Webster Redeems Belfast Nightmare

MARK WEBSTER wrote his name into the record books with a brilliant 110.19 average in defeating Adrian Lewis in the 888.com Premier League Darts on Thursday.

Webster bounced back from an 8-1 drubbing against Gary Anderson in Belfast in the third week of the tournament with a scintillating display against Lewis.

The Welsh left-hander took out finishes of 124, 120 and 101 as well as producing a run of six successive legs to pull from two-all to storm to victory.

His average of 110.19 has only ever been bettered by Phil Taylor since the Premier League Darts began in 2005, and provided redemption for Webster from the loss to Anderson.

"It's one of the best wins of my career," said Webster. "I was so bad in Belfast last week, and in the ProTour events in Barnsley I wasn't much better, and you can start panicking, but it's just a bad spell and we all have them at some point.

"After last week I had to perform. It was probably as low as I've been after a game on TV last week, it was embarrassing and I knew I had to put a wrong right.

"I did that and put in a good performance with it. I was aware I was throwing first and you've got to go out there and hold your throw, which I did and my confidence grew from that.

"I was leaving ton-plus finishes deliberately, knowing I could take them out, rather than hoping I could, and it worked out.

"Beating the World Champion 8-2 is a great result for me and it will hold me in good stead.

"Adrian knocked me out of the World Championship as well and it wasn't revenge, so to speak, but you don't want to keep losing to the same players.

"It's nice to get one back on him and it sets me up now for the rest of the season.

"I can finally forget about last week now. When you lose a game you have to bounce back and I did that so I will take a lot of confidence from that."

The win for Webster saw him claim his second triumph of the season, and saw him produce statistically the best display of his career.

As well as hitting three ton-plus finishes and a trio of 180s, Webster hit eight from ten attempts at a double during the game, only missing two darts at double ten during the eighth leg of the contest.

Phil Taylor holds the record televised average of 118.66 from last year's UK Open, and has bettered 110 five times in the history of the 888.com Premier League Darts.

888.com Premier League Darts - Record Averages