Machine runs out of Power

Power: Top of the table

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Phil Taylor surged to the top of the Premier League after a dramatic night of darts in front of a sold-out Brighton Centre.

Taylor leads the table after Raymond van Barneveld was shocked earlier in the evening by Wayne Mardle with John Part and Adrian Lewis also picking up maximum points on another pulsating night of darts.

Taylor gained revenge on James Wade with a comfortable 8-4 win in the showpiece encounter of the evening.

'The Power' notched up his fourth successive win as his average of 104 was too much for Wade, who fought bravely against the 13-time world champion.

The pair were locked at 3-3 before Taylor took the decisive break with a clinical 164 check-out as the Stoke-on-Trent man seized the initiative.

Taylor continue to pepper the trebles and after 'The Machine' missed three darts at double 11 'The Power' capitalised to cruise into a 6-3 lead.

Both players exchanged 180s but it was Taylor who was more deadly on the doubles and he finished the match with one dart at double 12 to lead the way after week eight.

'The Power' has produced a dramatic turnaround since his 8-3 defeat to Peter Manley four weeks ago, and the world number one admitted his decision to change his darts has been the key to his recent success.

"It was just a case of changing a few things," Taylor told Sky Sports.

"I know what I can do and I think everyone that supports me believes in me which is fantastic.

"I'm over the moon to be top of the league and these darts are doing me good."

Lewis hits the Jackpot

Lewis leapfrogged Terry Jenkins and moved into the play-off positions with a stunning 8-3 victory over 'The Bull' in the opening game of the evening.

Lewis emphatically bounced back from last week's defeat to Raymond van Barneveld to wound an out-of-sorts Jenkins on the south coast.

'The Bull' never really got going and was fortunate to pick up the first-leg of the night after Lewis missed three darts at double 19.

The Stoke-on-Trent player made no mistake in the second-leg and he and Jenkins continued to trade blows until Lewis pounced on a weak leg from 'The Bull' to break the throw and take a 4-2 lead just before the break.

Jenkins gathered his thoughts at the interval and hit back with the first 180 of the night as he went on to close the gap to 4-3.

However, that was to be the Hertfordshire player's last moment of joy of the night as a ruthless Lewis produced a fine spell of arrows to move 7-3 ahead.

'Jackpot' sealed the win in stylish fashion as he nonchalantly took out 134 to boost his average up to 102 and claim the two points.

Speaking after the match Lewis admitted his delight to be back up with the leading pack.

"I just wanted to win - I wanted to get in that top four," he said. "I'm looking forward to facing Phil (Taylor) next week and I'm confident.

"I've gone back to my old darts and I feel a lot more comfortable with them so I'm happy."

Mardle masterclass

Mardle produced the performance of the evening to stun van Barneveld with a sensational 8-5 victory.

A fired-up 'Hawaii 501' flew out of the traps against the five-time world champion with a 12-darter which ultimately set the tone for the rest of the match.

Barney struggled to find any sort of rhythm and was simply blown away by Mardle's high-scoring and clinical finishing.

Cheered on by a strong following of 'Hawaii' fans on the coast, Mardle surged into a 4-2 lead at the break as Barney stood in disbelief at what was unfolding in front of him.

The Dutchman responded with the class we come to associate with him after the interval and restored parity at 4-4 against the throw.

However, Mardle wasn't to be denied a memorable win and after back-to-back finishes of 112 the Dagenham player regained the initiative and crossed the line for only his second win of the campaign.

Mardle paid tribute to his fantastic following who he admitted were instrumental in his win over the Dutchman.

"I tell you what, I've been to a lot of places in the world but these fans were absolutely fantastic," he said.

"They can be very good, but the fact they put Barney off means they were excellent.

"When I hit doubles this is when I win tournaments. I'm just over the moon to win again and I'm not out if it (the title race) am I?"

Manley taken a-Part

Canadian John Part bounced back from his defeat to Phil Taylor last week with an impressive 8-5 win over Peter Manley.

In a topsy-turvy encounter which saw seven legs won against the throw, Part clawed his way over the line to maintain his challenge for a top-four finish.

Manley hardly had time to blink as he stared down the barrel at a 4-0 deficit as 'Darth Maple' stormed out of the traps with a relentless assault on the trebles.

Part was guilty of letting 'One Dart' back into the match and Manley doesn't need asking twice, and he seized the opportunity to win three successive legs to take the score to 5-4.

However 'Darth Maple' regained control and after Manley missed three darts at double 16 - Part pounced to leave his opponent level on points with Mardle at the foot of the table.

The Canadian believes the league is there for the taking, and there are plenty more twists and turns to be had before the tournament comes to a close.

"Anything can happen, Wayne (Mardle) looked really out of it but he's brought himself back up," said Part.

"It's anyone's chance to be in those play-offs so we just have to play our best and win games.

"There's going to be a lot of upsets - I'm not going to win every game from here on in I don't think, but it is an open field."