 6-2 Nick Fullwell
Terry Jenkins 6-1 Mark Lawrence
Adrian Lewis 6-4 Mark Frost
Mark Dudbridge 6-4 Matt Clark
Mark Webster 6-5 Steve Maish
Jamie Caven 6-3 Wayne Mardle
Andy Hamilton 6-1 Tony Randell
Gary Anderson 6-4 Roland Scholten
Losers £300

Round Four
Kevin Painter 6-5 Joe Cullen
Colin Osborne 6-5 Alan Tabern
Jelle Klaasen 6-4 Vincent van der Voort
Phil Taylor 6-0 Michael Smith
John Part 6-4 Terry Jenkins
Mark Dudbridge 6-2 Adrian Lewis
Jamie Caven 6-2 Mark Webster
Gary Anderson 6-2 Andy Hamilton
Losers £500

Quarter-Finals
Colin Osborne 6-5 Kevin Painter
Phil Taylor 6-2 Jelle Klaasen
Mark Dudbridge 6-5 John Part
Jamie Caven 6-3 Gary Anderson
Losers £1,000

Semi-Finals
Phil Taylor 6-2 Colin Osborne
Jamie Caven 6-3 Mark Dudbridge
Losers £1,500

Final
Phil Taylor 6-0 Jamie Caven
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000

Taylor was victorious in a Players Championship two weeks ago in Derby, and claimed another £6,000 title at Wigan’s Robin Park Tennis Centre.

The 15-time World Champion won his opening three games on the day 6-2, against Darren Latham, Gary Mawson and Peter Manley, before defeating Holland’s Michael van Gerwen 6-4 in the last 16.

Following a 6-1 win over Wes Newton in the quarter-finals, he defeated Colin Lloyd 6-3 at the last four stage – winning four of the final five legs after the Essex man shared the opening stages – before powering past Dudbridge in the decider.

Dudbridge never recovered from missing three darts at double eight to win the second leg as Taylor followed up his double 16 finish to win the opening leg by hitting the same bed again.

Dudbridge hit two 180s in the next leg, but was denied a dart at a double as Taylor landed a second successive 14-darter on double eight.

That was followed by an 11-darter in leg four and a 164 checkout to establish a 5-0 lead.

Dudbridge matched a 180 from Taylor in the sixth leg, but four missed doubles allowed the world number one to seal victory on double six for an overall average of over 114 in the final.

Dudbridge’s run to the final was his best display since January 2009, and included notable wins over Andy Hamilton, Mark Webster, emerging duo Stuart Bousfield and Michael Smith and the in-form Chris Thompson.

Thompson had earlier knocked out world number three James Wade in round one, with the left-hander amongst a host of big-name casualties in the early stages.

Wade’s fellow Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts stars Adrian Lewis, Ronnie Baxter and Simon Whitlock also lost in the first round, alongside Gary Anderson, Steve Beaton, Alan Tabern, Jamie Caven, Co Stompe and John Part.

Mark Webster reached the quarter-finals for the second successive Players Championship, while Kirk Shepherd enjoyed his best display for six months by reaching the last eight.

Play resumes on Sunday with the third UK Open Qualifier of the year being held at the Robin Park Tennis Centre.

Players Championship 7
Preliminary Round
Darren Johnson 6-0 Harry Robinson
Simon Whitlock 6-2 Jimmy Mann
Kevin Dowling 6-2 Andy Pearson
Sam Allen 6-3 Gary Welding
Mark Frost 6-0 Par Riihonen
Darren Webster 6-1 Lee Hayes
Nick Fullwell 6-1 Steve Grubb
Andy Pearce 6-0 James Dunlop
John Quantock 6-3 Dave Honey
Tony Clark 6-0 Tommy McIntosh
Paul Williams 6-2 Steven Perry
Colin Monk 6-3 Martyn Bevan

Round One
Phil Taylor (1) 6-2 Darren Latham
Gary Mawson 6-4 Barrie Bates
Peter Manley (32) 6-1 Jon Archer
Michael Rosenauer 6-1 Matt Clark
Michael van Gerwen (16) 6-5 Anton Liscsey
Stephen Hardy 6-4 Ian McFarlane
Paul Nicholson (17) 6-0 Matt Draper
Darren Johnson 6-2 Mark Stephenson
Wes Newton (8) 6-0 Gary Eastwood
Alex Roy 6-1 Wayne Mardle
Brendan Dolan (25) 6-0 Jimmy O’Regan
Wayne Atwood 6-5 Simon Whitlock
Tony Eccles 6-3 Steve Beaton (9)
Tony Blundell 6-2 Frazer Hill
Kevin Painter (24) 6-0 Anastasia Dobromyslova
Mick McGowan 6-4 Kevin Dowling
Mareno Michels 6-2 Gary Anderson (5)
Steve Evans 6-4 Joe Cullen
Steve Brown (28) 6-1 Ron Atwill
Ian Lever 6-4 Sam Allen
Tony Ayres 6-5 Ronnie Baxter (12)
Kirk Shepherd 6-3 Sean White
Denis Ovens (21) 6-1 Paul Rowley
James Barton 6-2 Mark Frost
Colin Lloyd (4) 6-1 Tony Martin
Darren Weaver 6-3 Anthony Urmston-Toft
Jelle Klaasen (29) 6-1 Tom Martin
Dean Allsopp 6-1 Andy Fordham
Vincent van der Voort (13) 6-0 Matthew Wenham
Rick Lowther 6-3 Andy Hutchings
Nigel Heydon 6-4 Alan Tabern (20)
Darren Webster 6-1 Mark Carter
Mark Walsh (2) 6-0 Ian Jopling
Arron Monk 6-1 Simon Craven
Mark Webster (31) 6-5 Justin Pipe
Robbie Newland 6-2 Matt Padgett
Dennis Priestley (15) 6-3 Roland Scholten
Martyn Turner 6-4 Adrian Gray
Marko Puls 6-5 Andy Smith (18)
Nick Fullwell 6-5 Danny Pinhorne
Chris Thompson 6-4 James Wade (7)
Patrick Pace 6-4 Mark Jones
Mark Dudbridge (26) 6-4 Michael Smith
Nigel Birch 6-2 Andy Pearce
Wayne Jones (10) 6-0 Daz Mawer
Stuart Bousfield 6-1 Mark Hylton
Richie Burnett 6-4 Co Stompe (23)
Steve Musson 6-5 John Quantock
Dave Ladley 6-5 Adrian Lewis (6)
Louis Blundell 6-4 John Part
Peter Wright (27) 6-2 Ian Eames
Robert Alford 6-0 Tony Clark
Chris Mason 6-5 Jamie Caven (11)
Andy Callaby 6-3 Kevin McDine
Robert Thornton (22) 6-4 Steve Farmer
Paul Williams 6-2 Peter Hudson
Colin Osborne (3) 6-2 Steve Maish
Tony Randell 6-5 Dave Smith
Steve Hine (30) 6-3 Dennis Smith
Michael Barnard 6-1 Gary Blades
Andy Hamilton (14) 6-1 Chris Loudon
Kevin Harris 6-4 Geoff Whitworth
Terry Jenkins (19) 6-5 Mark Lawrence
Colin Monk 6-3 Jimi Parr

Round Two
Phil Taylor 6-2 Gary Mawson
Peter Manley 6-0 Michael Rosenauer
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Stephen Hardy
Paul Nicholson 6-4 Darren Johnson
Wes Newton 6-5 Alex Roy
Wayne Atwood 6-5 Brendan Dolan
Tony Eccles 6-1 Tony Blundell
Kevin Painter 6-2 Mick McGowan
Steve Evans 6-4 Mareno Michels
Steve Brown 6-5 Ian Lever
Kirk Shepherd 6-4 Tony Ayres
James Barton 6-5 Denis Ovens
Colin Lloyd 6-5 Darren Weaver
Jelle Klaasen 6-0 Dean Allsopp
Vincent van der Voort 6-5 Rick Lowther
Nigel Heydon 6-4 Darren Webster
Mark Walsh 6-4 Arron Monk
Mark Webster 6-3 Robbie Newland
Dennis Priestley 6-2 Martyn Turner
Nick Fullwell 6-5 Marko Puls
Chris Thompson 6-3 Patrick Pace
Mark Dudbridge 6-4 Nigel Birch
Stuart Bousfield 6-5 Wayne Jones
Steve Musson 6-4 Richie Burnett
Louis Blundell 6-1 Dave Ladley
Peter Wright 6-4 Robert Alford
Chris Mason 6-0 Andy Callaby
Robert Thornton 6-1 Paul Williams
Colin Osborne 6-5 Tony Randell
Michael Barnard 6-4 Steve Hine
Andy Hamilton 6-0 Kevin Harris
Terry Jenkins 6-4 Colin Monk
Losers £200

Round Three
Phil Taylor 6-2 Peter Manley
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Paul Nicholson
Wes Newton 6-4 Wayne Atwood
Kevin Painter 6-5 Tony Eccles
Steve Evans 6-0 Steve Brown
Kirk Shepherd 6-4 James Barton
Colin Lloyd 6-3 Jelle Klaasen
Vincent van der Voort 6-3 Nigel Heydon
Mark Webster 6-3 Mark Walsh
Nick Fullwell 6-1 Dennis Priestley
Mark Dudbridge 6-2 Chris Thompson
Stuart Bousfield 6-5 Steve Musson
Peter Wright 6-3 Louis Blundell
Robert Thornton 6-5 Chris Mason
Michael Barnard 6-3 Colin Osborne
Andy Hamilton 6-3 Terry Jenkins
Losers £300

Round Four
Phil Taylor 6-4 Michael van Gerwen
Wes Newton 6-4 Kevin Painter
Kirk Shepherd 6-2 Steve Evans
Colin Lloyd 6-1 Vincent van der Voort
Mark Webster 6-3 Nick Fullwell
Mark Dudbridge 6-2 Stuart Bousfield
Robert Thornton 6-4 Peter Wright
Andy Hamilton 6-5 Michael Barnard
Losers £500

Quarter-Finals
Phil Taylor 6-1 Wes Newton
Colin Lloyd 6-0 Kirk Shepherd
Mark Dudbridge 6-5 Mark Webster
Andy Hamilton 6-3 Robert Thornton
Losers £1,000

Semi-Finals
Phil Taylor 6-3 Colin Lloyd
Mark Dudbridge 6-2 Andy Hamilton
Losers £1,500

Final
Phil Taylor 6-0 Mark Dudbridge
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000

Dutch star van Barneveld bounced back from three successive defeats to average 106.9 in defeating Terry Jenkins 8-4 at the M.E.N. Arena to claim his second victory of the year.

A clinical performance included two 11-dart finishes and the highest average so far this season, putting the five-time World Champion back in the fray for a play-off place.

“I’m really pleased with that performance and the average,” said van Barneveld. “Tonight the darts went in like they can do and I was really focused.

“Hopefully I can keep this going every week because I felt comfortable on stage but know there is more in my. I’ve changed to using 23 gram darts instead of 25 gram darts and I’m already noticing an improvement.”

Van Barneveld sits one point adrift of fourth-placed Simon Whitlock, who also claimed his second win of the campaign in Manchester, punishing Adrian Lewis’ missed doubles to take an 8-4 victory.

The night’s other two games ended in draws, as top two Phil Taylor and Mervyn King clashed after reigning champion James Wade shared the spoils with Ronnie Baxter.

Wade led 4-1 and 6-3 but failed to finish off his opponent for the second successive week as Baxter claimed a draw with an 11-dart finish in the deciding leg of their contest.

Taylor, meanwhile hit successive checkouts of 161, 126 and 125 in coming from 5-3 down to lead against King but had to hit a 13-dart finish in the decider to grab himself a point and remain unbeaten.

“I’m fairly satisfied to get a draw after being behind and to be honest I’m pleased to get a result against a player of Mervyn’s class,” said Taylor. “My finishing was rubbish at the beginning but I clicked into gear in the second half of the match.”

King added: “I’m a little bit disappointed that I only got a draw because I had Phil by the throat and let him off. Phil’s three ton-plus finishes in a row were great shots and he had to take them out because I’d have taken control.”

Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts
Week Five – M.E.N. Arena, Manchester
James Wade 7-7 Ronnie Baxter
Phil Taylor 7-7 Mervyn King
Terry Jenkins 4-8 Raymond van Barneveld
Adrian Lewis 4-8 Simon Whitlock

P W D L +/- Pts
Phil Taylor 5 4 1 0 +19 9
Mervyn King 5 3 1 1 +8 7
Ronnie Baxter 5 2 2 1 +2 6
Simon Whitlock 5 2 1 2 0 5
Terry Jenkins 5 1 2 2 -5 4
R v Barneveld 5 2 0 3 -7 4
Adrian Lewis 5 1 1 3 -4 3
James Wade 5 0 2 3 -13 2

JAMES WADE 7-7 RONNIE BAXTER
RONNIE BAXTER battled back from three legs down to grab a draw with James Wade and deny the reigning Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts champion his first victory of 2010.

Wade picked up his first point of the season a week ago with a draw against Adrian Lewis in Exeter, but was again punished for failing to close out the win at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester.

The left-hander led 4-1 and 6-3 but crucially missed three darts for a 7-4 cushion in the 11th leg before Baxter hit back to claim a point.

“I’ve been practising hard and am trying turn it around, but the results aren’t quite coming for me,” said Wade. “For the last couple of weeks I’ve been playing some good darts and my form is coming back.”

Wade took out double top to win the opening leg, but Baxter responded in style with a 121 checkout in the second to level.

Wade moved 2-1 up with a 13-darter and hit a 180 and a 100 checkout in breaking Baxter’s throw, while a double five finish saw him take a three-leg cushion at 4-1.

Baxter landed a 180 in a 14-darter to pull back the sixth leg, and landed a 13-dart finish in the eighth after Wade posted a sparking 11-dart leg.

A 127 checkout from Wade saw him take a 6-3 lead, but Baxter finished 83 in two darts to take a fourth leg of the match and then stepped in to win a crucial 11th leg, when the world number three missed three darts at double ten and five before the Blackpool man took out 64.

Baxter then hit double 16 to level the game, although Wade regained his composure to take out 85 in two darts for a 14-darter to secure a minimum of a draw.

His hopes of claiming a first win of the year, though, were ended when Baxter opened the deciding leg with two 180s, and although a potential nine-darter went begging he took the leg in 11 darts to take a point.

“I’m happy to get a draw and it’s another step towards the play-offs, which is where I want to be,” said Baxter. “My average of nearly 104 shows that my hard work in practice is paying off.

“I’m focused and happy with how it’s going so far this season.”

PHIL TAYLOR 7-7 MERVYN KING
PHIL TAYLOR came from 5-3 down to maintain his unbeaten start to the Whyte & Mackay Premier League with a draw against Mervyn King in Manchester.

Taylor looked on course for a first defeat of the season when King punished a slow start from the 15-time World Champion to take leads of 3-1 and 5-3.

But Taylor hit checkouts of 161, 126 and 125 in successive legs in dragging himself back into the game, and a 13-dart finish in the deciding leg earned him a point.

Taylor edged a scrappy opening leg on double one, but King levelled and then punished three missed doubles to take the third against the darts.

King followed up a 180 in the fourth leg with a classy 130 finish, ending on double eight, to extend his advantage to 3-1 before Taylor took the next two to level going into the break.

It was King who kicked off the second half of the game the stronger, finishing 61 in two darts and landing another maximum and an 88 finish to move 5-3 up.

Taylor then found his top gear, taking out 161 to spark his challenge into life, before levelling with a 126 bullseye finish and then taking out 125 on double top to incredibly lead 6-5 after the pair had traded 180s in the 11th leg.

King hit another maximum and double 16 to stop the rot in the 12th leg and level, before a classy 99 finish, with Taylor waiting on a double, put him 7-6 up and ensured he would tke a minimum of a point.

Any hopes he had of repeating his win over Taylor in last year’s Premier League semi-finals, though, were ended as the four-time champion finished with a flourish, hitting three successive 140s and double top in a 13-darter to grab a draw.

“I’m fairly satisfied to get a draw after being behind and to be honest I’m pleased to get a result against a player of Mervyn’s class,” said Taylor.

“My finishing was rubbish at the beginning but I clicked into gear in the second half of the match.

“I’m not right yet and have to work harder because I’ve got a long way to go to get back to my best.”

King added: “I’m a little bit disappointed that I only got a draw because I had Phil by the throat and let him off.

“Phil’s three ton-plus finishes in a row were great shots and he had to take them out because I’d have taken control.

“I’m here to give Phil a game and pressurise him, and I think I did that for a long time in the game. We’ve got a healthy rivalry, Phil is THE man and I want to be THE man, so I’ve got to push him.

“I’ve got the game there when my A game turns up but it wasn’t quite there tonight.”

RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD 8-4 TERRY JENKINS
RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD stormed back to form with the highest average so far in the 2010 Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts in seeing off Terry Jenkins 8-4 at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester.

The Dutchman had slipped to second bottom in the Premier League table following three successive defeats, but claimed a much-needed victory against 2007 runner-up Jenkins.

Van Barneveld raced into a 4-0 lead and also led 7-1 before Jenkins took three successive legs to threaten a comeback, which was killed off by the five-time World Champion, whose end average of 106.92 is the highest of the event so far.

He began the game in superb fashion, breaking Jenkins’ throw in the opening leg before hitting a 180 in a 14-darter to double his lead.

He then posted legs of 13 and 11 darts to move 4-0 up before Jenkins hit a maximum of his own in a 13-dart finis to get off the mark.

However, he could do little in the next three legs to prevent van Barneveld – who had allowed a 2-0 lead to slip in an 8-2 loss to Phil Taylor last week – to move 7-1 ahead.

Jenkins took out double 11 to stay in the game, before a bullseye finish and a 14-darter gave him three in a row in pulling back to 7-4.

However, van Barneveld was quick to seal victory, rounding off a clinical display with three 140s and an 81 finish for an 11-darter.

“I’m really pleased with that performance and the average,” said van Barneveld. “Tonight the darts went in like they can do and I was really focused.

“Hopefully I can keep this going every week because I felt comfortable on stage but know there is more in my. I’ve changed to using 23 gram darts instead of 25 gram darts and I’m already noticing an improvement.”

SIMON WHITLOCK 8-4 ADRIAN LEWIS
SIMON WHITLOCK punished a poor display of finishing from Adrian Lewis to claim an 8-4 win from their Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts clash in Manchester.

The Australian picked up his second win of the season to maintain his early push for a play-off spot in his debut campaign, although was gifted many winning legs by a profligate Lewis performance.

The Stoke ace took two of the opening three legs to lead 2-1, but missed doubles in the next three as Whitlock – aided by a 100 finish – capitalised to take a 4-2 cushion.

Both players hit 180s in the seventh leg, which Lewis took on double top to hold throw, but he then wasted nine darts to level the game in the next, before Whitlock landed double four to lead 5-3.

Double ten put the Australian three legs clear, and he hit a 180 to set up double 18 in ensuring a minimum of a draw at 7-3.

Lewis landed a 177 in taking leg 11, but failed to match Whitlock’s scoring in the next before the World Championship finalist hit double ten to seal victory.

“It wasn’t a pretty win but I’ll take it,” said Whitlock. “Adrian didn’t play as well as he can do and I expected more from him, but all I can do is win my legs and concentrate on my game.

“I know my scoring can improve and I’ll be working on that, but it’s another two points for me on the league table and that’s what’s important.”

1 “If Barney has the whole of Holland’s army behind him on Thursday he won’t be able to live with the power. Get on Taylor to Phil his boots against his arched rival.”

2. “I fancy that Simon’s spell may break one of these days and it could be this week…Simon says he’ll win. I disagree.”

3. “This one will be close but it will be Merv who swerves the Bull-ets and bags his third win of the campaign…No early Exet-er down in the South West for Merv this week. Sorry about the Terry-Bull puns.

4. “It’s true what the advert says: “it matters more when there’s money on it”, you will see on Thursday when you’re shouting at the screen, loving someone you thought you could never love (no, not your missus!) and hating his opponent with a passion as he urinates on your promising betting bonfire.”

Needless to say, I’m not going to mention the predictions I got wrong. You have got to be selective in this game – I can’t get everything right!

The wizard couldn’t master the rocket last week; and the King was all too powerful for “Terry-Bull” Jenkins – apologies again but I am starting to like this pun. Like the Rocket managed earlier in the campaign, Barney and his army surged into an early lead…until Phil switched on his Black and Decker (power tool) and destroyed the lot of them in one powerful motion.

It is nice how he gives the others a chance in the first few legs nowadays, isn’t it?

Oh yes, and I also told you that you would be shouting at the television because it matters more when there’s money on it. So, who hosed out your betting bonfire, ensuring you will hate them forever…or at least until this Thursday? Or did you fall in love with a big man as he launched his pointed arrow into the red bit? You never thought that would happen, did you? Only in the PDC.

Terry to Bully Barney?

This week’s red hot action comes from Manchester as the wounded Barney army march towards a somewhat castrated Bull. Both players were stripped of their mojo last week: Barney was limp and lifeless after the first two legs and would have liked to Exeterlier than he did. I am sure Cheryl Cole feels the same about her marriage. The Bull was defeated by King Merv last time out, which is no disgrace, and he will be the one who bounces back to bully his bewildered rival in Manchester on Thursday. 8-6 to the male cow. You can’t beat a bit of Bully, Raymond! No, seriously, you can’t.

Will Ronnie rage against the machine… a ‘good night from him’?

The Machine kept the jackpot in check (as machines tend to) last week as they shared the spoils. This week, James has a Rocket to contend with; alas, which one of the two Ronnies will turn up this week? The one who puts his opponents to bed as he did the wizard last time out in Exeter; or the one who races into a 4-0 lead only to relinquish it and utter “it’s goodnight from me” as he goes for a walk, leaving his opponent to take the match without a fight? If the real Rocket Ronnie would please stand up this week, as he has in the previous two, he will rage against the machine, and could win. Alas, Wade had the X factor last week and almost hit the jackpot for six (8-6), though he had to be content with a draw in the end. This one is guaranteed to be close. I predict a quick fire draw from the sharp slingers! 7-7.

Silence isn’t so golden

Some people like to sit and muse on an evening, pondering their day at work, reading in silence, perhaps. Well, I like noise and plenty of it and to quote Dizzy Rascal, “a heavy waistline is my kind a silence” which is why I like darts. Adie Lewis’s rotund midriff will be up against the slender frame of the wizard in Manchester and like the aforementioned matches, this one is difficult to predict correctly. No wizardry from Simon this week as his spells become somewhat dizzy as the rascal Lewis produces the magic darts to triumph. 8-4 to the big man.

Taylor to be tamed…and I’m not joKing

Last but by no means least, there will be no joking around from Merv as he attempts to unplug the Power tool. Now, Sid always says “you’ve got to start well against Phil!” Well, Ronnie Baxter did…and Barney did, and they were demolished with relative ease; no, scratch that, with consummate ease. The King must play well for the duration of his encounter with the drill and remain concentrated (as you should when dealing with powerful drills). If he does this on Thursday he might just spring a surprise. I’m backing another draw though, which will be brilliantly priced at around 6/1.

Top Double

Get on a draw double (Taylor/King and Baxter/Wade) which will be around 25/1 at any boooookies. Half a monkey for your Paul Mckenna: hypnotic wager.

Blue-Skybet!

Some people pay for thrills, but I get mine for freeeeeee…there’s nothing crazy about meeeeeee!!!

Get on the FREE skybet super six where you can win £25,000 for predicting the four results alongside number of 180s and highest checkout.

I put a couple of quid on my four (incorrect) scorelines last week and the odds were astronomical – around 3000/1. If I’d have won I’d probably be out of this world by now, or certainly on the other side of it. It’s got to be worth a couple of quid, hasn’t it?

by Chris Clegg

Get Chris’s Premier League football predictions here

The duo occupy the top two positions in the Premier League Darts table after the opening four weeks, with Taylor winning all of his games and King having picked up three victories.

While Taylor has won all four games, he is expecting his toughest test yet against King, who ended his reign in the Premier League Darts with a semi-final triumph last May.

“It will be a good clash,” said Taylor. “It’s one of the games I can get my teeth into.

“I like his attitude and his professionalism. Last week he got up at 5am after Exeter and drove four hours to get on a plane and fly to Germany and compete again.

“That shows what type of player he is; you know he’s always going to turn up and play well, and it will be a challenge for me.”

Taylor was bidding to claim a fifth successive Premier League title when King stunned him with a 10-6 victory in last year’s semi-finals, but the world number one will not be chasing revenge on Thursday.

“We’ve played each other many times since and it doesn’t come into it at all now,” he insisted. “It was a very bad day at the office for me at Wembley, and a very good day at the office for him.”

King picked up his third win from four games when he saw off Terry Jenkins in Exeter last week, and admits that he is delighted with his start to the new season.

“There’s no whipping boys and no easy games – it’s the best eight players and you have to fight for your life for every point,” he said.

“As long as I’m in the top four after 14 weeks then that’s all that matters and you don’t want to drop out of that. So the longer I can stay there the better, and it makes my job a little bit easier because you’re not chasing.”

Reigning champion James Wade will open the show at the M.E.N. Arena when he takes on Lancashire-born Ronnie Baxter.

Wade lost his opening three games in a poor start to the season, but drew with Adrian Lewis last week and could move off the foot of the table with a win over Baxter, which he believes may silence his critics.

“One thing that is giving me a little bit of ammunition is people are writing me off and saying I can’t play darts any more,” said Wade.

“That’s a load of rubbish but it’s just a matter of how long it takes me to start playing my best darts again.

“I know it’s there because of how I’ve been playing in patches. I know if I turn up I will beat anyone, and I’ve proven I can beat anyone, and I can do it regularly.”

Five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld is seeking his first victory since the opening week when he faces Terry Jenkins, having lost to Adrian Lewis, Simon Whitlock and Phil Taylor since.

The night’s final game will see Adrian Lewis, who fought back to grab a draw with Wade last Thursday before winning a Players Championship in Germany on Sunday, take on Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship runner-up Simon Whitlock

“Last week to get a draw from 7-4 down was great and I was delighted to win on Sunday,” said Lewis. “Hopefully I can carry that form to Manchester now because it will be a hard game against Simon Whitlock.

“He’s got better each week in the Premier League and is playing well, and it will be a really entertaining match.”

Over 7,000 tickets for the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts at the M.E.N. Arena have been sold, but a number remain on sale, priced at £20 and available on 0844 847 8000 or from www.men-arena.com.

Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts
Week Five – M.E.N. Arena, Manchester
James Wade v Ronnie Baxter
Phil Taylor v Mervyn King
Terry Jenkins v Raymond van Barneveld
Adrian Lewis v Simon Whitlock
Tickets: 0844 847 8000 or www.men-arena.com

Sky Bet Match Odds
James Wade 1/2, Draw 4/1, Ronnie Baxter 3/1
Phil Taylor 1/3, Draw 5/1, Mervyn King 4/1
Terry Jenkins 5/4, Draw 7/2, Raymond van Barneveld 5/4
Adrian Lewis 5/4, Draw 7/2, Simon Whitlock 5/4
Sky Bet are the Official Bookmaker of the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts – for more information visit www.skybet.com

LATEST LEAGUE TABLE
P W D L +/- Pts
Phil Taylor 4 4 0 0 +19 8
Mervyn King 4 3 0 1 +8 6
Ronnie Baxter 4 2 1 1 +2 5
Terry Jenkins 4 1 2 1 -1 4
Adrian Lewis 4 1 1 2 0 3
Simon Whitlock 4 1 1 2 -4 3
R v Barneveld 4 1 0 3 -11 2
James Wade 4 0 1 3 -13 1

The 25-year-old from Stoke picked up the £6,000 title in Gladbeck with a fine performance, coming from 4-3 down to take three successive legs in winning the final.

Lewis produced legs of 11 and 15 darts to lead 2-0 in the final – hitting a showpiece 96 finish of single 20, double 18 and double top in the second.

Walsh hit back to win the next three, including a 126 finish, in taking the lead, and also punished missed doubles from Lewis in leg seven to edge 4-3 up.

But Lewis took out a 14-darter to level, double four to break throw and then sealed victory with an 80 finish of two double tops in ensuring the title.

Earlier in the day, he had avenged Saturday’s defeat to Mark Dudbridge with a 6-2 win, and also overcame Mick McGowan, Maik Langendorf, Steve Hine and Robert Thornton to reach the semis.

He also found himself 4-3 down in the last four against Dolan, but included a 121 bullseye finish in winning the next three without reply in taking victory.

Walsh battled past Gary Anderson with a 6-3 semi-final win, having been taken to a deciding leg in the quarter-finals by Steve Brown.

Anderson’s run to the last four included whitewashes of the top two ranked players in the event, James Wade and Mervyn King, while Dolan’s display was his best for five months.

The Northern Irishman knocked out former Lakeside Champion Mark Webster in the last eight, as well as Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts star Ronnie Baxter on the day.

Saturday’s champion Vincent van der Voort was a last 32 loser to fellow Dutchman Co Stompe, but Wayne Jones – the runner-up 24 hours earlier – was a first round casualty to German Bernd Roith.

German Darts Classic Players Championship – Sunday (PC6)
Preliminary Round
Chris Thompson 6-1 Carlos Rodriguez
Alex Roy 6-2 Jan Waldau
Didier de Vuyst 6-5 Francois Schweyen
Per Laursen 6-4 Jason Clark
Richie Burnett 6-3 Swen Seifert
John Part 6-0 Barry Zander
Markus Hoffmann 6-2 Melina Drago
Peter Hudson 6-3 Steve Maish
Christian Braugner 6-5 Tomas Seyler
Ruben Tinnefeld 6-2 Vito Quintieri
Colin Rice 6-1 Marko Kobas
Arjan Moen 6-1 Andy Relf
Mark Hylton 6-1 Thorsten Piel
Guiseppe Quintiero 6-4 Andy Krockel
Sergio Pettarini 6-4 Jurgen Lechtken
Lars Erkelenz 6-5 Peter Waldaw
Colin Monk 6-0 Peter Josefiok
Kevin Munch 6-2 Par Riihonen
Stefan Ripkens 6-1 Jon Archer
Nick Fullwell 6-1 Didier Stas
Marko Balzer 6-1 Helmut Bergold
Dennis Smith 6-1 Dave Ladley
Tony Randell 6-3 Stefanie Luck
Darren Johnson 6-2 Andre Bauland
Carsten Becker 6-3 Markus Vormann

First Round
Mark Walsh (1) 6-3 Andy Callaby
Johnny Okken 6-3 Mareno Michels
Matt Clark (32) 6-1 Willem Kralt
Alex Roy 6-4 Chris Thompson
Paul Nicholson (16) 6-3 Tony Martin
Justin Pipe 6-2 Pierre Finck
Andy Smith (17) 6-4 Jyhan Artut
Didier de Vuyst 6-3 Michel Helder
Barrie Bates 6-1 Jamie Caven (8)
Vladimir Andersen 6-5 Anastasia Dobromyslova
Steve Brown (25) 6-3 Benito van de Pas
Per Laursen 6-5 Richie Burnett
Steve Beaton (9) 6-0 Christian Hengl
Stuart Bousfield 6-2 Romano Ruggeri
Peter Wright (24) 6-1 Antonio Alcinas
John Part 6-0 Markus Hoffmann
James Wade (5) 6-4 Steve Evans
Michael Rosenauer 6-2 Olaf Tupuschis
Peter Manley (28) 6-0 Jann Hoffmann
Peter Hudson 6-0 Christian Braugner
Vincent van der Voort (12) 6-1 Toon Greebe
Darren Webster 6-0 Henry Zapata
Co Stompe (21) 6-5 Karsten Koch
Michael Kloenhammer 6-3 Ruben Tinnefeld
Gary Anderson (4) 6-3 Dylan Duo
Nigel Heydon 6-1 Irina Armstrong
Tony Eccles (29) 6-3 Bryan de Hoog
Colin Rice 6-3 Arjan Moen
Mervyn King (13) 6-0 Marko Kantele
Adrian Gray 6-1 Zeki Tatli
Kevin Painter (20) 6-0 Rudiger Lohse
Mark Hylton 6-3 Arron Monk
Colin Osborne (2) 6-3 Christian van Overdijk
Hannes Schnier 6-2 Sascha Jabs
Mark Webster (31) 6-1 Steve Grubb
Sergio Pettarini 6-1 Guiseppe Quintiero
Joe Cullen 6-1 Michael van Gerwen (15)
Dave Askew 6-2 Soren Hedergaard
Alan Tabern (18) 6-0 Frank Liebeton
Sebastian Pecjak 6-1 Lars Erkelenz
Bernd Roith 6-5 Wayne Jones (7)
Kirk Shepherd 6-2 Guido Kadow
Jelle Klaasen (26) 6-2 Mensur Suljovic
Kevin Munch 6-4 Colin Monk
Ronnie Baxter (10) 6-2 Marko Puls
John Quantock 6-1 Wayne Mardle
Brendan Dolan (23) 6-0 Jorn Lossau
Stefan Ripkens Bye (Peter Martin disqualified)
Wes Newton (6) 6-1 Hendrik Schug
Tobias Walprecht 6-2 Michael Peters
Steve Hine (27) 6-2 John Michael
Nick Fullwell 6-4 Marko Balzer
Adrian Lewis (11) 6-2 Mick McGowan
Maik Langendorf 6-2 Andries Sterk
Mark Dudbridge (22) 6-4 Tony Ayres
Dennis Smith 6-3 Ian McFarlane
Colin Lloyd (3) 6-2 Dave Honey
Wim Mink 6-4 Hermie van Orsouw
Andree Welge 6-3 Kevin McDine (30)
Tony Randell 6-3 Darren Johnson
Rocco Maes 6-2 Andy Hamilton (14)
Nils Heinsoe 6-0 Michael Schmidt
Robert Thornton (19) 6-1 Mario Masurka
Chris Loudon 6-3 Carsten Becker

Second Round
Mark Walsh 6-3 Johnny Okken
Matt Clark 6-2 Alex Roy
Paul Nicholson 6-3 Justin Pipe
Andy Smith 6-1 Didier de Vuyst
Barrie Bates 6-3 Vladimir Andersen
Steve Brown 6-2 Per Laursen
Steve Beaton 6-1 Stuart Bousfield
John Part 6-2 Peter Wright
James Wade 6-2 Michael Rosenauer
Peter Manley 6-5 Peter Hudson
Vincent van der Voort 6-3 Darren Webster
Co Stompe 6-5 Michael Kloenhammer
Gary Anderson 6-0 Nigel Heydon
Tony Eccles 6-0 Colin Rice
Mervyn King 6-2 Adrian Gray
Kevin Painter 6-4 Mark Hylton
Colin Osborne 6-1 Hannes Schnier
Mark Webster 6-2 Sergio Pettarini
Joe Cullen 6-1 Dave Askew
Alan Tabern 6-5 Sebastian Pecjak
Kirk Shepherd 6-2 Bernd Roith
Jelle Klaasen 6-4 Kevin Munch
Ronnie Baxter 6-2 John Quantock
Brendan Dolan 6-2 Stefan Ripkens
Wes Newton 6-0 Tobias Walprecht
Steve Hine 6-5 Nick Fullwell
Adrian Lewis 6-3 Maik Langendorf
Mark Dudbridge 6-2 Dennis Smith
Colin Lloyd 6-2 Wim Mink
Andree Welge 6-3 Tony Randell
Nils Heinsoe 6-3 Rocco Maes
Robert Thornton 6-2 Chris Loudon
Losers £200

Third Round
Mark Walsh 6-4 Matt Clark
Andy Smith 6-4 Paul Nicholson
Steve Brown 6-5 Barrie Bates
Steve Beaton 6-5 John Part
James Wade 6-3 Peter Manley
Co Stompe 6-2 Vincent van der Voort
Gary Anderson 6-3 Tony Eccles
Mervyn King 6-2 Kevin Painter
Mark Webster 6-5 Colin Osborne
Alan Tabern 6-4 Joe Cullen
Kirk Shepherd 6-5 Jelle Klaasen
Brendan Dolan 6-5 Ronnie Baxter
Steve Hine 6-3 Wes Newton
Adrian Lewis 6-2 Mark Dudbridge
Andree Welge 6-4 Colin Lloyd
Robert Thornton 6-4 Nils Heinsoe
Losers £300

Fourth Round
Mark Walsh 6-0 Andy Smith
Steve Brown 6-4 Steve Beaton
James Wade 6-4 Co Stompe
Gary Anderson 6-0 Mervyn King
Mark Webster 6-5 Alan Tabern
Brendan Dolan 6-1 Kirk Shepherd
Adrian Lewis 6-4 Steve Hine
Robert Thornton 6-1 Andree Welge
Losers £500

Quarter-Finals
Mark Walsh 6-5 Steve Brown
Gary Anderson 6-0 James Wade
Brendan Dolan 6-3 Mark Webster
Adrian Lewis 6-5 Robert Thornton
Losers £1,000

Semi-Finals
Mark Walsh 6-3 Gary Anderson
Adrian Lewis 6-4 Brendan Dolan
Losers £1,500

Final
Adrian Lewis 6-4 Mark Walsh

PDC players jetted off to Gibraltar in early February for two Players Championship events with Colin Lloyd and Denis Ovens bringing home the bacon. Lloyd’s win pushed him up a couple of places to 18th and Ovens jumped 5 places to number 43 on the back of his first title for some time.

This was followed later in the month by events in Swindon and Derby. Mervyn King bagged a Swindon double, winning the Players Championship event and the UK Open Qualifier, and in the process consolidating his lofty UWDR position of 6th. King has truly cemented his status as one of top PDC pros and has fully realised the undoubted potential that he showed when playing under the BDO banner. Future world champion perhaps?

Current and perpetual world champion, Phil Taylor, returned to competitive action in Derby but didn’t have it all his own way. He took Saturday’s Players Championship event but was beaten in Sunday’s UK Open Qualifier by Mark Walsh. In addition to the scalp of Taylor, Walsh nudged into the top 20, rising two places to number 19.

Over the road in the BDO, Martin Adams won the Dutch Open to leapfrog Tony O’Shea into second place in the UWDR. Adams also benefited from those around him losing points that lapsed after the rolling two year period. There was little other movement in the top 10 with Scott Waites’ final appearance in the Dutch Open seeing him swap places with Terry Jenkins at number 7.

The Scottish Open took place on the 20th and Stuart Kellet took the title. The UWDR point he gained for this shot Stuart up 37 places to 47th. The man he beat in the final was Dennis te Kloese, who rose a meteoric 90 places to 63rd.

Another player who had a good February was Steve Douglas – a semi final spot at the Dutch Open saw him leap 48 places to 66th. Jamie Lewis was rewarded for his good run at the Scottish Open with 864 points and 58 place rise to 72nd.

Highest new entry was a joint effort with Ian Lilley, Patrick Loos & Paul Telford all crashing in at number 132, reward for their performances at the Dutch & Scottish Opens.

The highest climber inside the top 100 was Remco van Eijden who soared 104 places to 81st following his run to the Scottish Open semis. Highest climber overall was Paul Gibbs who marched 216 places up the table to 123rd. Paul reached the Dutch Open quarter finals to amass 432 UWDR points.

Final mention goes to Chris Mason who halted his slide with a semi final appearance at the Derby Players Championship event. This was his best result was a long time and the UWDR points earned pushed him up 22 places to 98th. Chris is trying to give it a real go again this year and we watch with interest to see if he can keep climbing the UWDR table.

Remember, UWDR points last for two years but become worth less as each month goes by. So points come off as well as going on. A player who stands still could go backwards as well as forwards. The only way to prevent a fall is to keep winning! Simples.

Van der Voort celebrated three years on the PDC circuit by claiming his first title in his fourth final, having lost two previous PDC ProTour events and the 2007 UK Open final.

The Dutchman showed some fine form in Gladbeck, Germany, to win through to the final, whitewashing Steven Marckowiak in his opening game before seeing off Dennis Smith, Andy Smith and Mark Walsh to reach the quarter-finals – missing double 12 for a nine-darter against the latter.

He overcame Mark Dudbridge 6-3 in the last eight before edging out Kevin Painter 6-5 in a thrilling semi-final.

Painter led 2-0 and 3-1 before van der Voort took three legs in a row, including seven perfect darts in one leg, to hit the front.

Painter levelled with a superb ten-darter, featuring seven perfect darts of his own, but missed two darts in the next as van der Voort edged 5-4 up.

The Dutchman missed the bullseye for a 127 finish for victory in the tenth leg, as Painter took out 90 on the bull – but the English star missed the same bed for a 121 checkout in the decider and van der Voort posted tops for a 14-darter and the win.

In the final, it was van der Voort who began well to lead 2-0, breaking Jones’ throw in the opening leg and landing double six in the second, and the pair traded double eight finishes to leave the Dutch star 3-1 up.

Jones hit a 12-darter, featuring a 180 and a 102 finish, to pull back to 3-2, but van der Voort replied in 14 darts, hit a 180 and double top to lead 5-2 and sealed the win in the next on double eight.

The defeat was Jones’ third in a PDC ProTour final inside a year and once more saw him denied a maiden PDC title.

His run to the final included narrow 6-5 wins over John Michael and Colin Lloyd as well as a victory over Wes Newton, before he overcame Jamie Caven 6-3 in the semis, having trailed 2-0 to the Derby man before a brace of double 18 finishes saw him level.

Caven led 3-2, but Jones punished a miss from his opponent to win the next, hit a 13-darter to lead for the first time and then won the next two without reply to move into the final.

Caven overcame Derby rival Colin Osborne 6-4 in the quarters, while Co Stompe reached a third successive PDC ProTour quarter-final before losing to Painter.

German Darts Classic Players Championship (Saturday)
Preliminary Round
Michael Kloenhammer 6-2 Muzzafar Celik
Swen Seifert 6-1 Markus Vormann
Florian Menzel 6-2 Stefan Grobelski
Nils Heimsoe 6-1 Michael Peters
Marko Balzer 6-4 Wayne Mardle
Dennis Smith 6-2 Guiseppe Quintiero
Nico Thissen 6-1 Andre Bauland
Carlos Rodriguez 6-1 Ronald Eichler
Alex Roy 6-0 Zeki Tatli
Klaus Toom 6-3 Tony Martin
Willem Kralt 6-1 Karsten Kornath
Marko Puls 6-1 Michael Schmidt
Mensur Suljovic 6-2 Helmut Bergold
Jyhan Artut 6-4 John Quantock
Ufuk Uzuner 6-0 Holger Nitschke
Peter Hudson 6-0 Stefan Ripkens
Ian McFarlane 6-2 Manuel Muller
Andries Sterk 6-4 Toon Greebe
Per Laursen 6-0 Markus Dippel
Jann Hoffmann 6-5 Dave Honey
Johnny Okken 6-1 Frank Liebeton
Detlef Barchanowitz 6-1 Peter Waldaw
Sebastian Pecjak 6-3 Henry Zapata
Andree Welge 6-1 Hendrik Schug
Kevin Munch 6-3 Jurgen Lechten
Ralph Lehmberg 6-2 Wesley Kessels
Steve Maish 6-0 Melina Drago
Thorsten Piel 6-1 Peter Josefiok
Antonio Alcinas 6-3 Bernd Roith
Richie Burnett 6-0 Rudiger Lohse
Klaus Wohlhorn 6-5 Andy Krockel
Dave Askew 6-1 Guido Kadow
John Part 6-4 Steve Evans
Andy Callaby 6-2 Christian Braugner
Andy Relf 6-1 Arjan Moen
Nick Fullwell 6-5 Nigel Heydon
Kevin Wensink 6-5 Ruben Tinnefeld
Barrie Bates 6-3 Steve Grubb
Tomas Seyler 6-2 Christian Hengl
Tony Randell 6-0 Markus Hoffman
Joe Cullen 6-2 Sergio Petarini
Christian van Overdijk 6-2 Irina Armstrong
John Michael 6-2 Simon Priest
Tony Ayres 6-4 Rocco Maes
Michael Rosenauer 6-0 Herbert Kramer
Pierre Finck 6-1 Marian Priers
Didier de Vuyst 6-2 Carsten Becker
Justin Pipe 6-1 Dave Ladley
Matt Clark 6-3 Ingo Kaminsky

First Round
Mark Walsh (1) 6-0 Sascha Jabs
Darren Webster 6-4 Kirk Shepherd
Colin Monk (32) 6-1 Michael Kloenhammer
Swen Seifert 6-0 Florian Menzel
Andy Smith (16) 6-1 Jon Archer
Marko Balzer 6-2 Nils Heimsoe
Vincent van der Voort (17) 6-0 Steven Marckowiak
Dennis Smith 6-3 Nico Thissen
Ronnie Baxter (8) 6-2 Stuart Bousfield
Wouter Vaes 6-2 Arron Monk
Carlos Rodriguez 6-5 Tony Eccles (25)
Alex Roy 6-2 Klaus Toom
Adrian Lewis (9) 6-4 Vladimir Andersen
Anastasia Dobromyslova 6-1 Romano Ruggeri
Mark Dudbridge (24) 6-3 Willem Kralt
Mensur Suljovic 6-1 Marko Puls
James Wade (5) 6-0 Soren Hedergaard
Chris Thompson 6-1 Mareno Michels
Steve Brown (28) 6-3 Jyhan Artut
Peter Hudson 6-0 Ufuk Uzuner
Mervyn King (6) 6-0 Daniela Roland
Hermie van Orsouw 6-5 Jason Clark
Kevin Painter (21) 6-2 Ian McFarlane
Per Laursen 6-5 Andries Sterk
Gary Anderson (4) 6-0 Ryan de Vreede
Par Riihonen 6-0 Dave Ahmet
Peter Manley (29) 6-3 Jann Hoffmann
Johnny Okken 6-1 Detlef Barchanowitz
Robert Thornton (13) 6-3 Barry Zander
Dylan Duo 6-2 Marko Kantele
Co Stompe (20) 6-1 Sebastian Pecjak
Andree Welge 6-4 Kevin Munch
Colin Osborne (2) 6-5 Olaf Tupuschis
Mario Masurka 6-2 Jorn Lossau
Kevin McDine (31) 6-3 Ralph Lehmberg
Steve Maish 6-1 Thorsten Piel
Michael van Gerwen (15) 6-0 Vita Quintieri
Marko Kobas 6-3 Christian Paffrath
Paul Nicholson (18) 6-5 Antonio Alcinas
Richie Burnett 6-5 Klaus Wohlhorn
Steve Beaton (7) 6-2 Adrian Gray
Darren Johnson 6-1 Stefanie Luck
Jelle Klaasen (26) 6-3 Dave Askew
John Part 6-1 Andy Callaby
Jamie Caven (10) 6-1 Hannes Schnier
Mark Hylton 6-3 Mick McGowan
Peter Wright (23) 6-4 Andy Relf
Nick Fullwell 6-2 Kevin Wensink
Wes Newton (6) 6-3 Peter Martin
Bryan de Hoog 6-0 Thomas Schmitt
Barrie Bates 6-5 Steve Hine (27)
Tomas Seyler 6-2 Tony Randell
Wayne Jones (11) 6-0 Sylvio Raulf
Chris Loudon 6-1 Wim Mink
Joe Cullen 6-2 Brendan Dolan (22)
John Michael 6-1 Christian van Overdijk
Colin Lloyd (3) 6-0 Benjamin Freudenreich
Michel Helder 6-5 Maik Langendorf
Mark Webster (30) 6-1 Tony Ayres
Michael Rosenauer 6-0 Pierre Finck
Andy Hamilton (14) 6-3 Gino Vos
Benito van de Pas 6-0 Ralf Schubert
Alan Tabern (19) 6-0 Didier de Vuyst
Matt Clark 6-5 Justin Pipe

Second Round
Mark Walsh 6-0 Darren Webster
Swen Seifert 6-2 Colin Monk
Andy Smith 6-2 Marko Balzer
Vincent van der Voort 6-5 Dennis Smith
Ronnie Baxter 6-4 Wouter Vaes
Carlos Rodriguez 6-5 Alex Roy
Adrian Lewis 6-1 Anastasia Dobromyslova
Mark Dudbridge 6-3 Mensur Suljovic
James Wade 6-2 Chris Thompson
Peter Hudson 6-5 Steve Brown
Mervyn King 6-2 Hermie van Orsouw
Kevin Painter 6-3 Per Laursen
Gary Anderson 6-2 Par Riihonen
Johnny Okken 6-5 Peter Manley
Robert Thornton 6-5 Dylan Duo
Co Stompe 6-4 Andree Welge
Colin Osborne 6-2 Mario Masurka
Kevin McDine 6-5 Steve Maish
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Marko Kobas
Richie Burnett 6-4 Paul Nicholson
Darren Johnson 6-4 Steve Beaton
John Part 6-2 Jelle Klaasen
Jamie Caven 6-1 Mark Hylton
Peter Wright 6-2 Nick Fullwell
Wes Newton 6-3 Bryan de Hoog
Barrie Bates 6-3 Tomas Seyler
Wayne Jones 6-2 Chris Loudon
John Michael 6-4 Joe Cullen
Colin Lloyd 6-0 Michel Helder
Mark Webster 6-1 Michael Rosenauer
Andy Hamilton 6-2 Benito van de Pas
Matt Clark 6-5 Alan Tabern
Losers £200

Third Round
Mark Walsh 6-4 Swen Seifert
Vincent van der Voort 6-3 Andy Smith
Carlos Rodriguez 6-5 Ronnie Baxter
Mark Dudbridge 6-1 Adrian Lewis
Peter Hudson 6-5 James Wade
Kevin Painter 6-5 Mervyn King
Gary Anderson 6-1 Johnny Okken
Co Stompe 6-4 Robert Thornton
Colin Osborne 6-3 Kevin McDine
Richie Burnett 6-3 Michael van Gerwen
Darren Johnson 6-5 John Part
Jamie Caven 6-0 Peter Wright
Wes Newton 6-4 Barrie Bates
Wayne Jones 6-5 John Michael
Colin Lloyd 6-4 Mark Webster
Matt Clark 6-4 Andy Hamilton
Losers £300

Fourth Round
Vincent van der Voort 6-4 Mark Walsh
Mark Dudbridge 6-5 Carlos Rodriguez
Kevin Painter 6-5 Peter Hudson
Co Stompe 6-2 Gary Anderson
Colin Osborne 6-5 Richie Burnett
Jamie Caven 6-2 Darren Johnson
Wayne Jones 6-2 Wes Newton
Colin Lloyd 6-4 Matt Clark
Losers £500

Quarter-Finals
Vincent van der Voort 6-3 Mark Dudbridge
Kevin Painter 6-2 Co Stompe
Jamie Caven 6-4 Colin Osborne
Wayne Jones 6-5 Colin Lloyd
Losers £1,000

Semi-Finals
Vincent van der Voort 6-5 Kevin Painter
Wayne Jones 6-3 Jamie Caven
Losers £1,500

Final
Vincent van der Voort 6-2 Wayne Jones
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000

Rileys, the UK’s largest pool and snooker operator, are opening Darts Zones at their clubs across the country.

The Dart Zones will feature Championship quality boards and the latest hi-tech electronic scoring.

Anastasia is going to be one of the star attractions at the Chester Dart Zones launch along with Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor – and you can step up on to the oche to take on the leading lady in darts!

Anastasia said: “The sport of darts is on the up and up as more people start playing almost every week.

“It will do wonders for the game to have a top club operator like Rileys bring their expertise to the development of our game across the country.

“There will be real benefits for players at all levels.”

Rileys CEO Maurice Kelly said: “Our facilities, from bar to dart board, will offer a very high quality alternative to the local pub.

“The rise of darts has been phenomenal. The game has seen a massive increase in people not only following, but participating as well.

“Our facilities reflect the new and improved world of darts and we encourage all local players and teams to come and have a look.”

Anastasia will be at the Rileys club in Chester on Tuesday March 30

Fancy taking on Anastasia Dobromyslova at 501 with one of your mates cheering you on? Then answer this question:

Q. Where is Anastasia Dobromyslova from?
A – Ireland
B – Russia
C – Scotland

Email your answer to us and the winner will be drawn from all correct answers.

The 15-time World Champion came from 2-0 down to win eight successive legs against the Dutchman, who was condemned to defeat for a third successive game.

Taylor sealed victory with a 116 checkout to ensure that he remains two points clear of Mervyn King ahead of their meeting at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester next week.

“I’m pleased to get the win but I felt the pressure a little bit and started slowly,” said Taylor. I expected Raymond to click into gear but when I went in front his head dropped and he wasn’t the same player.

“When you see a weakness you have to exploit your opponent and hit them hard, and that’s what people are doing to Raymond at the moment.”

King picked up his third win of the season with an impressive 8-5 win over Terry Jenkins, winning four of the game’s final five legs to pull clear for victory.

Ronnie Baxter won his second successive match, seeing off Simon Whitlock 8-6 in a thriller.

Baxter led 4-1 and 7-4 but missed ten match darts as Whitlock hit back to force a deciding leg, only for the Blackpool-based star to land double ten for the win.

The night’s other game at Exeter’s Westpoint Arena saw reigning champion James Wade pick up his first point of the season with a draw against Adrian Lewis.

Wade made an electric start with finishes of 148 and 104 in assuming a 3-0 lead, and after Lewis hit back to level the left-hander produced a classy 132 checkout of bull, bull and double 16 in leading 7-4 – only for the Stoke star to win the final three legs and claim a point.

Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts
Week Four – Westpoint Arena, Exeter
James Wade 7-7 Adrian Lewis
Ronnie Baxter 8-6 Simon Whitlock
Mervyn King 8-5 Terry Jenkins
Raymond van Barneveld 2-8 Phil Taylor

JAMES WADE 7-7 ADRIAN LEWIS
JAMES WADE was denied his first win of the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts season as Adrian Lewis snatched a point from a thriller in Exeter.

Reigning champion Wade hit three ton-plus finishes in taking a 7-4 cushion against Lewis, but failed to close out victory as the Stoke youngster grabbed a draw.

Wade shook of his below-par form of the opening three weeks with a blistering start to the contest at the Westpoint Arena, bringing the 4,000-strong crowd to its feet in the opening two legs with checkouts of 148 and 104.

He then hit a 180 to set up a double 12 finish for a 13-darter in the third leg as he took a 3-0 lead, only for Lewis to hit back in style.

Lewis landed his first 180 of the game in taking the fourth leg, and punished two missed doubles from Wade in taking out a 13-dart finish of his own to pull back to 3-2.

Lewis then levelled the game by taking the sixth leg, and returned from the break to open the next leg with a maximum – which was matched by Wade before the left-hander landed double ten to regain the lead.

Lewis took out a brilliant 134 checkout to take leg eight, only for double six to edge Wade back in front before the world number three produced a brilliant 132 checkout of bull, bull and double 16 in moving 6-4 up.

A missed bullseye from Lewis, for a 161 finish, was then punished in leg 11 as Wade followed up a 171 score with double 18 to ensure his first point of the season.

Lewis fired in a fifth 180 of the game in taking the next leg, and a 14-darter against the throw ensured the game would go to a decider.

Wade kicked off with a maximum, but Lewis hit a 180 of his own to take him to the finish first, and he returned from a missed bullseye to land double four and secure a draw.

“I gave myself enough opportunities to win the game but 18 months ago I would have killed the game off and I’m not doing that at the moment,” said Wade.

“It’s my own fault because I didn’t play well enough to finish the game off, but hopefully this was a glimmer of the James Wade that is there.

“Perhaps this is a building block for me, and I’m not as negative as I have been for the past three weeks and I know if I turn up and play I can beat anybody on my day.”

Lewis said: “I knew James would be determined to get his first win tonight but I went out there and dealt with it.

“Other players have been hitting big finishes against me recently and he did a few against me – the 132 finish was fantastic – and when I went 7-4 down I hit the scores and put the pressure on.

“If I’d been 7-4 up and in James’ shoes, I’d have been so relaxed that I’d have won but he hadn’t got a point on the board and it’s different for him.”

RONNIE BAXTER 8-6 SIMON WHITLOCK
RONNIE BAXTER claimed his second victory of the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts with an 8-6 win in a dramatic clash with Simon Whitlock at the Westpoint Arena.

Baxter took leads of 4-1 and 7-4 against the Australian, but almost allowed Whitlock to grab a draw when he missed ten match darts before finally nailing double ten for the win.

He made an explosive start to kick off the match with a 180, and won the opening leg in 11 darts before double ten for a 13-darter put him two legs up.

Double eight for a break of throw got Whitlock off the mark, but Baxter produced back-to-back 15-dart finishes on double ten in moving three legs clear.

Whitlock produced finishes of 74 and 76 in taking the next two to pull back to 4-3, but was denied a chance to level as Baxter fired in a 177 and double top to lead 5-3.

The Australian missed the bullseye to take the ninth leg as double 16 gave Baxter a three-leg cushion, although Whitlock hit the same bed to win the next.

The pair traded 180s in leg 11, with Baxter taking out double five with his third dart to secure a 7-4 cushion and ensure he would avoid defeat.

Whitlock battled back with a 180 in the next, and stepped in after Baxter missed two darts at double 16 for victory to land double five and stay in the game.

Baxter then missed seven match darts in leg 13, as double top from Whitlock ensured a decider – but it was the Englishman who prevailed with a 14-darter against the throw to seal victory.

“I started well and went into the break, and managed to hold that,” said Baxter. “I didn’t falter except a few doubles, but it’s such a relief to get the win again because it would have hurt if I’d not got that winning leg!”

Whitlock admitted: “I felt good but I didn’t settle down on stage and I’m disappointed. He started fantastically and it was hard to come back from that.”

MERVYN KING 8-5 TERRY JENKINS
MERVYN KING inflicted a first defeat of the 2010 Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts season on Terry Jenkins with an 8-5 victory at Exeter’s Westpoint Arena.

Jenkins had taken a win and two draws from the tournament’s opening three weeks, but was edged out by a fine King performance.

King won the game’s opening two legs, hitting double six for a 72 finish and double 16 in the second, before being punished as Jenkins landed a 14-darter to get off the mark.

A fine 116 checkout for a 12-dart leg saw Jenkins level, and the pair traded the next four legs to leave the scores poised at four-all.

Two missed darts at double eight gave Jenkins his chance to edge ahead, but crucially he was off-target on tops as King returned to take his opportunity.

The duo swapped maximums in the tenth leg before King moved two clear at 6-4, but he saw a dart at tops for a 160 finish in the next land on the wrong side of the wire as Jenkins hit the same bed to halve the arrears.

However, he missed his chance to level again in leg 12, as double 16 gave King his seventh leg before he powered over the winning line, hitting two 180s in a 12-dart finish to wrap up the victory.

“It’s always nice to beat Terry because he’s such a battler,” said King. “Usually when you give him a sniff he takes it, but luckily he missed a couple of chances and it’s nice to come out on the right end of the result.”

Jenkins admitted: “I kept with Mervyn but when he made a mistake I didn’t punish him, and you can’t afford to do that against him.

“I knew I had to break him at four-all and I think that was my big chance, but my dart at double top was just the wrong side of the wire. Overall, my performances are a bit patchy at the moment and I need to be more consistent.”

PHIL TAYLOR 8-2 RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD
PHIL TAYLOR won eight successive legs to defeat Raymond van Barneveld 8-2 in the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts at Exeter’s Westpoint Arena.

Dutch star van Barneveld took the game’s opening two legs in making an ideal start to his search for a first win over the 15-time World Champion in over 18 months.

But he failed to maintain the pressure as Taylor levelled and then punished two missed darts from van Barneveld in the fifth before pulling away to claim a fourth successive victory in this year’s Premier League.

“I’m pleased to get the win but I felt the pressure a little bit and started slowly,” said Taylor. I expected Raymond to click into gear but when I went in front his head dropped and he wasn’t the same player.

“I seemed to settle down a bit but it wasn’t my best performance.”

Taylor certainly began below-par, hitting only one ton in the opening leg as van Barneveld capitalised on double four before then taking out double 19 to win the second leg.

The Dutchman missed a dart at the bullseye for a 128 finish in the third, with Taylor checking out double 16 to get off the mark before squaring the game with a fine 12-dart finish, featuring three ton-plus scores and a 96 finish.

Taylor kicked off the fifth leg with his first maximum of the night, and a brace of missed darts at double top from van Barneveld allowed him to hit the same bed and take the lead.

World number one Taylor added another 180 in the sixth leg, which he took on double 16, before a second 12-dart finish saw him move 5-2 up.

Van Barneveld was punished for another missed double in leg eight – this time at double 16 for 110 finish – as Taylor took out 77 in two darts to lead by four legs.

A 13-darter against the throw, where Taylor hit three scores of 96 before a 177 set up double 18, saw the Stoke great move to the brink of victory, which was sealed in style with a 116 checkout.

“When you see a weakness you have to exploit your opponent and hit them hard, and that’s what people are doing to Raymond at the moment,” added Taylor.

“I think he needs to be a bit more competitive and he’s missing out on some major tournaments. It’s like playing football and having two or three weeks off, you’re not going to be match fit and I think he’s got to start thinking about playing in more tournaments now.”