Taylor edges the best match of the tournament so far

The Bull 8 – 4 Webby

The opening contest looked like it was going to be an interesting one from the off, as Jenkins hit a maximum in the first leg, but managed to miss three darts at d4 and lose it on his own throw.  The Bull banged in another 180 in leg two though to break straight back, and then checked out an impressive 104 in the third to go ahead.

Both men were averaging comfortably over 100, and The Bull especially was looking impressive, and comfortably the best he’s been in the tournament so far.  The next two went with throw, but then Jenkins got the key break of throw, taking out d20 to go in 4-2 at the break.

The Bull looked to be at his very best as he fired in fourth and fifth 180s of the night to go all the way to 7-2 up, winning five legs on the bounce and hitting five out of six attempts on double top.  

It wasn’t until this point that Webby seemed to wake up as he produced an 11-darter from nowhere to win the tenth leg.  He then broke The Bull in the next to make it 7 -4 and just put a little doubt into Terry’s mind.

 The doubts though seemed to get into the Welshman’s mind as he had a problem with a draft on stage that put him off his throwing.  The more experienced Bull wasn’t deterred and fired in a 180 before taking out double top yet again to wrap up the match 8-4.

It was a much needed win for The Bull who has kept his hopes of the semis alive now, and if he can keep this up, he could just get there, although he will still have his doubters.

The enigmatic Mark Webster continues to frustrate everyone, including himself, with his hit and miss performances.  Brilliant last week, pretty abject this time out.  I’d say this kind of inconsistency will rule him out of winning the competition, but if he pulls out his top form at the right times, he could still reach the final four.

The Flying Scotsman 6 - 8 The Power

Without a doubt the most anticipated match of the evening was second up, and it certainly didn’t disappoint with The M.E.N Arena witnessing the most enthralling match of the tournament so far.

The atmosphere was incredibly hostile towards the Scotsman with the crowd in Manchester not worried one bit about throwing the entirety of their support behind Taylor.  It didn’t seem like it was affecting Anderson too much until the end of the second leg when he completely fluffed his lines on 76, not even having a go at a double and going 2-0 down by losing his own throw, to the delight of the Mancunians.

It looked like the atmosphere going to cost Anderson dearly as he then missed d12 and d6 but expertly took out a tough d3 to break straight back.  He then just about held his own throw and the contest was even again at 2-2 and things were hotting up.

Anderson had well and truly settled and the two looked to be as evenly matched as everyone had hoped as the next two went with throw and they went in at the break even.

This carried on when they returned from the break as both men were looking unbeatable on their own throw and this took the score onto 5-5.  Taylor then banged in an 11-darter to go 6-5 up, but again the Scot was imperious throwing first and took it straight back to 6-6.

It was the 13^th leg when both men seemed to flinch.  Taylor on his own throw couldn’t hit more than straight tons and he let Anderson in for two darts at tops to guarantee at least a point.  It was the league leasers turn to falter though as he missed them both and the world number one came back in to secure the draw for himself.

It was going to take something special from The Power to take the last leg on Anderson’s throw though, and he produced it, nailing a 12-darter to leave his adversary heart broken and inflicting his first defeat of the campaign on him.

An incredible match that was everything we had hoped from it, and despite the loss, cemented Gary Anderson as a potential winner of the competition.  He competed throughout, didn’t look like a lesser player at any point and shouldn’t feel any shame at all in losing 8 -6 to the great man.  He is still top of the league. and if he continues to perform like this, there is no way he will finish outside of the top two.

With this performance, Taylor well and truly silenced any last remaining doubters and laid down a marker that suggests he could well claim yet another Premier League crown.  His ability under pressure is second to none, and that’s why he’s won so much, and that’s why I tipped him to win 8-6, so I hope some of you went with that, because nothing else I called came in.

The Machine 2 - 8 Barney

The next match, unfortunately, didn’t live up to it’s potential, as James Wade continued to struggle badly in this year’s tournament and was on the wrong end of a real thrashing at the hands of the five-time World Champ.

Things didn’t start too badly at all for The Machine as he comfortably held his own throw in the first leg, but Barney showed what kind of mood he was in in the second as he took out 107, to immediately level things up. 

The next two legs summed up the game for Wade though as he made an error in each to cost himself a leg on his own throw and a great chance to break Barney back and the Dutchman pounced on both mistakes to make it 3 – 1.  The Machine was unlucky in this respect and showed he wasn’t playing badly by taking out a 136 in the fifth leg to keep himself in touch.  Barney held his own throw though and led 4-2 at the interval with Wade cutting a frustrated figure as he left the stage.

Wade’s frustration was not helped as Barney broke him again in the seventh leg, throwing a 12-darter and stretching his lead to three legs.  The nature of the legs Barneveld was winning was infuriating The Machine as he was always in with a chance but was missing key trebles in combination finishes and his anger was very apparent on his face.

Barney strolled to victory from then on, winning all the remaining legs and taking the match 8 -2 and inflicting yet another defeat on the former Premier League champion.  The man from Den Haag looks comfortable in the competition this year, and did well to bounce back so easily after the defeat to Taylor last week, which shows he has the mental strength to go a long way. 

Wade is in a lot of trouble now, he is adrift at the bottom of the table by two points and with a huge -17 leg difference, which reflects the hammerings he’s been taking.  He desperately needs to win against Jenkins in Glasgow or else his tournament will be in grave danger of being over.

Jackpot 8 -2 The Wizard

I was expecting a very tight contest in the final match of the evening, but it proved to be anything but that as the World Champ got back to winning ways in spectacular fashion, brushing aside the Australian comfortably.

Whitlock looked in fine fettle early on as he banged In a 180 in the opening two legs and was averaging over 124 despite losing the second leg.  That loss was a sign of things to come though, as a bad mistake in leg three let Lewis in to break throw and go 2-1 up.

This seemed to be the turning point so early on as Jackpot then wrapped up a 113 in the next leg to extend his league further.  Whitlock was feeling the pressure as he missed three darts at doubles in the fifth leg and again let Lewis in to break him by taking out 96.  Jackpot’s finishing was incredible as he regularly only needed one dart at a double, and it proved the case again as he banged in double top to lead 5 -1 at the break.

Whitlock, having started so well, looked completely out of sorts on his doubles as he was immediately broken again after the interval, missing double 18 on the way.  Lewis was showing him exactly how it’s done as he then polished off 116 to make it 7-1.

The Wizard got himself a consolation by taking the ninth leg, but it was just delaying the forthcoming Lewis win as the match was brought to a close in style with the World Champ taking out 136 to make it 8-2 and confirm only his second win of the tournament.

An average of 97 shows that Whitlock wasn’t playing too badly, but it was his 17% on the checkouts that cost him badly.  He isn’t the player that he was last year which is shown by his finishing as he never would have missed ten darts at doubles twelve months ago.  Despite the heavy defeat though he will be in and around the top four at the end I should think.

Lewis has been looking decent throughout the competition and has been on the wrong side of some sensational performances, it was his turn to do it to someone else in Manchester and he was very impressive in doing so.  An average of over 100 and 73% checkout success will win you the vast majority of games you turn up for, and this could be the start of a Lewis surge up the table, he will be severely tested by Anderson next week though.

So the league table is starting to shape up, but it is still a very tight one with four of the eight men on four points.  Anderson and Taylor are leading the pack and will be pleased with their return of eight from ten.  Wade is in trouble at the bottom with just two points, but it isn’t time to write him off just yet I don’t think.

Anderson v Taylor -The Unstoppable Force Meets The Immovable Object

Undoubtedly the most anticipated match of this year's tournament comes around in week 5 in Manchester as the top two in the league square off.  Unpredicatble contests throughout as the drama of the Premier League continues and The Menace reckons there's going to be two draws!!

The Bull v Webby

One lost 8-1 last week, the other won 8-2, and that is the kind of momentum, or lack of it that will make the difference in Manchester. 

The Bull is rock bottom of the table following three straight defeats, and his performances in these losses haven’t shown anything to suggest he is going to start winning this week.  There is no shame in losing to the likes of Taylor, Anderson and Whitlock, but Jenkins didn’t really offer much of a challenge, and his usually reliable scoring has been very disappointing.  He will have to start banging in the 140s, like he does when he’s at his best, if he is to have a chance on Thursday.

Webby, bounced back in style in Exeter with the most impressive performance from anyone in the tournament so far.  Averaging over 110 is phenomenal and if he gets anywhere near this against Jenkins then he will move on to six points in the Premier League.  I doubt he will repeat the heroics of last week as it was his hammering at the hands of Anderson the week before that was motivating him there, and I think he’ll be lacking quite that drive.  He is a pro though, so he’ll still be up for it, and so it’s impossible to look past the Welshman.

Prediction: Jenkins 3 – 8 Webster

Betting Tip: Webster winning after 6 legs is 5/4

Priestley’s Pick: A brilliant performance last week by Mark and I think he will keep the run going. Terry is a top lad but I can see the finishing of Webster been too hot to handle for the bull. Webster to Win 8-4

The Flying Scotsman v The Power

This might be the second match of the night, but there is no doubt that it’s the main event and the one that everyone will be waiting for on Thursday.  It’s the top two in the league and unquestionably the best two players so far squaring off as they are both looking to prove different points, and more importantly gain two points.

Anderson has been largely untroubled as he has raced onto eight points with four wins from four.  His game looks to have few pitfalls with his scoring especially proving impossible to live with as he affords himself the odd missed double as he is often 200 points ahead.  As I mentioned though, this has been relatively pressure free, as his leg difference of +19 shows.  This will not happen tomorrow, and this really will be the sternest test of Anderson’s new found steeliness.

I have a feeling Taylor will be relishing this after what he did to Barney last week.  Everyone expected the Dutchman to really challenge the champion and he got nowhere near him, Taylor will be wanting the exact same to happen in Manchester.  At this time though Anderson is significantly better than Barneveld and won’t be brushed aside so easily.

I predicted a classic last week and didn’t get it, but I truly expect Anderson to stand up to the pressure of facing The Power and keep up his incredible level of performance.  The huge advantage Taylor has is his vast Premier League experience, which obviously the Scot is lacking, and if it becomes close then it could prove vital.

This is incredibly difficult as there is absolutely no reason to bet against Gary Anderson, but unfortunately for him, there is every reason to bet on Phil Taylor.

Prediction: Anderson 6 – 8 Taylor

Betting Tip: Over 7.5 180s is a mean 8/11 but it’s a cert. I fancy draw/Taylor at 13/2

Priestley’s Pick: Could this game have been set up any better? With Phil beating Barney last week and the continued form of Anderson this could be a cracker. I think Gary is the form player in the world at the minute and can just see him edging the match.  Anderson to win 8-6

The Machine v Barney

The battle of the enigmas you could say as two of the most unpredictable forces in heavyweight darts clash in match three. 

Both men suffered defeats last time out, but as they were to Anderson and Taylor it can be forgiven, and I believe whoever comes back strongest from that will push on in the tournament, if either loses this match they may be in trouble.

It comes down to self-belief with both these great players, and the start will be key, if either man can get away from the other early, then they could well win easily, but I don’t see this happening really.

I think Barney’s loss to Taylor will have really hurt him and Wade is the one who will come back the stronger.

Prediction: Wade 8 – 4 Barney

Betting Tip: I think Wade to win at 6/5 isn’t too bad

Priestley’s Pick: Both players are coming into this game after 8-3 losses. Neither will want to give an inch but neither are playing their best darts. A scrappy encounter with moments of magic. Draw 7-7

 The Wizard v Jackpot

The final clash of the evening has the potential to steal the show, and I expect hundred-plus averages from both men.

Whitlock looked fantastic last week against The Bull and his momentum is gathering as he has moved into third place in the table after a slow start.  His finishing but especially his scoring has been very good over the last two weeks and it is at the stage where he will not be giving away many legs on his own throw.

Jackpot has now lost three in a row, but has actually not looked bad in any of those games.  He hasn’t been at his World Championship winning best, but he has certainly competed and on other days would have won one, two or even all of those games.  It will only take a very slight improvement in his luck and Lewis will be back to hitting seven or eight 180s and back to winning ways.

I expect this to be a match of the highest quality and I’m going to go with the man I think will maintain his focus and composure in the situation.

Prediction: Whitlock 8 – 5 Lewis

Betting Tip: Whitlock 180s over 3.5 is 8/11

Priestley’s Pick: Could these two guys have had anymore contrasting of results last week. Whitlock was amazing and Lewis came up against an on fire Webster. But this is a different week and Lewis isn’t World Champ for nothing. Too close to call. Draw 7-7 

My four picks come in at 18/1 which I think is a fair shout, but if you stick with Dennis' picks then you will return at a cool 92/1.  He'll love to say I told you so if they come in at that price.

Webster sets the standard, but Scotsman still reigns

The Bull 1 – 8 The Wizard

Things looked ominous for The Bull early on as Whitlock hit an 11-darter in the first and looked straight away to be at his very best to immediately break Jenkins.  The next two legs went with throw and Terry by no means looked like he was going to be routed, despite the Aussie’s form, but unfortunately that was as good as it got for The Bull.

The Wizard took the next three to go into the break 5-1 up, but as well as he was  playing it was still harsh on Jenkins who was throwing a near enough 100 average and looked good, just not quite as good as Whitlock.

Unfortunately the same couldn’t be said after the interval as The Bull couldn’t find the treble whereas Whitlock continued to pepper the sixty.  The Wizard wrapped up the final three legs pretty comfortably to give Jenkins his second thrashing in two weeks and leave him looking pretty dejected at the bottom of the table.

Things look bleak for The Bull, but it is still very early doors and he has been unlucky to face players at the peak of their form.  He’s not out of it yet, but if he doesn’t get anything off Mark Webster in Manchester, then it will start to get very hard for the former finalist.

The Wizard, in comparison, is on the up after a slow start and is showing the form that we all expected from him.  He dipped just below a 100 average against Jenkins, but at times was over 110 which opened up the big lead and allowed him to cruise to victory.  He’s third in the table now, and if he can keep this scoring and decent finishing up, then he’ll stay near the top.

Webby 8 – 2 Lewis

This really was a key match for both men involved as they had each lost two in a row and needed a morale and most importantly points boost from their fourth match.  It was only one man who got those things though as Mark Webster put in an incredible performance averaged 110 and completely destroyed the current World Champ.

It started well for the Welshman with a 15-darter and 101 checkout in the first, however it looked like we were going to have a close one as Lewis dramatically took out d20, d20 for 80 In the second.

Webster was not to be deterred as he kept up his moniker as king of the ton-plus finishes with a Shanghai finish in the third, but Lewis wasn’t going anywhere either finishing off 93 to level up again, meaning after four legs the lowest checkout was 80.

This incredible display of finishing continued in the fifth as Webby took out his third ton-plus with his biggest of the night, taking out 124, and was still 100% on his doubles.  He again only needed one dart in the sixth leg as Webster made it 4-2 to take the first break of throw.

At the interval Lewis was averaging 97 and 50% on the doubles but Webster was over 105 and 100%, the standard was unbelievable and it continued when they returned as Webby again only needed one dart to make it 5-2.  It wasn’t until the eighth leg that the Welshman missed a double, but it didn’t matter as he’d set up double 10 to give himself three goes at it, and it was his third that made it 6-2.

It was back to one dart magic though in the ninth as he remained clinical on double top, despite immense pressure from Jackpot and then he did the same in the final leg and wrapped up an absolutely sensational victory.  Averaging 110.19, hitting 8/10 doubles will win you any match you care to compete in, and a man who is capable of that is capable of winning this tournament without a doubt.  The only question is, can he repeat it?

For the World Champion, he is reeling after the euphoria of week one, to lose three in a row is devastating and he finds himself languishing in sixth.  He faces in-form Whitlock next week, and really needs at least a draw, which will be anything but easy.

The Flying Scotsman 8 – 3 The Machine

The third match of the night didn’t kick off with the quality expected of it, but it did start going the way I expected it to go.  What was surprising was that in the very first leg Wade had an excellent chance to break Anderson’s throw, what was less of a surprise in the form he’s in is that he didn’t take it.  This cost him dearly as he didn’t have a shot at the double in the next three and found himself four nil down in no time at all.

The Machine seemed to be finally sparking into life in the fifth leg, as he hit a 180, then was a whisker away from a 161 finish.  Anderson missed two at double 18 and this allowed Wade to pick up his first leg of the night on his favourite double 10, although the look on his face said one out of five legs was not going to cheer him up too much.  He took the next leg on the same double though to truly stop the rot and go in at the break just two down.

The next three went with throw as Wade was throwing more consistently, but then it all went to pot for the 2009 champ in the tenth leg as he completely lost his radar and let Anderson in to break his throw and guarantee at least a point, making it 7-3.  The Scot then finished it off in slightly odd fashion on double 4, but they all count, and he picked up yet another comfortable victory.

The Anderson machine roles on and he was thoroughly impressive again in his fourth Premier League outing.  The last thing I want to do is knock the man who has turned in performance after performance but all I would say is he hasn’t had a major challenge yet.  He has been fairly fortunate with facing his opponents when he has done, particularly Webster and Whitlock who he met just at the right times.  This will all change against Taylor in Manchester, and I can’t wait to see what happens.

Wade needs to sort his form out and fast.  It’s not too late for him as he showed with his slow start last year, but something needs to change, Barney next week would be a perfect chance to show everyone he can still do it.

Barney 3 – 8 The Power

There was no doubt what the most anticipated match of the night was and that was the latest in the saga that is Barney v The Power.  Any match between the two legends of the game is greatly anticipated but this one more than most as both come into it in scintillating form after four big wins between them over the last two weeks.

After two legs though, it seemed that maybe the match had been overhyped as the pressure got to the Dutchman from the off.  He was broken in the first and then lost the second to be two nil down, rueing his miss at double top as he was on Shanghai in the opener.  It was the third leg though that was effectively the end of the game you felt as Barney was comfortably ahead and then missed two at tops, but with Taylor on 147 he thought he’d be back.  Not so, as The Power whistled through T20, T17, D18 and you could see Barneveld’s spirit being broken as it went in.

The assault didn’t end there as Taylor predictably held his own throw and then an incredible 10-darter was next up to make it 5-0 and there was simply nothing Barneveld could do about it.

There was something he could do about it in the sixth as he had two darts at tops against the throw and didn’t get near.  Taylor stepped up and showed him how it’s done as he demolished 106 to make it 6-0 at the break.  For what was billed as the closest match of the tournament so far, it was the only one so far to be completely one-sided at the interval.  Taylor wasn’t scoring as heavily as he might, but at the break he’d hit six out of seven doubles, and that is what makes the difference so often.

Barney at least avoided the disgrace of a whitewash as he picked up his first leg on his return to the oche, but even then, Taylor had a chance against the throw as he missed a double for only the second time.  However, it was some Barney magic in the eighth as he took out 111 to claw another leg back, and then he held his own throw again to make it 6-3.  The excitement was starting to build as Barneveld was showing character that we see far too rarely from him these days.

The pressure was too much though it seemed as a bizarre tenth leg saw Barneveld miss five darts at doubles and then Taylor eventually take it on double one to guarantee himself a point.  The last leg was another strange one as both men missed bull finishes and then darts at double 8, but it was Taylor who composed himself to finish it off on the left of the board to clinch the win.

It was at times imperious from Taylor, but also at times poor, especially on the scoring, and although Anderson will have been quaking in his boots at 6-0, he will have felt a lot better about everything at the climax of that game.  The Power is still a mighty force on the oche, but still not quite at his best.

Barney, I’m afraid, just couldn’t quite live up to the hype.  If he’d have taken out double top to win the first leg it could have been a totally different story, but he didn’t and he crumbled after that.  This would suggest his challenge for top spot is unlikely to amount to anything, but don’t write him off getting to finals day just yet.

So it's Anderson top and Taylor second, and guess who's facing each other next week, the top two, I can't wait!

Exeter the lucky hosts for Barney v The Power

Terry Jenkins v Simon Whitlock

The first clash the fans in Exeter will be treated to is between two men that have struggled for form so far in the Premier League and have each picked up one win and two defeats after three weeks.  However, as similar as their records are, the crucial difference is that Terry Jenkins’ win came three weeks ago in his opening match, whereas Simon Whitlock’s was just last week when he overcame James Wade, this clearly gives The Wizard the momentum.

This will be key when the two of them meet on Thursday night, especially due to the hammering Jenkins took at the hands of The Power in Belfast.  His woeful performance leading to an 8 – 2 thrashing compared to Whitlock’s pumped up display against The Machine will most likely effect the result in week 4.

Whitlock seemed much more like the player we know he can be last week, especially on doubles, and I expect getting over the hurdle of his first win will see him continue this.

The Bull won’t play as badly as he did last week, and I’d be very surprised if he averaged in the 80s again for the rest of the tournament, but I still think he just won’t have enough to beat the Australian, it certainly won’t be a thrashing though.

Prediction: Jenkins 5 – 8 Whitlock

Betting Tip: Whitlock 4-2 at interval 2/1

Priestley’s Pick: The Wizard got his first win under his belt last week and I can see him making it three weeks without a point for Terry. I think the clinical finishing of Simon will be enough to see off The Bull’s challenge.  Whitlock to win 8-4

Webby  v Jackpot

The second game also sees two players on two points facing each other, but this time both haven’t picked up a victory since the opening day in London. 

As far as Webster is concerned, you would think he wouldn’t have been too disheartened by defeats to Taylor and Anderson as they are the 1^st and 2^nd favourites for the title, but what will have hurt him was the manner of his loss to The Flying Scotsman in Belfast last week.  Anderson played exceptionally, but Webster may as well not have turned up, and suffered a defeat by seven legs, which I didn’t expect to see anyone have to deal with throughout this tournament.

Judging by his form over the last eighteen months though, it seems that last week was a blip and I expect him to be back and firing this week against the World Champ.

Lewis has lost his last two, but has still played extremely well in both games and was just unlucky to face two men at the wrong time.  He was still pulling off incredible finishes, including his 170 last time out which showed he can still perform in the face of adversity. 

I think despite losing two from two Lewis’ form has in no way deserted him and I think he will have enough with this level of performance to dispatch the Welshman.  I would be very surprised if Webster took another pasting but I do think he will come up short.

Prediction: Webster 4 – 8 Lewis

Betting Tip: Lewis over 4.5 180s is 6/5

Priestley’s Pick: Both players will be licking their wounds after tasting defeat last week. If both players set off well it could be a very good game. I’m going to edge with Lewis with his experience on the Premier League circuit.   Lewis to win 8-6

The Flying Scotsman v The Machine

Well I’m afraid that this one is very difficult to deviate away from the obvious choice, which of course is Gary Anderson.

The Flying Scotsman has been in breath-taking form since week one of the tournament and has not really even shown a chink in his thick armour.  There is little to suggest that he won’t continue his incredible scoring and perhaps even improve on it, as he has threatened in the press.

The Machine, in comparison, has been out, then in, then back out of form again, and is not living up to his moniker at all.  If the series continues then he should perform well against Anderson, but this is by no means a certainty.  Another issue is that even if Wade hits form, it is very much in question whether it will be enough to beat Anderson, who seems to have well and truly surpassed him in quality and consistency over the last few months.

Hopefully Wade can perform and it will be a close match, if he doesn’t It will be a thrashing from Anderson, but wither way I think the Scot will be the winner and stay on top of the table.

Prediction: Anderson 8 – 4 Wade

Betting Tip: Anderson interval – Anderson Win is 11/10

                Anderson average over 99.5 is 5/6

Priestley Pick: Another brilliant performance from Anderson last week.  James was a little off colour and has been very patchy with his form so far in this Premier League season.  Anderson is the form player so far and I can see him continuing this against James. Anderson to win 8-5

Raymond van Barneveld v Phil Taylor

The headline act and without doubt should be the highlight of the night is the clash between the two biggest names in the tournament, and more importantly for the match, two of the most in-form players in the competition.

Since very disappointing displays in week 1 these two multi-time World Champions have looked imperious and have produced four masterful displays between them which sees them level on four points in second and third place in the table.

Knees were jerking all over the place after the first week of action with Taylor having apparently lost his dominance and Barney losing his ability all together, but things couldn’t look more different now as both men look supremely confident.  This makes it a very tough match to call.

It is almost impossible to bet against Phil Taylor when he is playing well, but van Barneveld is one of the very few players who could match him, and I think he may well just be able to do that.

This must be the week when we get our first draw, and if it doesn’t happen earlier in the night, then I think it might just happen in the grand finale.

Prediction: Barney: 7 – 7 Taylor

Betting Tip: Barneveld/Draw is 7/4

                Barneveld over 2.5 180s is 8/11

Priestley’s Pick:  A clash of the two darting heavyweights. A couple of years ago this was the fixture to talk about. A good win for Barney last week will set him up well for tonight but I think Phil has the edge once again. Taylor to win 8-4

So there’s the picks for this week’s round of action.  My four selections pay a big 26/1 thanks to the tie in the headline act.  Dennis’ picks run along the same lines and pay out at 11/2.

If you fancy Dennis’ pick of Lewis 8- 6 Webster, that’s at 9/2 which isn’t too bad I’d suggest.

Anderson, Barneveld & Taylor - The men in form in Belfast

Webby v The Flying Scotsman

Anderson let it be known right from the off that he was still in tip top form as he flew out of the blocks with a 140 and he didn’t let up from then on.  Webster wouldn’t have been too concerned when he lost the first leg to the Scot’s throw, but when he missed six darts at doubles in the second it really did look ominous for the Welshman.

 It seemed like he’d kept himself in the game in the third though as he expertly took out 102 on double 11, but that was as good as it got for Webby as he failed to win a leg for the rest of the match and suffered the heaviest defeat of the competition so far. 

Anderson was scoring brilliantly, but he did miss numerous darts at doubles, the problem for Webby was that he was often so far behind it didn’t matter, and on the odd occasion he did have a go at a finish he couldn’t convert.

 The game was reminiscent of matches against Taylor a couple of years ago when he’d open up a lead early on and stroll to victory with his opponent crumbling under the pressure and unable to do anything about it.  The way Anderson is playing at the moment you would say he is near enough unbeatable.  He peppered the treble 20 throughout hitting a massive seven 180s, although his average was just below 100 which reflected the few misses at doubles.

This is one to right off for Webster as a bad week, he was playing the man at the top of the league, and he wasn’t throwing well, he’ll hopefully put It to the back of his mind and regroup for next week.  Anderson just needs to keep ploughing on, and if he does keep this up he’ll have sown up the top spot in the league in no time.

The Wizard v The Machine

There wasn’t quite the quality we’ve come to expect in the second match of the night but there was certainly the entertainment as a back and forth contest eventually swung the way of the Wizard who claimed his first points of the competition and dragged himself off the bottom of the table.

It was clear from the off that the Machine was in for a tough night, if not from his opponent then certainly from the crows who were on his back from the start, and firmly behind the Australian.

The match started well with a 14-darter from the Wizard, but the second leg showed the pressure was mounting though as Wade hit double 5 with his sixth double attempt after Whitlock had missed three.

It seemed like the Wizard began to harness the positive reaction he was getting from the Belfast crowd in the next three legs though as he moved into a 4 – 1 lead, hitting all his doubles within his first three attempts.  Wade wasn’t to be brushed aside though, picking up the last leg before the break, leaving it as either man’s game as they went to take a breather.

It looked like the break had been disastrous for both men as the seventh leg was a shocker with three consecutive scores being 59, 38 and 42.  Wade took it against the throw, and then seemed to be right back in business with a lovely 128 finish to make it four a piece, and then a 12-darter put him in the lead for the first  time.

The match was really hotting up as the Wizard left himself double 1 after hitting a 180, but took it out third go to level things up again.  He then broke throw as he edged an even leg by hitting 174 to leave double 12 which he nailed first time. This put him on the hill on his own throw and he didn’t spurn the opportunity, as double 19 handed him his first points of the competition.

This could be just what the Wizard needed to kick-start his campaign and he may well now motor on up the league as his doubles finally looked more like what we expect from him.  An average of just under 92 isn’t earth shattering, but we know he can do better than that, and it was enough on the night.

For Wade things are worrying, whatever is making him brilliant one week and below average the next he needs to find out and sort out.  If his on-off form continues then he’ll win again next week, but few can predict what the Machine is going to produce.

Barney v Jackpot

This had the potential to be the highlight of the night as Barney hit his brilliant best form in Nottingham and Lewis was hoping to keep hold of his second place spot in the league.  Two of the most natural players in the game, who both throw at an excellent pace and have both won World titles, was never likely to disappoint.

It started just as everyone had hoped too as Lewis opened up with an 11-darter followed by a 14-darter from Barney.  The Dutchman then crucially broke Jackpot in the third on double ten, and this was a sign of things to come for Barney.  He was looking calm, relaxed and fluent and this was bad news for the World Champion as the fourth leg went with throw to make it 3 – 1.

It took Jackpot just 14 darts to claim the fifth leg to prove he wouldn’t be brushed aside, but then narrowly missed taking out 140 to let Barney back in to lead 4- 2 at the interval.

A second break of throw from the 5-time World Champ in the seventh leg to make it 5 – 3 looked like it could be the end of Lewis, but he showed why he is current champion of the World as he stepped up and broke back with a perfect 170 finish.

Barney showed what he wasn’t about to be rattled as he remained calm and broke Lewis again to make it 6 – 3, and then capitalised and sloppy darts from Lewis to guarantee himself at least a point on double 18.

The Dutchman seemed to have it in the bag, but he missed darts at doubles in the next two legs which Lewis capitalised on, then a 13-darter from Jackpot made it 7 – 6 and the draw was on for the World Champ.

Barney remained relaxed till the death though as powerful scoring throughout the final leg saw him home 8 – 6.  You might have expected this brilliant win to produce some emotion at the end of the clash at least but the man from Den Haag was stoic even after his final double eight perhaps showing that he was supremely confident of the win right from the off.

There is no doubt that Barneveld is now a strong contender for the Premier League title as he looks to be right back to his best and has been consistent on both scoring and finishing over the last two weeks.

Jackpot is certainly not out of it having lost his last two, and still looks to be playing very well, he has just been unfortunate to be on the wrong end of inspired performances from Wade and Barneveld.  I still expect the World Champ to make the semis.

The Power v The Bull

The final match of the night was the test of the World Number One’s form which had been brought into great debate after week one, but was then under no question in his last outing.  His performance in Belfast though silenced any doubters as he won in style again and left Jenkins floundering.

It didn’t look good early on for the Bull as he lost the second leg on his own throw with him a full 212 points behind to go 2 – 0 down.  Taylor didn’t look in the mood to lose his own throw and in the blink of an eye it was 3 – 0 to the defending champion.

It wasn’t till the fourth leg that Jenkins had a shot at a double, and it was one at tops which he fell short of.  The Power was on the same double himself and stepped up to make it 4 -0 , but The Bull wasn’t giving up yet as he broke back to restore some pride and get a leg on the board.  Double 12 though from Taylor saw him leave the stage with a 5 – 1 lead at the break.

The first two after the interval went with throw, but that was as good as it got for The Bull as The Power surged home to take a comfortable 8 – 2 victory.

It was a bitterly disappointing performance from Terry Jenkins who could only manager an 85.6 average and was well below his best.  This was the same kind of match as Anderson’s earlier in the evening.  The opponent goes into the match expecting to lose, it seems, so when the inevitable starts to come to fruition then they almost give up.  It’s unlike Jenkins, and it’ll be one to forget for him, but for the Power, he will be very encouraged with his form.

So…Anderson leads the pack after three weeks of scintillating action as he still maintains an 100% record at the top of the table.  Barney and Taylor are 2^nd and 3^rd respectively with four points each and then the chasing pack are all on two.

Another great night in Belfast!