TAYLOR REMATCH WITH CADBY KICKS OFF BID FOR TABTOUCH PERTH DARTS MASTERS TREBLE
PHIL TAYLOR will open his challenge to win a third successive TABtouch Perth Darts Masters against Australia's shooting star Corey Cadby at the PCEC on Thursday, while home-town hero Kyle Anderson faces a rematch with world number one Michael van Gerwen.
Legendary 16-time World Champion Taylor has been victorious in the previous two stagings of the Perth Darts Masters since the PDC World Series of Darts event was introduced in 2014.
The 56-year-old continued his winning streak in Australia with a fourth successive Sydney Darts Masters triumph last week at The Star, which included a 6-3 first round win over Cadby.
The 21-year-old Tasmanian born ace - who has won seven events on the domestic DPA Australian Grand Prix circuit this year - will get his chance for revenge when the pair lock horns again on Thursday at the PCEC.
Another rematch from last week's Sydney event sees van Gerwen - who eventually lost out to Taylor in the final - up against Australian ace Kyle Anderson, who hit two 160 checkouts as he shared the first ten legs of their quarter-final before being swept aside in the latter stages by the Dutchman.
World Champion Gary Anderson - the winner of World Series events in Dubai, Auckland and Tokyo already in 2016 - will play qualifier Kim Lewis for a second successive year in Perth, having whitewashed the 54-year-old from Morawa 12 months ago.
Number four seed Adrian Lewis will face Perth-based David Platt, while number five seed James Wade has overcome a virus to take his place in the event against New Zealand's Rob Szabo, a two-time World Championship qualifier.
Sydney Darts Masters semi-finalists Dave Chisnall and Peter Wright have drawn Perth-based duo Koha Kokiri - the New Zealand-born ace who qualified for the 2016 World Championship - and Adam Rowe respectively, with the latter also having competed in the 2015 Perth Darts Masters.
Five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld faces the event's other Australian, world number 20 Simon Whitlock, as the pair bid to bounce back from their first round defeats in Sydney a week ago.
The TABtouch Perth Darts Masters continues on Friday with the quarter-finals at the PCEC before concluding on Saturday with the semi-finals and final, with the tournament being broadcast live on Fox Sports.
Tickets for the TABtouch Perth Darts Masters are still available through www.downunderevents.com.au.
TABtouch Perth Darts Masters
Tournament Draw Bracket
Gary Anderson (1) v Kim Lewis
Dave Chisnall v Koha Kokiri
Adrian Lewis (4) v David Platt
Raymond van Barneveld v Simon Whitlock
Michael van Gerwen (2) v Kyle Anderson
James Wade v Rob Szabo
Phil Taylor (3) v Corey Cadby
Peter Wright v Adam Rowe
NB: The players seeded 5-8 are drawn at random into the left hand side of the draw bracket, and were James Wade (5), Dave Chisnall (6), Peter Wright (7) and Raymond van Barneveld (8).
Thursday August 25 (6.30pm local time)
First Round - Schedule of Play
James Wade v Rob Szabo
Dave Chisnall v Koha Kokiri
Peter Wright v Adam Rowe
Adrian Lewis v David Platt
Phil Taylor v Corey Cadby
Gary Anderson v Kim Lewis
Michael van Gerwen v Kyle Anderson
Raymond van Barneveld v Simon Whitlock
Best of 11 legs
Friday August 26 (7pm local time)
Quarter-Finals
Best of 19 legs
Saturday August 27 (7pm local time)
Semi-Finals
Final
Best of 21 legs