PHIL TAYLOR made an explosive return to form in the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts with an 8-0 whitewash of Wayne Mardle at the BIC in Bournemouth.

Taylor, the defending champion, had lost three of his opening four matches in this year's competition, but made light of his recent form with a stunning display.

He left winless Mardle shell-shocked by inflicting only the second ever Premier League whitewash, hitting four 180s and averaging almost 97.

"I'm glad that the people who are supporting with me stuck with me," admitted a relieved Taylor. "It's been tough but it will come together.

"I've changed darts because I want to get better and improve, the darts feel better and it's coming back."

World number one Raymond van Barneveld returned to the top of the table with an 8-6 defeat of James Wade.

The Dutchman took four of the final five legs to inflict Wade's first loss in the event and move a point clear of the 24-year-old.

Terry Jenkins sits third in the table following his 8-2 romp against John Part, taking the scalp of a World Champion for the third successive week with a 98-plus average.

Peter Manley twice came from three legs down to maintain his play-off challenge with a seven-all draw against Adrian Lewis.

Lewis took leads of 3-0 and 6-3 before being pegged back in a thriller, with Manley including the night's highest checkout of 160 in his comeback.

Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts
Night Five, BIC, Bournemouth
Adrian Lewis 7-7 Peter Manley
Phil Taylor 8-0 Wayne Mardle
Raymond van Barneveld 8-6 James Wade
Terry Jenkins 8-2 John Part

Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts
Latest Table

ADRIAN LEWIS 7-7 PETER MANLEY

PETER MANLEY twice came from three legs down to snatch a draw with Adrian Lewis in the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts.

Manley looked set to lose to the Stoke sensation when he trailed 3-0 and 6-3, only to regain the superb finishing which helped him defeat Phil Taylor a week ago to grab a point in Bournemouth.

Lewis made a superb start, taking out finishes of 80, 87 and 87 in the first three legs to jump 3-0 up.

Manley got off the mark with a brilliant 160 finish - putting himself in line for the £1,000 bonus for the night's highest checkout.

He took advantage of Lewis missed doubles to break back in the next, and levelled with a two-dart 76 finish to go into the break at three-all.

Two misses allowed Lewis to regain the lead in leg seven, and the youngster also took the next two to move 6-3 up.

Missed bullseyes from Lewis in the next two legs saw him miss out on securing at least a point as Manley pulled back to 6-5.

Lewis took out 76 on double eight to earn a minimum of a draw at 7-5, but was off-target with three darts for the win in the next.

That allowed Manley to scramble home double two and send the game to a deciding leg, and he took out double five to claim a point.

"Following a win over Phil it's hard for any player, I can't do it week after week but I am enjoying myself," said Manley.

"It's hard to come back from 3-0 down but I levelled and then missed my chance to go 4-3 up, and it could have been a different game if I'd done that."

Lewis said: "I missed my chance to win and it was my own fault.

"I'm disappointed but I'll accept a draw, I'm coming down with a cold and didn't feel great. But I enjoyed the game, we always have a good battle."

PHIL TAYLOR 8-0 WAYNE MARDLE

PHIL TAYLOR exploded back to form in the Whyte & Mackay Premier League with an 8-0 rout of Wayne Mardle in Bournemouth.

Taylor had lost three of his opening four matches in the competition to sit second bottom heading into the contest, but recorded only the second whitewash in Premier League history with a scintillating display.

The defending champion entered the BIC with brand new darts, slightly modified from the set he has used in recent weeks, but needed little time to settle.

He hit four 180s in the opening four legs, including two in a 13-darter, as he moved 4-0 up to leave Mardle shell-shocked.

Double 18 put him five legs clear, and he moved into the break at 6-0 when he finished 72 on double six, with Mardle sat on a double.

Taylor landed double 14 in the next to ensure at least a point at 7-0, but a 174 score set up double 16 as he wrapped up the win in style.

"I'm glad that the people who are supporting with me stuck with me," admitted a relieved Taylor. "It's been tough but it will come together.

"I've changed darts because I want to get better and improve, the darts feel better and it's coming back.

"Wayne didn't play as well as he could and he's better than that. The scoreline didn't reflect the way he's been playing but I was nervous tonight and I'm just happy to get the win."

Mardle conceded: "I wasn't good enough.

"I've been scoring well recently but when you can't score and can't finish you've no chance. I can't believe the way I played.

"I don't know what happened. The urgency wasn't there for me and there is something wrong in that. It was diabolical and I've given Phil both points."

RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD 8-6 JAMES WADE

RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD moved back to the top of the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts with a narrow 8-6 defeat of James Wade.

Van Barneveld suffered his first loss of the 2008 tournament against Terry Jenkins a week ago, but bounced back in style to knock previously unbeaten Wade from the head of the table.

Following a tight opening half of the game, van Barneveld took command in the latter stages to take advantage of some uncharacteristic misses from Wade and seal victory.

The first eight legs all went with the throw, with the duo trading maximums throughout a brilliant opening half of the contest.

Wade missed his chances to break the throw in the sixth leg, while van Barneveld paid for three misses in the next as Wade held his nerve.

Wade led 5-4 before van Barneveld found another gear, taking out 116 to level and then hitting a 174 score to leave 16 as he secured the first break.

Double top put van Barneveld 7-5 up to secure at least a point, before the Dutchman missed eight darts for the win in a comical 13th leg - which Wade eventually won on double one.

However, the world number three struggled to gain the edge in the deciding leg, and a three-dart 66 finish on double 18 saw van Barneveld ensure both points.

"I'm very pleased with the win but there was a lot of pressure on that last leg," admitted van Barneveld.

"Before the match I would have taken a draw but when I went 7-5 up I started thinking about that and it nearly cost me."

Wade said: "I started pretty well but in the second half of the game I couldn't get any rhythm and I was disappointing."

TERRY JENKINS 8-2 JOHN PART

TERRY JENKINS claimed the scalp of a World Champion for a third successive week with an 8-2 rout of John Part.

Jenkins followed up his victories against Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld with another quality display to lift himself to third in the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts table.

He took an early 4-0 lead, twice breaking Part's throw and including a key 91 finish on the bullseye.

Part got off the mark with a fine 127 checkout, finishing on double eight, but a second 12-darter of the match put Jenkins 5-1 up at the break.

Jenkins' heavy scoring helped him take the next two legs to go 7-1 up, with Part battling to stay in the contest with an 86 checkout.

But his fight-back was short-lived as Jenkins wrapped up the victory on double top.

"I'm very pleased with that," he said. "I could see John was struggling and I knew if I kept steady I'd be okay.

"My confidence is growing every week and I'm delighted. There's a lot of pressure but I'm dealing with it well at the moment.

"It's still early days, there's only five games gone, but I'll hope to capitalise on this now."