THE league phase of the 2007 Holsten Premier League Darts ends on Thursday night in Birmingham - with Phil Taylor close to an historic feat as he prepares to meet Raymond van Barneveld.
Taylor enters the 14th match of this year's tournament unbeaten once more, and assured of finishing the Premier League at the head of the table for a third successive year.
Having been unbeaten in 14 games in 2005 to take the inaugural title and then repeating the feat last year, he has now reached 41 games without a loss in the competition.
Taylor was staring down the barrel of a first loss when he last met van Barneveld, in Sheffield two months ago.
The 13-time World Champion trailed 5-1 at the break before storming back to win 8-6 with a stunning run in the second half of the game.
Follow the action from Birmingham with Live Commentary for DartsTV subscribers
"We've had some great battles and I'm sure it will be no different on Thursday night," said Taylor.
"It's a match-up that the fans love to watch and we both enjoy playing in. We're pushing each other and feeding off each other at the moment."
Following a slow start to the Premier League by his high standards - Taylor drew his first two games - the defending champion has struck top gear in the past five weeks.
His lowest average in the last ten weeks has been 99.42, and he is poised to finish the league phase with a ton-plus average.
Taylor's current three-dart average for the tournament is 100.03, having finished with a 99.98 average for the 2005 Premier League (following the play-offs) and a 100.5 average last year.
Van Barneveld is the closest player to Taylor in terms of averages, with a 95.58 three-dart average for the tournament to date.
The Dutchman has hit by far the most 180s, with his tally 63 bettering Roland Scholten's next-best 47.
Scholten takes on Adrian Lewis in the opening game of the night at Birmingham's NIA, with the loser earning the unwanted Wooden Spoon to finish at the foot of the table.
Dennis Priestley and Terry Jenkins are still battling for third and fourth place - with the semi-final line-up seeing them either meet Taylor or Barneveld.
The fourth-placed finisher will meet Taylor in Brighton at the end of May, with third playing second-placed van Barneveld.
Priestley meets Colin Lloyd in game two, with the Essex thrower looking to finish on a high after his 8-0 whitewash of Jenkins last week.
Jenkins meets Peter Manley in the other game, with the latter on a roll following an 8-3 win over Priestley last week and victory in the Open Holland Masters on Sunday.
Holsten Premier League Darts
Stats After 13 Weeks
|
League Position |
Name |
Three-Dart Ave |
Total 180s |
Total 100+ Scores |
LWAT |
|
1 |
Phil Taylor |
100.03 |
34 |
329 |
41 |
|
2 |
R van Barneveld |
95.58 |
63 |
383 |
31 |
|
3 |
Terry Jenkins |
94.14 |
36 |
389 |
24 |
|
4 |
Dennis Priestley |
92.24 |
34 |
359 |
31 |
|
5 |
Colin Lloyd |
94.18 |
40 |
331 |
29 |
|
6 |
Peter Manley |
88.68 |
15 |
324 |
24 |
|
7 |
Roland Scholten |
94.87 |
47 |
380 |
26 |
|
8 |
Adrian Lewis |
92.64 |
43 |
317 |
21 |
Holsten Premier League Darts
Night 14, Birmingham NIA
Roland Scholten v Adrian Lewis
Colin Lloyd v Dennis Priestley
Peter Manley v Terry Jenkins
Phil Taylor v Raymond van Barneveld
Live on Sky Sports, 7.30pm