Premier League Darts: Phil Taylor beats Van Gerwen

The Power averaged over 100 during a priceless triumph over the world number one, who was punished for a string of missed doubles, and he's now almost certain to be playing for the title in two weeks' time in his final season before retirement.

Taylor is two points clear of fifth-placed Dave Chisnall but his leg difference is crucially 10 better than the St Helens thrower which means it's highly unlikely he'll drop out of the top four in Aberdeen next Thursday.

The former six-time Premier League champion meets Adrian Lewis in his final regular season game while Chizzy faces James Wade.

Earlier, Chisnall had continued his remarkable run of form with a 7-5 victory over Raymond van Barneveld, who is now officially out of the running.

Chizzy averaged 109.36 despite missing a host of doubles while the key turning point came in the fifth leg when he broke Barney's throw with a stunning 142 checkout to go 3-2 up.

The Englishman was 500/1 to win the title earlier in the season but after making it six games unbeaten he temporarily went odds-on to reach finals night until Taylor almost certainly knocked him out of the running later in the evening.

Anderson wasn't at his best but still managed to comfortably book his play-off place with a 7-3 victory over an out-of-sorts Wade.

The Flying Scotsman's average of 94.32 wasn't helped by six consecutive missed match darts in the 10th leg but he eventually nailed double two to get the job done. 

Earlier Peter Wright ended Adrian Lewis' outside hopes of reaching the play-offs by beating him 7-2.

Snakebite's comprehensive victory, which saw him average over 100, moves him to within one point of MVG so he now has a real chance of scopping the £25,000 league leaders' bonus.

Lewis desperately needed maximum points after last week's double defeat, which included a 7-0 thrashing at the hands of MVG, but he could only manage a sub-par average of 92.8 and only hit two of his nine attempts at doubles.

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.

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Peter Wright 7-2 Adrian Lewis

Peter Wright continued his superb Premier League campaign with a 7-2 drubbing of Adrian Lewis, who can no longer reach the play-offs.

Second-placed Snakebite had already confirmed his spot in the finals at the O2 later this month with a 7-3 win over Phil Taylor last Thursday but there was no signs of complacency as he brushed aside an opponent with more to play for.

Wright averaged over 100 and finished clinically throughout the clash until three missed doubles in the ninth leg - which only delayed the inevitable - took a little shine off his checkout percentage.

The win moves him a point behind leader Michael van Gerwen, who suffered a surprise defeat to Phil Taylor later in the night.

Lewis, by contrast, has been on a poor run of form having lost his three previous matches, including a 7-0 whitewash at the hands of Michael van Gerwen last week, and he needed a win to keep alive his hopes of a top-four finish.

But an average of 92.8 was never going to be enough while he only hit two of his nine darts at a double. 

Wright told the PDC: "The plan was to come and get the win and I've done that, and I wanted to keep the pressure on Michael. This wasn't my best performance and I couldn't settle into the match, but Adrian wasn't on form like he can be and any player in the Premier League would have punished him.

"It's great to be going to The O2 but I also want to finish top too."

Three-dart averages
Wright: 100.53
Lewis: 92.8

SCORING
100+ thrown
Wright: 12
Lewis: 8
140+ thrown
Wright: 10
Lewis: 7
180 thrown
Wright: 2
Lewis: 3

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Wright: N/A (Highest: 56)
Lewis: N/A (Highest 59)

Checkout percentage
Wright: 41.18% (7/17)
Lewis: 22.22% (2/9)

Raymond van Barneveld 5-7 Dave Chisnall

Dave Chisnall temporarily put himself right in the mix for a play-off spot thanks to a crucial 7-5 win over fellow top-four hopeful Raymond van Barneveld - but his joy was later dampened after Phil Taylor's triumph against all but knocked him out of the running. 

Seemingly well out of the contention to reach finals night after sitting bottom of the table following the relegations of Kim Huybrechts and Jelle Klaasen, Chizzy has roared into the running from nowhere in recent weeks.

He was 500/1 no-hoper to win the whole thing earlier in the campaign but an unbeaten run of six games meant he went odds-on to be contesting the play-offs until Taylor's moment.

The decisive moment of this latest win came in the fifth leg when a superb 142 checkout saw him move 3-2 up but more importantly break the Barney throw.

Despite missing nine of his 18 attempts at doubles, Chizzy went on to average a stunning 109.36 due to his consistent scoring power and it was enough to see off Barney, whose campaign has now been ruined by four straight defeats.

Three-dart averages
Van Barneveld: 100.65
Chisnall: 109.36

SCORING
100+ thrown
Van Barneveld: 16
Chisnall: 17
140+ thrown
Van Barneveld: 10
Chisnall: 12
180 thrown
Van Barneveld: 3
Chisnall: 4

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Van Barneveld: N/A (Highest: 70)
Chisnall: 142

Checkout percentage
Van Barneveld: 35.71% (5/14)
Chisnall: 38.89% (7/18)

James Wade 3-7 Gary Anderson

Gary Anderson didn't have to be at his best to book his Premier League Darts play-off spot with a week to spare as he beat a disappointing James Wade 7-3 in Sheffield.

Anderson cruised into a 5-1 lead before the Machine finally showed signs of life by winning back-to-back legs but his comeback proved to be short lived as he failed to apply further pressure.

The Flying Scotsman, who averaged just 94.32, could even afford to miss six successive match darts in the 10th leg but it mattered little as Wade failed to get to a double before anderson finished the job.

Anderson told the PDC: "I knew that I just needed one more win and I was really nervous tonight and it was a bit of a struggle, but I got there in the end. Getting into the top four is everyone's aim at the start of the season so that's the main bit done.

"I'm through now and that takes the pressure off next week when I play Michael in Aberdeen - but we don't want to lose to each other and it should be special."

Three-dart averages
Wade: 87.35
Anderson: 94.32

SCORING
100+ thrown
Wade: 14
Anderson: 11
140+ thrown
Wade: 7
Anderson: 7
180 thrown
Wade: 2
Anderson: 4

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Wade: N/A (Highest: 36)
Anderson: N/A (Highest: 90)

Checkout percentage
Wade: 17.65% (3/17)
Anderson: 28% (7/25)

Michael van Gerwen 3-7 Phil Taylor

Phil Taylor will almost certainly make the Premier League Darts play-offs in his final year before retirement after a superb 7-3 victory over Michael van Gerwen.

The former six-time champion was a 5/1 underdog to average the 7-4 defeat he suffered at the hands of the Dutchman in Rotterdam earlier this season but thanks to an average of over 100 and clinical finishing, he pulled off a surprisingly easy win which sees him move two-points clear in fourth with just one week of regular season games remaining.

Crucially his leg difference is 10 better than fifth-placed Dave Chisnall so it would take two wide-margin results in Chizzy's favour to deny Taylor a place at the O2.

The Power has incredibly won four of his last five matches against the rampant MVG so he won't be daunted by a potential meeting at the play-offs.

Van Gerwen posted a higher average of 102.99 but was punished for nine missed attempts at doubles and he's now in real danger of being pipped by Peter Wright for the league leaders' bonus of £25,000. 

The world number one faces Gary Anderson in his final game while Snakebite, who is just a point behind, is up against the eliminated Raymond van Barneveld.

Taylor said: "Michael's a tough opponent but it was a strange game. A couple of times Michael went for the bull when he should have left a finish with three darts, which I think put him under pressure. 

"I think the 90 finish won me the game in the end and it's another two points. To play Michael and beat him is a massive buzz. It's in my own hands and it will be fantastic if I make it into the play-offs. I went up there to enjoy it tonight because I've not got as much pressure on me, and when you're more relaxed you can enjoy it a bit more. 

"I'm not going to take anything for granted and I've got to get ready for Aberdeen because Adrian could play out of his skin."

Three-dart averages
Van Gerwen: 102.99
Taylor: 100.41

SCORING
100+ thrown
Van Gerwen: 11
Taylor: 8
140+ thrown
Van Gerwen: 9
Taylor: 8
180 thrown
Van Gerwen:3
Taylor: 3

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Van Gerwen: N/A (Highest: 41)
Taylor: N/A (Highest 96)

Checkout percentage
Van Gerwen: 25% (3/12)
Taylor: 50% (7/14)

Premier League Darts 2017 Table

MVG (Q) P 15 W 9 D 4 L 2 LegD +29 Pts 22
Wright (Q) P 15 W 9 D 3 L 3 LegD +24 Pts 21
Anderson (Q) P 15 W 7 D 4 L 4 LegD +15 Pts 18
Taylor P 15 W 7 D 3 L 5 LegD +5 Pts 17
Chisnall P 15 W 6 D 3 L 6 LegD -5 Pts 15
RVB P 15 W 6 D 2 L 7 LegD -4 Pts 14
Lewis P 15 W 6 D 1 L 8 LegD -12 Pts 13
Wade P 15 W 5 D 2 L 8 LegD -14 Pts 12
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 14: Statistics

Three-dart averages
Dave Chisnall: 109.36
Michael van Gerwen: 102.99
Raymond van Barneveld: 100.65
Peter Wright: 100.53
Phil Taylor: 100.41
Gary Anderson: 94.32
Adrian Lewis: 92.8
James Wade: 87.35

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

Checkouts over 100
Dave Chisnall: 142

Checkout percentages
Phil Taylor:  50% (7/14)
Peter Wright: 41.18% (7/17)
Dave Chisnall: 38.89% (7/18)
Raymond van Barneveld: 35.71% (5/14)
Gary Anderson:  28% (7/25)
Michael van Gerwen:  25% (3/12)
Adrian Lewis: 22.22% (2/9)
James Wade:  17.65% (3/17) 

Next week's fixtures

Night 15, Thursday May 11
GE Oil & Gas Arena, Aberdeen
TV Coverage: Sky Sports 1 (1900 GMT)
Dave Chisnall v James Wade
Phil Taylor v Adrian Lewis
Peter Wright v Raymond van Barneveld
Michael van Gerwen v Gary Anderson
Tickets: SOLD OUT 

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