World Champion Adrian Lewis has given himself a great chance of reaching the Premier League play-offs on a dramatic night in Liverpool.
Lewis stopped the rot after three straight defeats, beating Simon Whitlock 8-5 to move into the top four, while Phil Taylor trounced Gary Anderson, Raymond van Barneveld and James Wade shared the spoils in a thriller, and Terry Jenkins secured only his third win of the year.
“It’s all about reaching the semi-finals,” said Lewis. “It’s back in my own hands. I played well tonight and hit the big scores and big finishes when I needed to.”
His last two games are against Jenkins and Anderson.
Lewis raced into a 4-1 lead, hitting finishes of 100, 87 and 91 and at the break he was averaging 105….but the Unicorn ace had to dig in when Whitlock stormed back to level at 4-4.
The 9th leg was the big turning point, because the Aussie missed two darts at ‘tops’ to go ahead for the first time in the match…..Lewis held on and then banged in three 180s in the next two legs to establish a 7-5 lead.
A 91 check-out from Whitlock only delayed the end and Lewis won it in style with a terrific 106 finish to move up to 4th in the table.
Barney and Wade produced a cracker….the Dutchman conceded he was lucky to get the draw, while Wade was left frustrated he didn’t secure a fourth straight win!
Wade averaged 102.66….a full 10 points more than his opponent, but Barney’s finishing kept him in the match.
“That was very important for me,” he admitted. “I never felt really comfortable, despite the good finishes. James played well and probably deserved to win. I Just kept telling myself win your own legs and it’s just as well that I did.”
Wade was clearly frustrated. “I should have won, simple as that,” he said. “I knew Raymond wasn’t at his best, which is why it is all the more frustrating.”
Wade now knows that he has to win his remaining matches against Taylor and Jenkins, but this precious point will be enough to see Barneveld in the Wembley play-offs.
‘The Machine’ broke in the opening leg, but then missed darts for 2-0 and Barneveld’s finishing was just terrific…..92, 124, 68 (in two darts) and a brilliant 121 and the Dutchman was leading 5-3.
Credit though must go to Wade, because he came back strongly…..A first 180 and 125 check-out, was followed by an 11-darter, including six perfect darts, to level the match!
The next two legs were shared, before Barney hit double trouble – finally nailing D2 to lead 7-6, but Wade deserved his point and a brilliant 138 meant the all Unicorn clash ended all square!
Taylor was intent on sending out a message and he did just that, as the eagerly awaited showdown with Anderson turned into a one-sided affair.
‘The Power’ hit the gas just when it was needed and a below-par Anderson had no answers…..but you still get the feeling they could be clashing again come finals night at Wembley!
“I thought Gary was going to come out blazing,” he said. “He just didn’t look keyed up for it, so that was surprising. But even though I am at Wembley, I can’t afford to take anything for granted. I will keep going and keep trying to win.”
Taylor was dominant from the start and he raced into a 4-0 lead, punishing the Scot’s slow start. Anderson hit 180s in legs three and four, only for Taylor to reply in kind and then take out 97 and 94, which really hurt his opponent.
It turned into a nightmare night for Anderson, as Taylor marched relentlessly on and this 11th straight win guarantees him top spot ahead of those play-offs.
The World No.3 finally stopped the rot, winning the fifth leg but he then proceeded to miss darts to win the next three and Taylor didn’t…..a 7-1 lead and Unicorn’s 15 times World Champion was coasting.
Anderson did manage to win a couple more legs, but this will be a bitter pill to swallow and Taylor wrapped up the comfortable win on D8 with a 66 check-out and an end average of 101.
Well, Terry Jenkins finally tasted that winning feeling again!
After six weeks without a win, Jenkins condemned Mark Webster to an 8th consecutive defeat after a convincing 8-4 victory.
The Unicorn man can’t qualify for the play-offs, but this win means he won’t finish with the wooden spoon…..that will go to the Welshman in his debut PL season.
After the first six legs all went with throw, Jenkins took control…..and he produced his best display of finishing of the year. At one stage ‘The Bull’ was perfect on the doubles – hitting six out of six, including two darts finishes of 100 and 84.
In the end, Jenkins hit 8/11 – a 73 per cent success rate….and it was a job well done.
Liverpool week 12 results:
Mark Webster 4-8 Terry Jenkins
Gary Anderson 3-8 Phil Taylor
Raymond van Barneveld 7-7 James Wade
Adrian Lewis 8-5 Simon Whitlock
Premier League table:
1 – Phil Taylor 22pts
2 – Gary Anderson 16pts
3 – Raymond van Barneveld 14pts
4 – Adrian Lewis 11pts
5 – James Wade 11pts
6 – Simon Whitlock 10pts
7 – Terry Jenkins 8pts
8 – Mark Webster 4pts
Week 13 schedule Bournemouth:
Simon Whitlock v Mark Webster
Gary Anderson v Raymond van Barneveld
Terry Jenkins v Adrian Lewis
James Wade v Phil Taylor
By STUART PYKE at the Liverpool Echo Arena
Photos Lawrence Lustig / PDC