Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts - Night Three

REPORTS from night three of the 2009 Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.

Mervyn King moved a point clear at the top of the table with a third successive victory, while James Wade and Wayne Mardle picked up their opening wins of 2009.

Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts
Night Three - Ricoh Arena, Coventry
Terry Jenkins 7-7 Phil Taylor
Raymond van Barneveld 4-8 James Wade
Mervyn King 8-2 John Part
Jelle Klaasen 6-8 Wayne Mardle

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Latest Table	P	W	D	L	+/-	Pts
Mervyn King	3	3	0	0	+20	6
Phil Taylor	3	2	1	0	+10	5
Terry Jenkins	3	0	3	0	0	3
James Wade	3	1	1	1	-3	3
Wayne Mardle	3	1	1	1	-5	3
John Part	3	0	2	1	-6	2
Jelle Klaasen	3	0	1	2	-8	1
R v Barneveld	3	0	1	2	-8	1

See match highlights in PDCtv from Friday evening

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TERRY JENKINS 7-7 PHIL TAYLOR

TERRY JENKINS ended Phil Taylor's winning start to the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts as the pair shared a seven-all draw in Coventry.

Defending champion Taylor had roared to victory in his opening two games, but had to come from 6-4 down to claim a point against Jenkins.

Jenkins claimed a point at 7-6 after Taylor levelled, but the 14-time World Champion earned a draw in the decider thanks to a double 16 finish.

"I'm over the moon with a draw after going 6-4 down," admitted Taylor.

"At 4-2 I thought I had him because a lot of players would have caved in, but Terry's a battler and he came back well."

Jenkins, who had opened the campaign with a pair of draws, started the game well and took out double ten in the opening leg and 88 in the third to lead 2-1 - having also missed the bullseye for a 161 finish in the second before Taylor hit double seven to get off the mark.

Double eight saw Taylor level, and a magnificent 11-darter broke Jenkins' throw before a 13-dart leg, including a third 180 of the game, put him 4-2 up.

Taylor kicked off the next with scores of 180 and 140, only for Jenkins to land double top for the leg before trading maximums in the next.

Taylor missed two darts for the leg, and Jenkins mopped up on double six to square the game.

Double top put him 5-4 up before a second break of throw, following four missed doubles from Taylor, allowed him to extend his advantage to two legs.

Taylor replied with a pressure two-dart 74 finish before taking out a fine 143 to level - after Jenkins missed the bull for a 170 checkout.

Jenkins hit double top to earn a point at 7-6 and ensure he would remain unbeaten in the league, only for Taylor to dash his hopes of victory in the deciding leg, hitting a 180 and the double 16 to share the draw.

Match Stats

Terry Jenkins	7-7	Phil Taylor
23	100+	17
9	140+	10
4	180	6
33.12	Ave1	33.95
99.36	Ave3	101.86
2	LWAT	2
88	High Finish	143

JAMES WADE 8-4 RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD

JAMES WADE stormed to his first victory in the 2009 Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts with an 8-4 comeback win over Raymond van Barneveld in Coventry.

Wade, last year's Premier League runner-up, had made a poor start to the competition with a draw in the opening week and an 8-1 loss to Mervyn King in Edinburgh.

He trailed the Dutchman 4-1 in Coventry and seemed set for another loss, only to produce a stunning run of seven successive legs in taking the win with a 107.7 average.

Van Barneveld took the game's opening leg at ease, and then landed a fine 11-darter against the throw to double his lead.

He then landed a 180 on his way to the third leg, before Wade got off the mark by taking out 68 for the fourth.

A second maximum of the night helped van Barneveld into a 4-1 advantage - but a double three finish in the sixth sparked Wade into life.

He returned from the break to trade 180s with the Dutchman before breaking throw with a 95 checkout, and then levelled on double ten with a 13-darter.

Another 13-darter, against the throw, put him ahead for the first time in the contest, and a fine 11-darter, finishing with a 100 checkout, was followed by a double top finish to take him 7-4 up.

His second 11-darter of the game, featuring a fifth maximum, saw Wade wrap up his first victory of the campaign.

"I've wanted to do that for a while so it's very pleasing for me," said Wade. "Last week was a kick up the backside and hopefully this is the start of things to come.

"The crowd were brilliant and they were good for me - and I hope I entertained them and they enjoyed it.

"I've got the passion and love for the game back again and I'm over the moon to get the win. I averaged 120 for the last six legs and not many players could live with that.

"I felt like a spare part in the last two weeks and was playing really badly but I feel a part of the Premier League now and I've got to try and keep my feet on the ground now."

Match Stats

Raymond van Barneveld	4-8	James Wade
20	100+	14
8	140+	10
4	180	5
34.40	Ave1	35.92
103.19	Ave3	107.77
1	LWAT	3
81	High Finish	100

MERVYN KING 8-2 JOHN PART

MERVYN KING moved a point clear at the top of the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts table with an 8-2 win over John Part at the Ricoh Arena.

King took a third successive win to continue his superb debut campaign in the tournament, seeing off the three-time World Champion with relative ease.

"It's been a dream start for me, absolutely phenomenal," said King. "I'd have been happy with three draws so to have three wins is great.

"I've got bigger plans than this though and I feel I'll get better."

Part kicked off the game with a 180, only for King to reply in kind before taking out double eight for the opening leg.

Part hit a second maximum in levelling, but a missed bullseye was punished by King, once more on double eight.

King landed 180s in taking the next two legs as he pushed further clear, only for Part to reply with a maximum in taking the eighth to reduce the gap to 6-2.

A missed double 18 from the Canadian saw his chance of cutting the gap further slip away, with double ten putting King a leg away from victory.

Another 180 from unbeaten King helped him in the next, and a miss from Part at double 16 allowed him back in for the win on double 12.

"I can't control what the other players do but I can control what I do and at the moment I'm producing the goods," added King.

"I've got more in the tank but I want to keep producing a good show for the fans."

Match Stats

Mervyn King	8-2	John Part
15	100+	11
6	140+	3
5	180	4
34.36	Ave1	31.66
103.09	Ave3	94.98
3	LWAT	0
84	High Finish	44

WAYNE MARDLE 8-6 JELLE KLAASEN

WAYNE MARDLE grabbed his first win of the 2009 Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts with an 8-6 defeat of Jelle Klaasen.

Mardle picked up a draw against Terry Jenkins in Edinburgh a week ago, and went one better against the Dutchman in Coventry.

Having shared the first ten legs, Mardle finished the stronger to take three of the last four and claim the points.

The first three legs all went against the throw, with legs of 14 and 15 darts putting Mardle ahead despite a 103 from Klaasen.

Mardle took a scrappy fourth leg on double two, but a 112 finish followed by a bullseye checkout for a 94 from Klaasen saw him level the contest at three-all.

The next two legs were traded before a brilliant 156 from Mardle put him 5-4 up and also earned him a £1,000 bonus as the night's highest checkout.

Klaasen broke back in 12 darts to level, but crucially missed doubles in the next two legs as Mardle moved 7-5 up.

Mardle suffered with his finishing in the next, missing six darts for the match before double five kept Klaasen alive.

But a 180 from the Dutchman was not enough in the next, with Mardle taking out double 16 for a 14-darter to claim the win.

"I'm not playing well at the moment but I'm picking up points and that win could prove crucial if I make the play-offs," said Mardle.

"Jelle got my head racing at the start and I began missing, but I got it back together again. It felt lovely to win."

Match Stats