Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts Night Eight Round-Up
RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD^S disappointing Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts campaign continued with an 8-2 defeat to Phil Taylor at the CIA in Cardiff on Thursday night.
The Dutchman, a five-time World Champion, suffered an 11th successive loss to Taylor and, more importantly, a fifth defeat of the Premier League campaign to remain second-bottom in the league table.
He was punished for a string of missed doubles as Taylor romped to victory in Cardiff, extending his unbeaten run in the event to eight matches this season.
"It wasnt my best performance but I didn^t have to produce my best game," said Taylor. "We were both under pressure and he seemed to drop his head towards the end.
"His head isn^t right and he^s got to sort it out. I don^t like to see him like this because, alongside Dennis Priestley, he^s been my greatest rival during my career, and I want to see him back up there playing well again, and I^m sure he^ll put it right."
Taylor remains five points clear of both Mervyn King and Ronnie Baxter, who picked up valuable wins over Terry Jenkins and Simon Whitlock respectively.
King returned to top form with an 8-2 win over Jenkins, who suffered a fifth successive loss in the event, while Baxter pulled clear from three-all to win 8-5 against Simon Whitlock.
The night^s other game saw Adrian Lewis jump to fourth in the league table with an 8-5 win over James Wade, taking the final four legs without reply to end the reigning champion^s four-match unbeaten run.
Lewis now meets van Barneveld in Glasgow next week, while Taylor takes on Baxter and King faces Wade at a sold-out S.E.C.C. in Scotland.
Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts
Week Eight - CIA, Cardiff
Terry Jenkins 2-8 Mervyn King
Simon Whitlock 5-8 Ronnie Baxter
Adrian Lewis 8-5 James Wade
Phil Taylor 8-2 Raymond van Barneveld
MERVYN KING 8-2 TERRY JENKINS
MERVYN KING returned to top form in the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts with an 8-2 demolition of Terry Jenkins at the CIA in Cardiff.
King had suffered his second defeat of the campaign a week ago in Birmingham, but continued his push for a play-off place with a classy display against the 2007 runner-up.
The win ensures King remains second in the league table, moving onto ten points for the season.
King averaged over 100 for most of the match, and he made an immediate impression by punishing five missed doubles from Jenkins to win the opening leg on double ten before taking the second on double top to ensure an early lead.
Jenkins finished 76 in two darts for a 14-dart finish in getting off the mark in leg three, but could do little as King reeled off five successive legs to take command.
He took out double 16 for a third leg, hit a 180 and double ten for the next and produced a 171 score to set up an 11-dart finish in moving 5-1 up.
King landed double 16 for a second successive leg to further extend his advantage, and took out double two to move to the brink of victory, after Jenkins saw one dart at double ten, for a 100 finish, agonisingly miss.
Jenkins did pull back a leg on double top, but King hit the same bed in the next leg to seal the win.
"It^s two more points for me and at this stage you have to be looking to get at least one point each week, so I^m pleased," said King.
"Terry missed a couple of doubles in the first leg and let me in, and I took advantage of it.
"Terry didn^t play as well as he usually does and I made him pay, and even though it wasn^t my best display it was a reasonable performance."
RONNIE BAXTER 8-5 SIMON WHITLOCK
RONNIE BAXTER continued his push for a Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts play-off spot with an 8-5 win over Simon Whitlock at the CIA.
Baxter picked up back-to-back wins for the second time this season with the victory, as he won five out of eight legs in the second half of the game to pull away.
The game^s early stages were tight, as Whitlock hit a 180 in taking the first leg and also landed a maximum in the second, only to see Baxter finish 124 on the bullseye to level.
The Lancastrian then took out double top to break for the first time in leg three, only for Whitlock to return the favour in levelling.
The duo shared the next two legs with double 16 finishes, and a missed bullseye from Whitlock in the seventh allowed Baxter to edge 4-3 up.
A brace of double top finishes from Baxter saw him push clear at 6-3, although Whitlock stopped his momentum by winning back-to-back legs to reduce the gap to one.
Both hit 180s in a pivotal 12th, which Baxter took on double top - only to then miss the same bed in the next to seal the win.
Whitlock, though, was off-target himself on tops to stay alive, and Baxter returned to the oche to hit the winning double and pick up his fourth victory of the campaign.
"The first six legs were scrappy but there was potential for a good game after the break," said Baxter. "Simon came out strongly but I still managed to take the leg and managed to take it from there.
"It was nip and tuck for a while but my scores started coming after the break and it made a difference. Simon gave me the edge with a couple of low scores at certain times and I took the two points."
ADRIAN LEWIS 8-5 JAMES WADE
ADRIAN LEWIS ended James Wade^s four-game unbeaten run in the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts with an 8-5 victory at the CIA in Cardiff.
Reigning champion Wade had ignited his campaign with two wins and a pair of draws in the last month, but lost out in the battle of the sport^s most exciting young stars.
The pair had shared the points when they met in Exeter and looked on course for another draw after a tight opening half, only for Lewis to finish the stronger in claiming his third win of the season.
Lewis hit a 180 in taking the opening leg, and took out a 12-darter for the third, while Wade finished 72 in taking leg two and landed a maximum and double ten to level in the fourth.
It was Wade who took the game^s first break of throw, in the fifth leg after hitting a 180 and double five for a 14-darter, only for Lewis to reply with a maximum in levelling at the break.
Wade hit scores of 180 and 174 in the next, but wasted three darts to win the leg and Lewis capitalised on double six.
While Lewis paid the price for similar misses in falling to defeat against Phil Taylor last week, Wade steeled himself and hit double top in successive legs to wrestle back the lead.
Lewis landed double 19 to level the match again, and a 180 set up double eight in the next as he regained command.
He then stepped in to punish four missed doubles from Wade by hitting double 14 to break throw for a 7-5 cushion, and posted a 180 and double eight once again to secure a valuable win.
"That^s the first time I^ve ever beaten him on TV and it^s great," said Lewis. "I knew it was a big game for me in relation to the top four and I^ve won this game, and want to win my next three now.
"I wasn^t too happy with my overall display but I played pretty well and took out my finishes when I had to."
PHIL TAYLOR 8-2 RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD
PHIL TAYLOR punished Raymond van Barneveld^s missed doubles with a clinical 8-2 Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts defeat of the Dutchman at the CIA in Cardiff.
Taylor picked up a fourth successive 8-2 win over van Barneveld in the Premier League and an 11th victory against the five-time World Champion since June 2008.
The win maintained Taylor^s five-point cushion at the head of the table, as well as further denting van Barneveld^s play-off hopes.
Van Barneveld began well enough, with only a double top finish from Taylor denying him in the opening leg before he hit a 180 and double five to take the second.
However, a brace of missed doubles in the third, to break Taylor^s throw, allowed the Stoke legend to post double top for a 2-1 cushion.
Taylor then punished further misses from van Barneveld in the next two legs to move 4-1 up, with the lead extended to four legs at the break when he posted double eight after another wasted dart at a double from the Dutchman.
Van Barneveld returned from the break to hit a 180 in his best leg of the match, a 14-dart finish as he broke throw and cut the gap to 5-2.
But he paid a heavy price in the next for three misses at double top, with double eight from Taylor restoring his cushion before a pair of double 16 finishes wrapped up a comprehensive win.
"It wasnt my best performance but I didn^t have to produce my best game," said Taylor. "We were both under pressure and he seemed to drop his head towards the end.
"His head isn^t right and he^s got to sort it out. He^s maybe feeling sorry for himself a bit but I don^t like to see him like this because, alongside Dennis Priestley, he^s been my greatest rival during my career, and I want to see him back up there playing well again, and I^m sure he^ll put it right."