World champion Gary Anderson top of Group B; Michael Smith and Robert Thornton out
Sunday 25 September 2016 22:06, UK
Phil Taylor beat a wasteful Michael van Gerwen 10-4 to start his Champions League of Darts campaign with two wins in Cardiff.
Ahead of next week's World Grand Prix in Dublin, live on Sky Sports, the two biggest names in darts collided in the second round of group matches at the inaugural tournament and it was the old master that halted Van Gerwen's 35-match winning streak.
The Power was at his punishing best to take every chance that came his way in a high-scoring contest that saw Van Gerwen fail to hold throw on any of the seven legs that he began.
Taylor started fast to open up an early lead and while MVG kept in touch, double chances came and went for the world number one and every time he looked on the verge of getting to within one leg, a wasted opportunity or a big Taylor check-out kept the gap in check.
Taylor moved to within one leg of a tremendous victory by breaking Van Gerwen with a brilliant 138 finish and followed up with a smooth-as-silk 120 to finish the day top of Group A.
The pair still have one more game to play but with the top two in each of the two groups going through, it was the 16-time champion of the world who all but sealed his place in the last four.
Earlier in the day, Taylor beat Peter Wright 10-5 and Van Gerwen beat Robert Thornton by the same scoreline. In Saturday's final group game, it was Wright who beat Thornton 10-6 to set up a Sunday shoot-out with MVG. Taylor meets Thornton in the other group game.
In Group B, it's Gary Anderson who leads the way after chalking up victories over Michael Smith and James Wade at the Motorpoint Arena.
The Flying Scotsman, who will defend his world title at Alexandra Palace later this month, kicked off the day with a 10-5 win over Bully Boy Michael Smith.
The two-time world champion was too strong for Smith, whom he mentors, and he followed up with a dominant performance against a typically dogged James Wade.
Anderson surged into a commanding position, at one stage leading 7-2, but The Machine refused to lay down and with Anderson missing chances, Wade hauled himself back into the match at 9-7.
However, Anderson held his nerve and sits top of the pile and well placed for a semi-final place.
Wade had produced the performance of the afternoon session to trounce Adrian Lewis 10-3 and a win against Smith on Sunday afternoon should be enough for Wade to advance depending on the outcome of Lewis' match with Anderson.
Two-time world champion Lewis kept his own hopes of a last-four spot alive by coming from behind to beat Smith 10-8 in the opening match of the evening session.
The tournament continues on Sunday with the final round of group matches in the afternoon followed by the semi-finals and final in the evening.
The next darts major gets underway next Sunday on Sky Sports when 32 of the world's best go head-to-head in one of the toughest competitions to win - the World Grand Prix is on Sky Sports 3 from 7pm on October 2.
