Taylor Wins Championship League Darts Opener

PHIL TAYLOR claimed victory in Group One of the inaugural Championship League Darts with a 7-0 whitewash of Colin Lloyd in the final.

Taylor booked his place in October's Winners Group with an imperious showing at Crondon Park GC in Essex.

He romped through the league phase of the eight-man event unbeaten, drawing with James Wade in a high-quality opener before winning his next six games.

He then saw off fellow Stoke star Andy Hamilton 6-3 in the semi-finals - with a brilliant mid-game burst of legs of 12, 11 and 12 legs taking him from one-all to 4-1 - before demolishing Lloyd in the decider, hitting finishes of 156 and 126 in a brilliant display.

The event, screened solely on the internet, offered £50 per leg won in the league phase and £100 per leg won in the play-offs and saw Taylor claim £3,350 as well as a place in the Winners Group.

Lloyd finished second in the league phase, winning four and drawing two of his matches and then edging out St Helens' Alan Tabern 6-5 in the semis.

Hamilton bounced back from a 6-0 whitewash from Lloyd in his opening game to finish fourth in the league table, taking wins over Wayne Mardle, Roland Scholten and Terry Jenkins along with two draws.

Tabern's 6-3 win over James Wade in the last group game saw him jump above the world number three and claim a semi-final berth.

Mardle had come from 3-0 down two win 6-3 against Tabern in the fifth round of games, but defeats to Taylor and Lloyd in his final two matches proved costly.A draw with Wade was the highlight of a disappointing day for Scholten, while Jenkins - whose only win came against the Dutchman - also drops out of the event.

Coming in for Wednesday's Group Two will be Ronnie Baxter, Kevin Painter and Mervyn King.

Championship League Darts - Day One Results

Time		Board One	Board Two
11am	Match One	Phil Taylor 5-5 James Wade	Roland Scholten 2-6 Alan Tabern
	Match Two	Andy Hamilton 0-6 Colin Lloyd	Terry Jenkins 2-6 Wayne Mardle
12pm	Match One	Alan Tabern 4-6 Phil Taylor	Colin Lloyd 6-4 Terry Jenkins
	Match Two	Wayne Mardle 3-6 Andy Hamilton	James Wade 5-5 Roland Scholten
1pm	Match One	Alan Tabern 6-2 Terry Jenkins	Phil Taylor 6-2 Colin Lloyd
	Match Two	Wayne Mardle 6-3 Roland Scholten	James Wade 5-5 Andy Hamilton
Not before 2pm	Match One	Terry Jenkins 1-6 Phil Taylor	Alan Tabern 5-5 Colin Lloyd
	Match Two	James Wade 5-5 Wayne Mardle	Roland Scholten 3-6 Andy Hamilton
3pm	Match One	Roland Scholten 1-6 Terry Jenkins	Andy Hamilton 1-6 Phil Taylor
	Match Two	Colin Lloyd 5-5 James Wade	Wayne Mardle 6-3 Alan Tabern
4pm	Match One	Andy Hamilton 5-5 Alan Tabern	James Wade 6-1 Terry Jenkins
	Match Two	Colin Lloyd 6-4 Roland Scholten	Phil Taylor 6-1 Wayne Mardle
Not before 5pm	Match One	Roland Scholten 0-6 Phil Taylor	Terry Jenkins 3-6 Andy Hamilton
	Match Two	Wayne Mardle 4-6 Colin Lloyd	Alan Tabern 6-3 James Wade
6.15pm	Semi-Final 1	Phil Taylor 6-3 Andy Hamilton
6.45pm	Semi-Final 2	Colin Lloyd 6-5 Alan Tabern
7.30pm	Final	Phil Taylor 7-0 Colin Lloyd

Final Table

	Name	P	W	D	L	Leg Diff	Legs Won	£ Won	Pts
1	Phil Taylor	7	6	1	0	+27	41	£2,050	13
2	Colin Lloyd	7	4	2	1	+8	36	£1,800	10
3	Alan Tabern	7	3	2	2	+6	35	£1,750	8
4	Andy Hamilton	7	3	2	2	-2	29	£1,450	8
5	James Wade	7	1	5	1	+2	34	£1,700	7
6	Wayne Mardle	7	3	1	3	0	31	£1,550	7
7	Terry Jenkins	7	1	0	6	-18	19	£950	2
8	Roland Scholten	7	0	1	6	-23	18	£900	1

Play-Off Prize Money
Phil Taylor £1300 (Total for Group One: £3,350)
Colin Lloyd £600 (Total for Group One: £2,400)
Andy Hamilton £300 (Total for Group One: £1,750)
Alan Tabern £500 (Total for Group One: £2,250)News Updates
First Set of Games
Phil Taylor and James Wade battle out a thrilling game in the opener on board one. The pair shared nine 180s, with Wade hitting seven perfect darts in one leg, which he won in ten. However, neither could force a break of throw, with Wade missing double 13 to break in the penultimate leg before the points were shared.
Alan Tabern swept past Roland Scholten in the board two opener, opening up a 4-0 lead before the Dutchman pulled back to 5-2, but missed doubles gave the St Helens man his chance for victory.
Colin Lloyd begins with a comprehensive 6-0 whitewash of Andy Hamilton, with three breaks of throw and a 130 finish seeing him make the perfect start.
Wayne Mardle took a 6-2 victory over Terry Jenkins in the other contest, taking an early 3-0 lead to hold the advantage throughout.

Second Set of Games
Colin Lloyd made a superb comeback to maintain a 100 percent start to Championship League Darts, coming from 4-2 down to defeat Terry Jenkins 6-4, including another 140 finish and a 72 checkout to seal the win against the throw in the decider.
Phil Taylor picked up a narrow 6-4 win against Alan Tabern, edging a deciding leg on double 16 for an 11-darter after the St Helens man came from 3-1 and 4-2 down to take the match all the way with finishes of 124 and 121.
Andy Hamilton grabbed his first win with a 6-3 defeat of Wayne Mardle, winning four of the game's final five legs to get off the mark.
James Wade came from 4-2 down to grab a second successive draw in a dramatic clash with Roland Scholten. Wade trailed 3-1 before taking out 101 to pull back, and he set up a potential nine-darter in leg eight, hitting 177 and 180 plus two treble 20s before missing double 12 - but taking the leg in ten darts to level at 4-4. Scholten earned a point on double 12, but five missed darts at double 12 cost him as Wade took out double five for a draw.

Third Set of Games
Alan Tabern picks up a second victory of the day with a 6-2 defeat of winless Terry Jenkins, taking a 3-0 lead early on and holding off Jenkins' fightback to take victory with and 81 finish.
Phil Taylor maintains unbeaten record with 6-2 win over Colin Lloyd, pulling clear from 2-2 to take four successive legs, including an 11-darter to seal the victory.
Wayne Mardle took his second win of the day, defeating Roland Scholten 6-3. Mardle came from 1-0 down to lead 5-1, including two breaks of throw, before Scholten took back-to-back legs. Mardle was took strong in the ninth to claim the two points.
Andy Hamilton made a superb comeback to snatch a point from James Wade and condemn the world number three to a third successive draw. Wade stormed into a 4-0 lead before Hamilton hit back to level. Wade took the ninth on double four to earn a point, but Hamilton was stronger in the decider.

Fourth Set of Games
Phil Taylor remains at the head of the table following a 6-1 romp against Terry Jenkins. He broke Jenkins' throw twice and landed a 12-darter in taking a 5-0 lead before the world number five hit a maximum in getting off the mark, but Taylor sealed the win on double 16.
Alan Tabern and Colin Lloyd maintained their positions inside the top four with a dramatic draw. Lloyd led 4-1 before Tabern, inspired by back-to-back 180s in leg six, which he won in ten darts, took four in a row to earn a point at 5-4. He also landed a 180 in the decider to leave 40, but Lloyd landed double top to grab a draw.
James Wade was denied his first win, and condemned to a fourth straight draw, in a thrilling finish to his clash with Wayne Mardle. Wade led 2-0 before being pegged back level, a bull finish seeing Mardle break throw in leg three. The next four were shared before Wade landed double ten to ensure at least another point, and he also landed a 180 in the decider - but Mardle finished 104 on double top to grab a share of the spoils with Wade waiting on 40.
Andy Hamilton joined a log-jam of players on five points with a 6-3 win over Roland Scholten. The Stoke man earned a key break of throw to move 3-1 up in the fourth after Scholten missed four darts at a double. Hamilton then led 4-1 before Scholten took two of the next three to hit back to 5-3, only for a maximum from Hamilton to push him clear and set him up for the win.

Fifth Set of Games
Terry Jenkins grabbed his first win of the day with a comprehensive 6-1 defeat of Roland Scholten, sending the Dutchman to the bottom of the table. The first two legs were shared before Jenkins broke throw in the fourth to move clear at 3-1, broke again in leg six and then sealed the win on double top.
Phil Taylor matched that scoreline to see off Andy Hamilton 6-1 and move onto nine points from a possible ten on the day. Taylor led 3-0 before Hamilton got off the mark, and another three successive legs gave the world number one another victory.
Wayne Mardle made a brilliant comeback to move second in the table, coming from 3-0 down to win 6-3 against Alan Tabern. Mardle was staring down the barrel of defeat when Tabern took the opening three legs, although his break of throw in the second leg came after a Mardle miss at double seven for a 122 finish. Double nine got Mardle off the mark and he landed two maximums in taking a 5-3 lead, before punishing a missed double top from Tabern for victory.
James Wade's run of draws continued with a stalemate against Colin Lloyd, who came from 5-3 down to snatch a point. Lloyd led 2-1 before Wade slammed in a 152 checkout - the highest of the day so far - to level and then took the next two to lead 4-2. The next two were shared to leave Wade 5-3 up and earning another point - but for the first time on the day he missed darts for the match to allow Lloyd to take the next two legs and a draw.

Sixth Set of Games
James Wade finally grabs victory, taking a 6-1 win over Terry Jenkins. Wade broke throw in the opening leg to immediately hit the front, and was 4-0 up before Jenkins, aided by a 180, got off the mark. But Wade was swift to wrap up both points by winning the next two legs to improve his semi-final chances.
Andy Hamilton and Alan Tabern maintain their semi-final challenges with a stalemate on board one. Hamilton led 2-0 before Tabern took four of the next six to level at 4-4. Tabern then took out double 16 for a point, before Hamilton's 76 checkout earned him the draw.
The results mean that both Jenkins and Roland Scholten are eliminated from the competition, with the duo confirmed as the bottom two.
Scholten, though, battled hard before being edged out 6-4 in a deciding leg by Colin Lloyd to suffer a fifth defeat of the day. Scholten got off the mark with a 97 checkout and led 3-2 before Lloyd took the next two to lead. Double ten saw the Dutchman level at 4-4, but Lloyd landed a 180 on his way to the ninth leg and then punished two missed darts for a draw from Scholten to land double two for both points.

Seventh Set of Games
Phil Taylor whitewashes Roland Scholten 6-0 to condemn the Dutchman to bottom spot and earn himself the number one place in the table. Taylor was never in trouble as he finished the league phase unbeaten, including a 116 finish in an imperious display.
Andy Hamilton grabbed a crucial win over Terry Jenkins to push himself into the frame for a semi-final berth - needing results in the final two games to go his way. He came from a leg down to lead 3-1 against Jenkins, and was 5-2 up before the world number five broke throw. But a fine 94 checkout, finishing on double six, earned Hamilton both points and moved him onto eight in the table.
The results also mean that Colin Lloyd, who faces Wayne Mardle in the final game, cannot drop out of the top four and will make the semi-finals.
Colin Lloyd ensures second place with a 6-4 win over Wayne Mardle. Mardle leg 2-0 and 4-2 before Lloyd, buoyed by a maximum, hit back to take four successive legs and the win.
Alan Tabern earned himself a place in the semis with a 6-3 win over James Wade in the other contest, knocking Wade out of the day's event in the process. Tabern kicked off with a 12-darter and led 3-2 before a 114 finish saw Wade level. Double 16 saw Tabern break throw back to lead 4-3, and he took the next two legs to move into third place in the table, above Hamilton.

James Wade and Wayne Mardle will now progress to Group Two on Wednesday, with Taylor meeting Hamilton in the first semi-final and Lloyd taking on Tabern in the other last four clash.

Semi-Finals
Phil Taylor reached the final of the inaugural Championship League Darts with a 6-3 win over Andy Hamilton. Taylor produced another brilliant showing, with a mid-game burst of three legs of 12, 11 and 12 darts seeing him pull clear from 1-1 to 4-1 in the blink of an eye. Hamilton won two of the next three to cut the deficit, but Taylor was too strong to book his place in the decider.
Colin Lloyd grabbed victory in a thrilling second semi-final, edging out Alan Tabern in a deciding leg. The game's first two legs went against the throw before Tabern held advantage, with the pair then seeing eight successive legs go with the throw - Lloyd twice wasting chances to break Tabern's throw, while the St Helens man missed double 18 for a 156 checkout and victory at 5-4 up, before Lloyd sent the game into a decider. The Essex star pushed clear against the darts and landed double 16, this time at the first attempt, to move into the final.