The Players Championship kicks off on Thursday night with Phil Taylor facing old foe Peter Manley at the Circus Tavern.
Power takes on One Dart in highlight of opening Players Championship night
The Players Championship kicks off on Thursday night with Phil Taylor with Phil Taylor facing old foe Peter Manley in the familiar surroundings of the Circus Tavern.
'The Power' claimed the world title 12 times at Purfleet, and three of those successes came as a result of beating Manley in the final.
The two old adversaries will again clash on the famous old stage on Thursday night, with Taylor looking to defend the title he won last year in the inaugural edition of the event.
'One Dart' is the first obstacle for Taylor in his bid for victory in the £250,000 event in Essex, at a venue the odds-on favourite feels very at home in.
"It's like a home venue for me," said Taylor. "There's something special about the Circus Tavern, I love it and I love the people who run it and I'm looking forward to being back there.
Form
"I'd love to retain my title this weekend. The tournament reflects last year's form to qualify but obviously I have to perform over five games otherwise I'll get my backside kicked.
"It's a short format in the first round but that will suit me because I've not played competitively since the World Championship. I haven't had a lot of time to prepare properly for this but I'm going into the tournament very relaxed.
"Games against Peter are always entertaining anyway but with it being at Purfleet it will be even more special."
Manley only qualified for the event on account of Andy Jenkins being suspended, after finishing 2009 ranked only 33rd in the Players Championship Order of Merit.
"In a way I'm lucky to be there but I want to make the most of my chance," said Manley. "I'll be the underdog but it's up to me to perform on the night.
"A lot depends on how Phil plays, because if he turns up like he did against Simon Whitlock in the World Championship final then I'll have some problems."
Features
Thursday's opening night also features Thornton taking on Essex-born Kevin Painter, while world number four Terry Jenkins faces Vincent van der Voort in another big contest.
World number seven Adrian Lewis, the 25-year-old from Stoke who was recently named as a wildcard for the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts, meets Northern Ireland's emerging star Brendan Dolan.
Essex's Colin Lloyd opens the event when he takes on Denis Ovens, while Steve Beaton - who won his first tournament since 2001 during last year's series of Players Championship events - drew Tony Eccles and left-hander Alan Tabern faces Andy Hamilton.
Dennis Priestley, who was the Circus Tavern's first World Champion in 1994 when he defeated Taylor in the final, is drawn against Paul Nicholson, last year's Australian Open winner.
Nicholson defeated Priestley a year ago in the World Championship, and admits: "Dennis is my idol and that was the most heart-warming victory of my career. I'd love to beat him again on Thursday."
