Barney back on top

Barney: Back on top

Also see

• Order of Merit
• On Sky TV
• Premier League Results/Fixtures
• Premier League Table

Raymond van Barneveld leads the Premier League after a thrilling victory over John Part in Birmingham, which preceded the end of Phil Taylor's winning run.

World number one van Barneveld edged out world champion Part 8-6 to move ahead of James Wade at the top of the table.

Wade had beaten Terry Jenkins in the opening match to briefly take over at the top of the standings, but Taylor still had the opportunity to regain the lead in the final match of the night.

However, 'The Power' was held to a 7-7 draw by Jenkins in a tight contest, bringing to an end his run of four straight victories and leaving him a point behind the top two.

Lewis absence

Jenkins had beaten Taylor 8-5 in Manchester in week three and the pair stayed neck-and-neck, with the first four legs going with the throw before 'The Bull' made the first move to take a 3-2 lead.

Taylor won the next two legs to move ahead again before Jenkins, playing in place of Adrian Lewis who had pulled out through illness, levelled the match at 4-4.

An 11-darter gave Taylor the ninth leg, but Jenkins responded in kind in the 12th to square the match at 6-6.

Having averaged over 100 for the past three weeks, Taylor pushed his average into three figures once more with a 13-dart leg to lead 7-6.

However, despite being put under pressure when Taylor scored a superb 177 to leave 24 needed, Jenkins held his nerve to hit a 51 checkout and earn a draw.

Struggling

"The 177 there to leave double 12, I thought I'd got him there," Taylor told Sky Sports. "He missed two and I thought 'I've got you now Terry' and he hit the last dart, fair play to him.

"He's a good player, he's world class, but he's been struggling a bit lately and I knew he was, so I was thinking keep putting him under pressure, but when it was his darts he was doing really well.

"He knows what he's got to do, he's trying his socks off, I think he's trying a little bit too hard. Against me he relaxed a little bit and did what he can do."

Against Wade, Jenkins was always up against it as he lost the first four legs, before finally registering on the scoreboard with a 106 checkout.

Wade responded with a maximum to start the sixth leg and was never in danger of losing the match, with his lead never smaller than three legs.

Strong start

Part began superbly against van Barneveld with a 14-darter to win against the throw, but Barney won three of the next four to lead for the first time.

The Canadian won the next two, but when van Barneveld hit back to win the 10th and level the scores at 5-5, eight of the first 10 legs had gone against the darts.

Barney held to lead 6-5 and although 'Darth Maple' tied it up at 6-6, the Dutchman pulled clear to win by taking the last two legs.

In the night's other match, Wayne Mardle beat Peter Manley to earn a third straight win and keep alive his hopes of a top-four finish.

Manley took the opening leg, but Mardle played his best darts of the night to win the next four and build up an unassailable lead.

The remainder of the match lacked quality, and although Manley briefly rallied with three successive legs to fight back from 7-2 to 7-5, Mardle checked out from 114 to take the two points.