Blue Square UK Open - Sat Night

PHIL TAYLOR and Raymond van Barneveld will meet in the quarter-finals of the Blue Square UK Open for a third successive year on Sunday.

The world^s best two players have clashed in the last eight at the Reebok Stadium in the last two years, with Dutchman van Barneveld claiming victory on both occasions on his way to the title.

They will come head-to-head once more on Sunday, with Taylor riding high after hitting a fourth UK Open nine-darter in Saturday^s fourth round before seeing off Wes Newton with an incredible 114.53 average in the last 16.

Van Barneveld held off the challenge of Ireland^s Jason Barry and Andy Hamilton to book his place in the last eight and remain on course for a Reebok Stadium hat-trick.

"It will be brilliant," said Taylor. "The game two years ago was 11-10 and could have gone either way but he battered me last year 11-4 and that hurt.

"I^ll be giving it everything I^ve got and I^m delighted with how I^m playing.

"Hitting the nine-darter was special and it was pleasing to back that up with a good display against Wes."

Van Barneveld had a disappointing Whyte & Mackay Premier League campaign, but admitted he was happy to be back in form at the Reebok Stadium.

"I had five or six bad months and I was changing my darts but I^m settled again now," he said. "I believe in myself and am happy with how I^m playing."

World number three James Wade swept into the last eight with victories over Steve Brown and Ronnie Baxter, and he will take on fellow left-hander Alan Tabern on Sunday.

Tabern, a semi-finalist two years ago, edged out Yeovil^s Simon Whatley 9-8 in an epic.

American Gary Mawson also edged a final-leg contest, against Mark Dudbridge, and he will take on Wayne Jones - who knocked out World Champion John Part with a thrilling performance.

2007 runner-up Vincent van der Voort defeated his fellow Dutchman Jelle Klaasen 9-6, and he faces York-based solicitors clerk Chris Thompson in the quarter-finals.

"It was such a hard game because Jelle^s a close friend and it^s no fun to beat him," said van der Voort. "I played my own game and though I didn^t play my best I^m happy to be through."

Thompson reached his first major quarter-final with a 9-2 rout of Northern Ireland^s Brendan Dolan, having also knocked out Steve Maish earlier in the day.

"I^m over the moon to be in the last eight," said Thompson. "I^ve never been so nervous as I was against Brendan, but I held myself together and got through it."

Dolan sent world number six Adrian Lewis crashing out of the tournament in the last 32 earlier on Saturday, with Terry Jenkins, Peter Manley, Chris Mason and the two remaining Holsten Qualifiers, Robert Thornton and Scott Waites, also among the fourth round casualties.

It was Taylor, though, who grabbed the headlines with a nine-darter during a 9-1 win over resurgent Scottish veteran Jamie Harvey - his fourth in five years at the Reebok Stadium and sixth in televised competition.

Blue Square UK Open

Fourth Round

Phil Taylor 9-1 Jamie Harvey

Ronnie Baxter 9-6 Scott Waites

Raymond van Barneveld 9-7 Jason Barry

Mark Dudbridge 9-7 Peter Manley

Vincent van der Voort 9-8 Colin Osborne

John Part 9-6 Terry Jenkins

James Wade 9-5 Steve Brown

Andy Hamilton 9-6 Chris Mason

Jelle Klaasen 9-3 Nigel Birch

Alan Tabern 9-6 Robert Thornton

Wes Newton 9-7 Mark Walsh

Gary Mawson 9-4 Mark Lawrence

Wayne Jones 9-2 Barrie Bates

Brendan Dolan 9-8 Adrian Lewis

Chris Thompson 9-5 Steve Maish

Simon

Fifth Round

James Wade 9-2 Ronnie Baxter

Raymond van Barneveld 9-4 Andy Hamilton

Vincent van der Voort 9-6 Jelle Klaasen

Wayne Jones 9-6 John Part

Phil Taylor 9-3 Wes Newton

Chris Thompson 9-1 Brendan Dolan

Alan Tabern 9-8 Simon Whatley

Gary Mawson 9-8 Mark Dudbridge

Quarter-Final Draw

Wayne Jones v Gary Mawson

Vincent van der Voort v Chris Thompson

Raymond van Barneveld v Phil Taylor

James Wade v Alan Tabern

Sunday, 1pm Start

Best of 19 legs