Phil Taylor set up a mouth-watering contest with Premier League leader Gary Anderson after dispatching Raymond van Barneveld.
Power, Wizard and Webby all climb table with week four wins
Phil Taylor set up a mouth-watering contest with Premier League leader Gary Anderson after dispatching Raymond van Barneveld on Thursday.
The Power lost his opening match of the season to Adrian Lewis but confirmed his title credentials with his third win on the trot after claiming an 8-3 success over his great adversary in Exeter's Westpoint Arena.
Barney had never beaten Taylor in the Premier League and it looked ominous for the Dutchman when he relinquished his throw on the opening leg of the match.
Taylor took full advantage and fired his way into a 5-0 lead - including a stunning 147 finish - before some slack darts by the Power allowed van Barneveld the chance of a crumb of comfort before the break. However the Dutchman failed to convert on 56 and Taylor nipped in with double-tops from a 106 check out.
Leg seven saw Taylor miss a double for only the second time in the match, but it was sufficient for Barney to avoid a whitewash and he then stole Taylor's throw before halving his deficit to make it 6-3.
A crucial 10th leg saw both men miss routine finishes but Taylor came out on top after going to the mad-house and his third victory of the campaign arrived after taking out double eight.
Taylor, who went second, had sympathy for van Barneveld after the match telling
Sky Sports HD: "He missed doubles to go 6-4 and I had double one at the last dart and it was probably the biggest I've thrown in my life. Barney can play better and he's very disappointed so I'm not going to rub it in because he tried his socks off."
Next up is that clash with Anderson at the MEN Arena and Taylor said: "It's a massive game next week and it's going to be a cracker."
Serene
Unbeaten Anderson continued his serene form in his debut Premier League season with an easy win over James Wade.
The flying Scotsman is in the form of his life and he took little time to down the 2009 Premier League champion with an 8-3 victory and remains two points clear of Taylor at the summit.
World championship finalist Anderson raced into a 4-0 lead in the third match of the night. The Machine claimed the next two legs but he could only win one more as his Scottish opponent eased to his fourth win on the spin.
"Four out of four and I'm over the moon," said Anderson now awaits Taylor in Manchester.
"I'm looking forward to next week, I've told him (Taylor) I'm nipping at his heels."
Mark Webster produced a dramatic recovery from his Belfast shocker to put down a Premier League marker against world champion Adrian Lewis.
The Welshman suffered an 8-1 battering by league leader Anderson in week three but responded in style to post an emphatic victory in Exeter.
Fourth-placed Webby scooped an impressive 110 average en route to his 8-2 triumph over Jackpot and exacted revenge for his semi-final exit in the world championships.
Mauling
And the former BDO world champion told
Sky Sports HD after bagging his second win of the season: "I'll be honest, last week I froze and if you play like that against a guy like Gary Anderson he'll make you look small.
"I knew I had to put it right and that's a great result. I knew I could beat Aidy tonight and what better way to get back on track than beat the world champion!"
In the first match of the evening, Simon Whitlock secured back-to-back matches in the Premier League for the first time with an 8-1 mauling of Terry Jenkins.
In the opening match of week four of the tournament, the Wizard had too much on show for the Bull and romped to victory and followed up his Belfast triumph over Wade with four maximums.
Whitlock celebrated his 42nd birthday with aplomb as he began proceedings with an 11-dart leg before registering a 40 per cent doubles checkout rate on the night.
Jenkins did reduce the deficit to 2-1 early in the match but he was powerless to prevent a third successive defeat in the event and remains bottom of the pile while Whitlock rises to third.
