Phil Taylor won an all-Stoke first round clash with Andy Pearce in the PDC's UK Masters

Fellow big guns Raymond van Barneveld, Simon Whitlock, Andy Hamilton and Robert Thornton also made strong starts to the European Tour event at the Butlins Minehead Resort.

Taylor bounced back from Thursday's McCoy's Premier League Darts defeat to Gary Anderson in Nottingham with a strong performance 24 hours later in Somerset.

The world champion hit finishes of 134 and 118 in taking a 3-0 lead, and after Pearce took the fourth leg to get off the mark, Taylor stamped his authority with a ten-dart finish before going on to complete victory.

World number two Adrian Lewis joined Taylor in the last 32, but had to work harder for his victory over Dave Honey, who led 5-4 before the double world champion took the game's final two legs to edge through.

Reigning UK Open champion Thornton was the day's most impressive performer, averaging 106 in a 6-0 whitewash of fellow Scot John Henderson, and Hamilton was similarly ruthless as he swept past Northern Ireland's Daryl Gurney.

Premier League leader van Barneveld dropped only one leg in an impressive opener against Germany's Tomas Seyler, while James Wade avoided a scare before seeing off Adam Hunt 6-4.

Australian Whitlock held off a fightback from Finland's Jarkko Komula before taking a 6-3 win from their clash, with 'The 'Wizard ' hitting seven perfect darts in one leg during the game but missing out on a nine-darter.

Welshman Mark Webster had earlier gone even closer to achieving a perfect leg, missing double 12 for a nine-darter in his win over Simon Craven.

UK Masters

First Round results

Vincent van der Voort 2-6 Tony West

Paul Nicholson 3-6 David Pallett

Kim Huybrechts 4-6 John Part

Peter Wright 0-6 Stuart Kellett

Justin Pipe 2-6 Bernd Roith

Dave Chisnall 6-5 Darren Webster

Terry Jenkins 6-1 Kevin McDine

Ian White 4-6 Arron Monk

Mervyn King 6-5 Michael Smith

Kevin Painter 6-5 Steve West

Stage Two

Brendan Dolan 6-1 Reece Robinson

James Hubbard 3-6 Nigel Heydon

Mark Webster 6-2 Simon Craven

Jamie Caven 6-5 Jim Walker

Richie Burnett 6-0 Michael Rasztovits

Colin Osborne 3-6 Mensur Suljovic

Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Jelle Klaasen

Gary Anderson 6-1 Ian Moss

Robert Thornton 6-0 John Henderson

Wes Newton 6-4 Ross Smith

Simon Whitlock 6-3 Jarkko Komula

Adrian Lewis 6-5 Dave Honey

Raymond van Barneveld 6-1 Tomas Seyler

Phil Taylor 6-1 Andy Pearce

Andy Hamilton 6-0 Daryl Gurney

James Wade 6-4 Adam Hunt

Ronnie Baxter 6-4 Alan Tabern

Wayne Jones 6-3 Jyhan Artut

Colin Lloyd 6-3 Brian Woods

Mark Walsh 6-2 Paul Rowley

Andy Smith 6-1 Keith Rooney

Steve Beaton 4-6 Kurt Van De Rijck