Premier League Darts: Phil Taylor wins one & loses one

The Power looked on cause for a big defeat in his opening match as Anderson cruised into a 4-0 lead, taking no more than 15 darts to win any of the legs.

But suddenly the six-time Premier League champion, competing in his final season before retirement, burst into life and started to find the treble 20 bed with ruthless consistency.

Remarkably, Taylor allowed the Scotsman just one shot at a finish - and that was at the bullseye - over the course of the next seven legs of the match as he claimed a memorable two points which moved him up to third.

However, he was later unable to back that display up and further consolidate his play-off bid as he lost 7-2 to Chisnall, who celebrated his second win of the night having beaten Adrian Lewis 7-3 earlier.

Chizzy headed to the SSE Arena bottom of the standings with just eight points but he averaged around 104 in two superb performances to give himself an outside chance of finishing in the top four. 

Van Gerwen maintained his firm grip of top spot with a commanding 7-2 victory over his Dutch rival van Barneveld, who was unable to celebrate his 50th birthday in style.

The world number one's unbeaten run was ended by Barney in Manchester earlier in the season but there was to be no famous double as the veteran struggled to get anywhere near his best except for a 140 checkout in the second leg.

Peter Wright didn't need to be at his best to inflict a 7-3 defeat on a below-par James Wade as he strengthaned his grip on second place.

Last week Snakebite threw away a 5-1 lead to draw with Michael van Gerwen before losing to Gary Anderson, but he got his campaign back on track in a match which did little to entertain the crowd.

Below is a full statistical breakdown of each match as well as player reaction while we also rank their performances at the bottom of this article as well as provide the updated Premier League table. 

CLICK HERE FOR FULL SEASON, FIXTURES, STATS & STANDINGS 

Dave Chisnall 7-3 Adrian Lewis

Dave Chisnall stunned Adrian Lewis 7-3 in Belfast thanks to a performance that belied his position in the Premier League table.

Chizzy headed to the SSE Arena bottom of the standings with just eight points but averaged almost 104 in a superb victory against his in-form opponent.

Jackpot had, of course, nailed the season's first nine-dart finish in last week's win over Raymond van Barneveld that thrust him firmly into contention for the play-offs but he was made to pay for a slow start against Chisnall, who raced into a 3-0 lead.

Although a 99 checkout helped Lewis pull two legs back, three missed doubles when trailing 5-2 allowed Chizzy to guarantee himself a point and he went on to seal his win on double one. 

The St Helens thrower hit over 50% of his doubles to banish memories of his seven missed match darts against Gary Anderson last week and he now has an outside chance of making the end of season play-offs.

Three-dart averages
Chisnall: 103.97
Lewis: 95.56

SCORING
100+ thrown
Chisnall: 15
Lewis: 8
140+ thrown
Chisnall: 6
Lewis: 6
180 thrown
Chisnall: 4
Lewis: 4

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Chisnall: N/A (Highest: 96)
Lewis: N/A (Highest: 99)

Checkout percentage
Chisnall: 53.85% (7/13)
Lewis: 25% (3/12)

Phil Taylor 7-4 Gary Anderson

Phil Taylor won seven legs on the trot to beat Gary Anderson 7-4 in a memorable 'match of two halves'.

The Power's hopes of reaching the play-offs in his final season before retirement took a blow the previous week when suffering a defeat to James Wade and he looked well on course for another major setback as Anderson cruised into a 4-0 lead.

The Scotsman was averaging well over 100 and took no more than 15 darts to win any of these legs but suddenly the tide turned out of nowhere.

Taylor, a six-time former Premier League champion, rolled back the years by finding the treble 20 bed with ruthless consistency while his finishing was deadly.

Remarkably, he allowed Anderson just one shot at a finish - and that was at the bullseye - over the course of the next seven legs as he claimed a memorable two points to move up to third in the table.

Three-dart averages
Taylor: 104.38
Anderson: 102.6

SCORING
100+ thrown
Taylor: 7
Anderson: 12
140+ thrown
Taylor: 17
Anderson: 7
180 thrown
Taylor: 2
Anderson: 3

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Taylor: N/A (Highest: 81)
Anderson: N/A (Highest: 87)

Checkout percentage
Taylor: 46.67% (7/15)
Anderson: 57.14% (4/7)

Peter Wright 7-3 James Wade

Peter Wright firmed up his grip of second place in the Premier League table with a 7-3 victory over James Wade - but he was far from happy with his performance.

Both players averaged in the low 90s, with Snakebite hitting the only two 180s of a match that did little to entertain the Belfast crowd.

Wright won three legs in succession, which included back-to-back finishes from 76, to move 5-2 up while he saved his best checkout till last when he took out 81 to wrap up an important two points.

Wade, meanwhile, failed to back up his fine win over Taylor last week and defeat leaves his play-off hopes in tatters.

"It wasn't the best performance but it's a win, two points and it keeps me in the top four," Wright told www.pdc.tv.

"Getting the win was the aim tonight and I did that. I did enough to get the win but neither of us were at our best. I've been practising with these darts for a couple of weeks and felt good with them, but they didn't go like I thought they would tonight." 

Three-dart averages
Wright: 92.53
Wade: 92.24

SCORING
100+ thrown
Wright: 11
Wade: 16
140+ thrown
Wright: 6
Wade: 8
180 thrown
Wright: 2
Wade: 0

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Wright: N/A (Highest: 81)
Wade: N/A (Highest: 81)

Checkout percentage
Wright: 43.75% (7/16)
Wade: 50% (3/6)

Michael van Gerwen 7-2 Raymond van Barneveld

Michael van Gerwen gained revenge over Raymond van Barneveld on his Dutch rival's birthday thanks to an emphatic 7-2 victory in Belfast.

Barney inflicted MVG's only defeat of the campaign back in Manchester in week eight but there was to be no repeat as the now 50-year-old failed to get going despite having the crowd firmly behind him.

He did, however, produce one moment of brilliance with a 140 checkout in the second leg but from that moment it was pretty much one-way traffic despite MVG not being at his formiddable best either.

The world number one was never really under any pressure as he averaged 103.09 and only managed two 180s in a win which ensures he ends the night two points clear of second-placed Peter Wright and with a game in hand. 

"It was a good win and I did the job tonight," van Gerwen told www.pdc.tv. "I expected Raymond to play better on his birthday but there was only one winner tonight.

"He was not himself, I think it had to do with his birthday and the game against me put a bit of pressure on him on this day and he wasn't as focused.

"It had to be difficult for Raymond but I had a job to do; I want to be top of the table again and I have to do my duty.

"I love to play well and that keeps me motivated. I've been top for the last three years and I want to do it again." 

Three-dart averages
Van Gerwen: 103.09
Van Barneveld: 93.55

SCORING
100+ thrown
Van Gerwen: 8
Van Barneveld: 8
140+ thrown
Van Gerwen: 8
Van Barneveld: 9
180 thrown
Van Gerwen: 2
Van Barneveld: 1 

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Van Gerwen: N/A (Highest: 92)
Van Barneveld: 140

Checkout percentage
Van Gerwen: 46.67% (7/15)
Van Barneveld: 50% (2/4)

Dave Chisnall 7-2 Phil Taylor

Dave Chisnall made it two wins out of two in Belfast with another superb performance as he gave Phil Taylor a hiding to put himself right in the play-off picture.

Chizzy was a 500/1 no hoper to win this season's title before the night began and while he remains a big outsider at 150/1, he's now just two points behind fourth-placed Gary Anderson.

Having averaged just a shade below 104 in his victory over Adrian Lewis earlier in the night, Chizzy continued to score highly and finish clinically against Taylor, who looked tired following the exertions of his 7-4 triumph against Anderson. 

After the first two legs were shared, the St Helens man aurged into a 4-1 lead before Taylor showed a sign he was ready to make another comeback by checking out from 72.

Those ambitions would prove to be short-lived as Chisnall rattled off the next three legs - albeit with the help of some poor finishing from Taylor in the ninth - to claim an important victory.

Chisnall said: "It's been a great night. "I'm very pleased with how it's gone and I'm happy to have got the four points tonight.

"I've been playing well and hitting lots of 180s but in the last two weeks I've not hit the doubles at the crucial times and today I did.

"I'm in with a shout and if I can keep playing like I have tonight then there's no reason I can't make it into the top four." 

Three-dart averages
Chisnall: 104.72
Taylor: 94.91

SCORING
100+ thrown
Chisnall: 14
Taylor: 17
140+ thrown
Chisnall: 7
Taylor: 2
180 thrown
Chisnall: 2
Taylor: 3

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Chisnall: N/A (Highest: 50)
Taylor: N/A (Highest: 72)

Checkout percentage
Chisnall: 50% (7/14)
Taylor: 25% (2/8)

Premier League Darts 2017 Table

MVG P 12 W 8 D 3 L 1 LegD +26 Pts 19
Wright P 13 W 7 D 3 L 3 LegD +15 Pts 17
Taylor P 13 W 6 D 3 L 4 LegD +5 Pts 15
Anderson P 13 W 5 D 4 L 4 LegD +8 Pts 14
RVB P 13 W 6 D 2 L 5 LegD +1 Pts 14
Lewis P 12 W 6 D 1 L 5 LegD +3 Pts 13
Chisnall P 13 W 5 D 2 L 6 LegD -7 Pts 12
Wade P 13 W 4 D 2 L 7 LegD -12 Pts 10
Klaasen P 9 W 1 D 1 L 7 LegD -16 Pts 3
Huybrechts P 9 W 0 D 3 L 6 LegD -23 Pts 3

* Klaasen & Huybrechts relegated after week nine  

Premier League Darts Week 12: Statistics

Three-dart averages
Dave Chisnall (v Taylor): 104.72
Phil Taylor (v Anderson): 104.38
Dave Chisnall (v Lewis): 103.97
Michael van Gerwen:  103.09
Gary Anderson: 102.6
Adrian Lewis:  95.56
Phil Taylor (v Chisnall):  94.91
Raymond van Barneveld:  93.55
Peter Wright:  92.53
James Wade:  92.24

180s Thrown
Dave Chisnall (v Lewis): 4
Adrian Lewis: 4
Phil Taylor (v Chisnall): 3
Gary Anderson: 3
Phil Taylor (v Anderson): 2
Dave Chisnall (v Taylor): 2
Peter Wright: 2
Michael van Gerwen: 2
Raymond van Barneveld: 1
James Wade: 0

Checkouts over 100
Raymond van Barneveld: 140

Checkout percentages
Gary Anderson: 57.14% (4/7)
Dave Chisnall (v Lewis): 53.85% (7/13)
Dave Chisnall (v Taylor):  50% (7/14)
James Wade:  50% (3/6)
Raymond van Barneveld:  50% (2/4)
Michael van Gerwen: 46.67% (7/15)
Phil Taylor (v Anderson): 46.67% (7/15)
Peter Wright: 43.75% (7/16)
Adrian Lewis: 25% (3/12)
Phil Taylor (v Chisnall):  25% (2/8) 

Next week's fixtures

Night 13, Thursday April 27
The Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham
TV Coverage: Sky Sports 1 (1900 GMT)
James Wade v Adrian Lewis
Dave Chisnall v Michael van Gerwen
Phil Taylor v Peter Wright
Gary Anderson v Raymond van Barneveld
Adrian Lewis v Michael van Gerwen
Tickets: 0844 338 8000 or via www.theticketfactory.com 

CLICK HERE FOR FULL SEASON, FIXTURES, STATS & STANDINGS