Emphatic win for Taylor

Taylor: emphatic

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Phil Taylor holds the bragging rights in his ongoing rivalry with Raymond van Barneveld after scoring an emphatic 8-2 victory in their Premier League meeting in Liverpool.

After his slow start to the 2008 season, the result consolidated Taylor's second place in the table, with van Barneveld also staying third.

In front of a record-breaking 8,000 fans in the Liverpool Echo Arena, the pair initially promised quite a duel, with 180s traded in an opening leg Taylor took thanks to a 12-dart finish.

Van Barneveld levelled but another 12-darter from Taylor followed, with more 180s coming in the fourth leg.

However, it was Taylor - averaging 114 - who put daylight between himself and the Dutchman.

'The Power' started missing doubles in the fifth, but went 4-1 up regardless after his opponent failed to capitalise.

World number one van Barneveld then hit double four for 4-2 but Taylor increased his advantage to three legs at the earliest possible opportunity.

Taylor then began to pull away from his great rival, going 7-2 ahead.

Van Barneveld needed to take the 10th leg to keep the match alive but failed in an attempted 66 checkout.

Thus faced with a 68 checkout to take victory, his opponent made no mistake, sealing a win which keeps him second in the table behind James Wade.

Style

Earlier, Wade took a while to get going against Wayne Mardle but certainly came back in style: the world number three hauling himself up from a 4-1 deficit to go 6-4 ahead.

'Hawaii 501' then pulled a leg back, but last year's breakthrough star came good once again to take the next two legs for an 8-5 victory.

Adrian Lewis made no mistake against World Champion John Part, the Stoke thrower making up for his double defeat in Aberdeen seven days ago by racing to an 8-2 victory.

World number five Terry Jenkins initially engaged in a game of nip-and-tuck against Peter Manley, the Herefordshire thrower eking out a 4-2 lead before 'One Dart' took the next two legs to level.

Manley then stepped up a gear, taking the next three legs for 7-4 and, although Jenkins took the 12th, a double top from the Carlisle-based thrower sealed an 8-5 win.