Photos-World Matchplay(2)

World Matchplay

World Championship Finalist Andy Hamilton saw off Brendan Dolan in round one

Ian White beat Vincent van der Voort to reach round two

Phil Taylor had a tough test in the opening round…

… but The Power was able to overcome Mervyn King

 

James Hubbard faced Wes Newton on his birthday, but was beaten by the world number five (from skysports)

World Matchplay(1)

World Matchplay

Andy Smith was the first man through to the second round after beating Paul Nicholson

Terry Jenkins produced a stunning comeback win to defeat Kim Huybrechts

Adrian Lewis cruised into round two by beating Robert Thornton 10-0

James Wade claimed an early 10-5 win over Richie Burnett

Michael van Gerwen stunned Simon Whitlock 10-6 in the opening round

Taylor sees off Wade

Taylor sees off Wade

Fifth straight win and a £100,000 jackpot for 'The Power'

Phil Taylor: sealed victory on double 10 to cap a match-winning 13-dart leg (from skysports)

Phil Taylor lifted the Betfair World Matchplay title for a 13th time after clinching an 18-15 victory over James Wade in a high-quality final in Blackpool.

Wade hit back from 15-11 down as the contest looked set to go to the wire at 15-14, but the imperious Taylor won three of the next four legs to claim his fifth straight win and a £100,000 jackpot.

Taylor was unable to pull away from the left-hander over the first half of a tense contest, moving three legs clear for the first time at 10-7 only for Wade to break twice and level.

The 15-time world champion continued to back up heavy scoring with superb accuracy on double 16 as he won the next four legs before Wade stopped the rot.

Taylor restored his four leg advantage, but Wade responded with consecutive checkouts of 112 and 114 before hitting double six to trim the deficit to one.

But he then missed double 10 for a 140 checkout and Taylor held his nerve to hit double 16 to go 16-14 up.

 

Wade took out 76 in the next leg, but Taylor held his throw on double top before sealing victory on double 10 to cap a match-winning 13-dart leg.  

Newton out despite nine-darter

Newton out despite nine-darter

Hamilton, Pipe, Taylor and Baxter secure quarter-final places

Wes Newton: Recorded a nine-dart finish and still lost to Justin Pipe (from skysports)

Wes Newton recorded a nine-dart finish against Justin Pipe at the World Matchplay on Thursday night and still suffered a 13-10 defeat.

Fleetwood's Newton delighted a capacity crowd at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool with a nine-darter for the second successive night, following Michael van Gerwen in achieving a perfect leg.

With the scores tied at five-all, the world number five hit 180 and 177 to start the 11th leg of the game, and finished 144 on double 12 to land his first televised nine-dart finish.

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2012 World Matchplay: Day Seven

July 27, 2012 1:00pm

Newton went on to move into a 10-8 lead, only for rising star Pipe to win five successive legs and win through to his first major quarter-final, where he will play Ronnie Baxter on Friday.

Taylor win

Phil Taylor was short of his best despite cruising into the quarter-finals with a 13-3 crushing of Ian White.

The defending champion, bidding for his 13th title in this event, needed only a three-dart average of 91.71 to see off his Stoke rival.

White had made a solid start and stayed in touch in the early stages, trailing 3-2 at the first break.

But Taylor overcame his inconsistent scoring to win 10 of the next 11 legs, although there were flashes of brilliance en route to booking a clash with Andy Hamilton.

Results:

A Hamilton 13-6 M Webster
J Pipe 13-10 W Newton
P Taylor 13-3 I White
R Baxter 13-8 D Winstanley

The world number one was on course for the third nine-dart leg in two days when he opened the ninth leg with 180 and 174 only to miss the treble 20 with his seventh dart.

He atoned with a superb 170 checkout in the 13th leg before sealing an emphatic victory on double top.

Hamilton, Baxter progress

Earlier, Stoke's Andy Hamilton won through to the quarter-finals for a second successive year in Blackpool with a 13-6 win over Mark Webster, winning the final seven legs without reply after breaking a six-all deadlock.

And in the final match of the last 16, Ronnie Baxter continued his recent good form with a 13-8 victory over Dean Winstanley, who failed to reproduce the darts that ousted Gary Anderson.

Winstanley landed nine 180s and nailed a 10-darter to win the 19th leg, but Baxter finished the evening off in style as he took out 116.

Van Gerwen hits nine-darter

Van Gerwen hits nine-darter

Perfect night for Dutch thrower as Beaton goes home a beaten man

Michael van Gerwen: followed two 180s with a 141 finish in ninth leg (from skysports)

Dutchman Michael van Gerwen landed a nine-dart finish on his way to a 13-9 victory over Steve Beaton in the second round of the Betfair World Matchplay in Blackpool.

The 23-year-old hit two 180s in the ninth leg and followed them up with a 141 finish to send the Winter Gardens crowd wild.

That gave Van Gerwen a 5-4 lead but the match was a close-fought affair in the early stages and it was deadlocked at 6-6 after 12 legs despite four further ton-plus finishes from the Dutchman.

But Van Gerwen then took command and reeled off four successive legs to open up a 10-6 advantage only for Beaton to keep his hopes alive by winning the next two legs.

However, the former world champion was unable to make any further inroads and Van Gerwen wrapped up the victory, finishing with an average of 104.36 - the highest of the tournament so far.

"It feels great," said Van Gerwen. "It means so much for me and I'm very happy - I exploded into the game after the nine-darter.

 

"It was a very good game and Steve played well too. To win the game with a 104 average and a nine-darter is brilliant."  

Winstanley stuns Anderson

Winstanley stuns Anderson

Scot dumped out despite taking 5-0 lead in first-round contest

Dean Winstanley: Came back from 5-0 down to beat Gary Anderson (from skysports)

Dean Winstanley fought back from a 5-0 deficit to claim a 13-11 win over Gary Anderson in the first round of the World Matchplay.

World number four Anderson, who has been battling an eye problem recently, looked to be sailing into the second round as Winstanley struggled on double top in the opening stages in Blackpool.

But the PDC rookie fought back in dramatic style and finally closed things out after an extra five legs were needed to determine a winner.

"I'll never give in, at 5-0 down I stopped on that stage and said, 'there's no way you're going out (like that). There's no way he's taking 10 off you like that, no chance'. I just dug in," Winstanley told Sky Sports after his comeback.

"I was mad with myself because my doubles let me down on two of the legs, but Gary was the better player in the first five.

"I don't know what feeling I've got, I just feel overwhelmed. I'm so happy it's unbelievable."

After his torrid start, Winstanley got off the mark with a 127 checkout that finished on the bull and also took the next leg before Anderson hit back with seven straight trebles to raise hopes of a nine-darter.

Lead

He could not complete the perfect finish but still stretched his lead out to four legs, but Winstanley then stunned the Scotsman by winning the next six legs.

An erratic Anderson eventually fought back by winning the next three, but was denied the win when Winstanley amazingly took out 96 on the bull despite hardly being able to see the bed.

The two then traded legs until Winstanley claimed the crucial break with a 13-darter to make it 12-11, and held his nerve to complete victory in the next leg.

Winstanley will face 1998 runner-up Ronnie Baxter in the second round after he secured a 10-7 victory over Dave Chisnall.

Chisnall hit a maximum 170 checkout in the fourth leg but was otherwise outscored by Baxter, who comfortably wrapped up the win by hitting double 11.

Earlier on Tuesday evening, Wes Newton spoiled the party for birthday boy James Hubbard as he claimed a 10-5 victory at the Winter Gardens.

 

Justin Pipe also progressed to the second round with a comfortable 10-4 victory over Joe Cullen.

Wade safely past Burnett

Wade safely past Burnett

'Machine' sets up second round date with Walsh

James Wade: Safely over first hurdle at Winter Gardens (from skysports)

James Wade made an impressive start to his quest for a second Betfair World Matchplay title with a 10-5 win over Richie Burnett at the Winter Gardens on Sunday night.

First round scores:

J Wade 10-6 R Burnett
M Walsh 10-8 C Osborne
K Painter 6-10 S Beaton
S Whitlock 6-10 M van Gerwen

The number three seed Wade, who won the 2007 World Matchplay in a run of reaching the final four times in the last six years, blew in-form Burnett away with a storming start which the Welshman never recovered from.

Wade won eight of the first nine legs before a late rally from Burnett at least added some respectability to the scoreline.

'The Machine' will face Mark Walsh in the second round on Wednesday after 'Walshy' battled back to defeat Colin Osborne 10-8 in the opening match of the night.

Osborne looked set to kick-start his bid to push back towards the world's top 16 when he took a 6-3 lead - only to see Walsh hit back to level at seven-all.

Although Osborne moved 8-7 up, he missed a crucial dart in the next and Walsh levelled before taking the next two to progress into the last 16.

Also on Sunday, Steve Beaton recovered from a slow start to defeat Kevin Painter 10-6 and move into the second round.

The former World Champion was punished for missed doubles early in the contest as Painter took an early 3-1 lead - only to win five successive legs to turn the game in his favour before completing the win.

 

Michael Van Gerwen rounded off the evening with a stunning 10-6 victory over Simon Whitlock.

Lewis whitewashes Thornton

Lewis whitewashes Thornton

Whitewash for world champ and thrilling comeback for the Bull

Adrian Lewis: Whitewash by the world champion (from skysports)

World champion Adrian Lewis made a flying start to the World Matchplay with a 10-0 whitewash of Robert Thornton, while Terry Jenkins made a miraculous comeback to stun Kim Huybrechts 11-9.

Lewis may be a two-time world champion but he is yet to reach the final in Blackpool, but he will be a hard man to beat at the Winter Gardens if he continues the form who showed in his opening match.

Scotsman Thornton has been in top form himself after taking the UK Open title last month, and he started well as he kicked off the game with a maximum 180.

However, that was as good as it got for the Scot as Lewis broke on double 12 in the first leg and then hit two 180s in a 12-darter to take leg two before finishing 81.

Lewis averaged over 100 and stuck in a 126 checkout with the game already won to show he was gunning for the eventual whitewash.

First round scores:

A Smith 10-6 P Nicholson
T Jenkins 11-9 K Huybrechts
A Lewis 10-0 R Thornton
R van Barneveld 10- M Smith

Tough draw

"I knew it was in a tough draw with Rob who's high in confidence after winning the UK Open but I hit him early and he just couldn't recover from that," said Lewis.

"As soon as I got to seven legs I knew I could win it 10-0, and I'm happy with it. I think i can improve on that and I'll try to do that against Andy Smith on Wednesday night."

Two-time Matchplay runner-up Terry Jenkins looked like making a third first-round exit in a row as he trailed Belgian star Kim Huybrechts 9-5 to sit on the verge of defeat.

However, Jenkins held his nerve when Huybrechts failed to convert his chances and the pressure seemed to really get to him.

Jenkins hit a Shanghai 120 checkout with Huybrechts waiting on a double to save himself, and then took the next two legs to move within one at 9-8.

The next leg was a nerve-jangler as both men missed doubles before Jenkins nailed his next chance to level at 9-9, and with Huybrechts still reeling he could not compose himself enough to get back into the contest and The Bull won a thriller 11-9.

Andy 'The Pie Man' Smith finally tasted Blackpool victory for the first time in seven attempts at the Winter Gardens following a 10-6 victory over Paul Nicholson.

The Asset was amongst the more fancied players for the title but he just could not find his top game when it was needed as he suffered a disappointing exit.

Raymond van Barneveld made ni mistake in his opening match of the tournament as he beat Michael Smith comfortably 10-4.

World Matchplay 2012Winner Tournament Winner: Adrian Lewis 6/1

Anderson hoping to compete

Anderson hoping to compete

World number four believes he will recover from injury in time

Gary Anderson: Hopeful of being fit for next week's World Matchplay (from skysports)

Gary Anderson remains hopeful of being fit to play in next week's World Matchplay tournament at Blackpool's Winter Gardens.

The Scot pulled out of the recent German Darts Championship after struggling to focus through his left eye, missing the subsequent Players Championships in Crawley and the European Darts Open in Dusseldorf.

The 41-year-old has been undergoing treatment and specialists hope he can recover without needing an operation on the tear duct in his eye.

"I'm still taking eye drops and will keep doing so until the problem clears up, and I'll hopefully be fine for the World Matchplay." --Gary Anderson

Recovery

"It's been a hard time but hopefully I'm on the road to recovery," said Anderson.

"My eyeball was drying up and every time I blinked it was like I was rubbing sandpaper over my eye.

"I'm still taking eye drops and will keep doing so until the problem clears up, and I'll hopefully be fine for the World Matchplay.

"I'd been struggling to focus with my left eye previously - and I block my right eye with my dart when I throw - but I'm getting back into my practice now and looking forward to getting to Blackpool."

Mentor

Anderson will have an added incentive at this year's World Matchplay following the qualification of Michael Smith, who the former Premier League Darts champion has managed for the past 18 months.

Smith, 21, has continued his emergence this year by winning a second Players Championship title in January, and will play Raymond van Barneveld in the first round at the Winter Gardens.

"Michael's done well this year and I'm pleased that he's qualified," added Anderson, who is also mentoring another youngster, Adam Hunt.

"He's still finding his feet on the big stage and learning how to play in front of the television cameras, but if he settles down early in his match he has a great chance.

"He'll certainly give Raymond a hard game - I know how well he can play, and if he can produce that form on stage it would be no surprise if he wins."

 

Gary AndersonSpecials Stage of Elimination: Quarter Final 11/2

Newton eyes 'favourite' event

Newton eyes 'favourite' event

World number five aiming to impress on home soil

Wes Newton: looking forward to competing in his 'favourite' event (from skysports)

Wes Newton is looking forward to competing in his 'favourite' event at next week's World Matchplay in Blackpool.

It is the home tournament for the 34-year-old as he lives eight miles up the Fylde coast from Winter Gardens.

Although the world's number five has not enjoyed great success in Blackpool, he loves the party atmosphere of the event.

Newton reached the quarter-finals last year after wins over Andy Smith and Justin Pipe only to lose to a red-hot Phil Taylor.

"I've always gone to watch it since I was a kid, and even though I've not had my best results there it is my favourite." ——Wes Newton

Favourite

"It is my favourite event, with it being my home tournament," said Newton. "I've always gone to watch it since I was a kid, and even though I've not had my best results there it is my favourite.

"It's a bit of a party atmosphere. There's a lot of holidaymakers in Blackpool in the summer as well as the darts fans, and they're all enjoying themselves.

"It's a very scenic arena. It's not very long but it's wide so the crowd are right on top of you, which adds to the atmosphere.

"The best feeling I've experienced was being called out the first time I qualified for the World Matchplay in 2006. You always wonder what it would be like and it was really good.

"I've got a lot of family and friends who come and support me - it's hard to get tickets for them all sometimes! I get a lot of support so it would be nice to have a good run this year."

Improvement

Newton raced into a three-leg lead against Taylor only to claim one of the next 16 legs, something that left the local favourite in shock.

Newton added on Taylor: "I was 4-1 up and he won nine legs in a row and 15 of the next 16 in total - I was shell-shocked!

"If we played again it would be in the semi-finals in Blackpool, which would be an improvement on last year.

"I'll just take each game as it comes because I've got a lot of hard work to do before I can think of the semi-finals or Phil."

 

Wes Newton v JamesHubbard Correct Score: 10-5 Wes Newton 6/1

Taylor turns up the heat

Taylor turns up the heat

World number one eases past Ronnie Baxter in Bolton

Phil Taylor: Very impressive against Baxter (pic Lawrence Lustig, from skysports)

Phil Taylor averaged 110 as he overwhelmed Ronnie Baxter 9-4 to move into the quarter-finals of the Speedy Services UK Open.

The four-time champion followed up wins over Roland Scholten and Colin Osborne with his best display of the event so far, hitting seven 180s.

Baxter played his part in an entertaining contest, hitting six maximums and a 156 checkout, and joined Taylor in hitting six perfect darts in one leg only for both players to miss out on a possible nine-darter.

Taylor, who opened the game with a 149 checkout, was pegged back from 2-0 up to two-all before winning six successive legs to lead 8-2, and although Baxter rallied the Stoke great pushed into the quarter-finals.

"Ronnie's back to his best and he pushed me hard," said Taylor. "It was a good battle and the only thing missing was a nine-darter.

 

"It was a better performance from me and I'm improving in each round, and that's good going into Sunday because it's a tough day with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, so I'll be ready for it now."

Power surges into semis

Power surges into semis

Chisnall, Ovens and Thornton also into the last four

Phil Taylor: Overcame Terry Jenkins 10-5 to seal his place in the last four (from skysports)

Phil Taylor remains on course to win his fifth UK Open title after he eased past Terry Jenkins to book his place in the semi-finals.

The 15-time world champion is looking to reclaim the crown he lost to James wade last year and looks very much like the man to beat as he cruised into the last four with a 10-5 success at the Reebok Arena in Bolton.

He was always in charge against Jenkins and stretched into a 4-1 lead at the first interval.

'The Bull' did take out 78 clinch the next and get back within two, but Taylor again pulled away, producing a stunning 125 check-out that included two bulls to open a 6-3 lead.

Jenkins was still within three at 8-5, but Taylor duly reeled off two legs on the trot to seal victory, finishing with a three-dart average of 106.5.

Ovens next for Taylor

Taylor will now play Denis Ovens in the semis, Ovens beating Jamie Caven 10-6 in the last match of the afternoon.

Like Taylor, Dave Chisnall was also a 10-5 victor as he knocked out five-time world champion Raymond Van Barneveld.

Chisnall started like a house on fire and broke his opponent three times as raced into a 5-0 lead at the interval.

Van Barneveld hit back after the break and, having closed to 5-3, had darts to get back within one, only to miss and allow Chisnall to pull three clear again by hitting double-12.

Having edged 8-5 ahead, Chisnall then took out 54 and 66 to win the final two legs and secure his progress.

In the afternoon's first match, Scotland's Robert Thornton edged a tight encounter as he dumped out world number five, and last year's finalist, Wes Newton 10-8.

Barney seals Euro crown

Barney seals Euro crown

Dutch ace beats Chisnall 6-4 to claim European Darts Open title

Raymond van Barneveld: Beat Dave Chisnall 6-4 to win in Dusseldorf. Picture credit - Carsten Arlt, PDC Europe (from skysports)

Raymond van Barneveld saw off the challenge of Dave Chisnall to claim the European Darts Open crown on Sunday night.

The Dutchman took the £15,000 first prize at the Maritim Hotel in Dusseldorf in the third of the PDC's European Tour events, following up his earlier wins over Ian White and Brendan Dolan with victories against Gino Vos, James Wade, Richie Burnett and Chisnall.

After defeating young Dutchman Vos 6-2 in Sunday afternoon's third round, van Barneveld repeated the scoreline in the quarter-finals as he came from 2-0 down to defeat world No.3 Wade by winning six successive legs.

Van Barneveld then defeated former world champion Burnett 6-4 in the semis, and won the final against Chisnall by the same scoreline.

He hit a 136-checkout in taking an early 3-1 lead and landed four 180s in the game before sealing victory in style with an 11-dart finish.

Big achievement

The Dutch ace said: "I'm really pleased and happy that I won this tournament. This is a big achievement for me.

"Dave is really playing well at the moment and I'm so happy. I said in January that I was going to play in every tournament and see what happens, and so far I'm doing really well.

"I believe that since I've invested more in myself this year I've got more out of it.

"It seems so long ago for me since I won a 'major' tournament and for me this was a major because you had a big crowd and fantastic players.

"I'm going to go away now and practice every day for the next two weeks building up to the World Matchplay, and hopefully I can do well there."

Chisnall's run saw him reach a second successive European Tour final, with the St Helens thrower following up his loss to Phil Taylor in the German Darts Championship final in Berlin a fortnight ago by reaching the Dusseldorf decider.

He defeated Mark Dudbridge 6-2 in the third round before seeing off Simon Whitlock in a deciding leg in the quarter-finals, and then overcame Mervyn King 6-3 in the semis as he took home £7,500.

Brilliant

Burnett rolled back the years with some brilliant performances in Dusseldorf, defeating youngsters Michael van Gerwen and James Hubbard on Sunday to win through to the semis, where he picked up £5,000 prize money.

King's run to the semis included victories against Steve Beaton and Colin Osborne on Sunday, as he defeated the latter in the quarter-finals with a 105 average, and he moves back up to 18th in the PDC Order of Merit following the tournament.

PDC Unicorn world youth champion Hubbard's achievement in reaching the quarter-finals also saw him claim a qualifying place in the Betfair World Matchplay, as he defeated Mark Walsh in the third round on Sunday afternoon.

Osborne also secured a Blackpool spot in the final tournament before the qualifying cut-off, and he was joined in losing at the quarter-final stage by Wade and Whitlock.

The next European Tour event will be held in Sindelfingen, Stuttgart, from September 7-9.

Thornton wins UK Open

Thornton wins UK Open

'Power' pays the price for missing his doubles

Robert Thornton: hit a 121 finish to win the match (from skysports)

Scotland's Robert Thornton shocked Phil Taylor 11-5 in the final of the Speedy Services UK Open in Bolton to win his first major title. 

The 15-time world champion was attempting to win his fifth UK Open title but he had no answers to the rampant Scotsman in a one-sided final.

Taylor led 2-0 in the best-of-21 leg final but the wheels came off his challenge in the third leg as he missed 10 darts at a double and Thornton hit double one to get on the board.

The Stoke veteran steadied the ship to lead 3-2, but from there on it was almost all one-way traffic.

Thornton hit double top to break and lead 4-3, then took out 106 to lead 5-3. That quickly became 9-3 as Taylor continued to wobble on the finishes as Thornton took ruthless advantage.

Taylor did manage to win the 13th leg but Thornton continued to hold with ease and at 10-5 he hit a 121 checkout with a bullseye finish to take the title.

He also wins £40,000 and a place in the Grand Slam of Darts.

Proud

"I'm very proud," Thornton told Sky Sports. "My kids are going to be up jumping all over the place.

"To just get to the final, I was happy enough. To win it... it's just unbelievable."

Taylor added: "He caned me to be honest with you, and I think he deserved it."

Earlier, Taylor had wasted little time seeing off Denis Ovens in the semi-finals.

Taylor raced into a 7-0 lead and although Ovens briefly rallied, he closed out the match 10-2.

Thornton's semi against Dave Chisnall was a closer affair as the match went with the darts for the first five legs.

But Thornton moved 5-2 ahead and never looked likely to be caught, eventually winning 10-4. 

Brum joy for Baxter

Brum joy for Baxter

Blackpool ace wins ranking title in the Midlands

Birmingham finalists Adrian Lewis and Ronnie Baxter (pic PDC, from skysports.com)

Ronnie Baxter defeated world Champion Adrian Lewis to win his first ranking title for 10 months in Saturday's Players Championship in Birmingham.

The Blackpool ace claimed the £6,000 first prize in the tournament at the NIA Community Hall with a brilliant display in the final, taking a 6-3 win over Lewis in a heavy-scoring contest.

Baxter showed strong form throughout the event in wins over Steve Grubb, Dennis Smith, Joe Cullen, James Hubbard and Peter Hudson to reach the semi-finals, where he hit back from 4-1 down to defeat Wes Newton.

Baxter could have taken a 6-4 win only to miss his chance to win the game as Newton forced a decider, before the world number five missed two darts for victory himself in the final leg as his local rival prevailed.

Baxter then raced into a 3-0 lead against Lewis in the final, aided by back-to-back 13-dart finishes before Lewis traded 180s with the Blackpool star to win the fourth in the same manner.

Lewis also hit a 180 in leg five, but missed the bull and two darts at double eight to hit back as Baxter finished double ten to lead 4-1.

Lewis produced a superb 11-darter to win his second leg, but another miss on the bullseye allowed Baxter to follow up another 180 with a third-dart double five to move a leg away from the win.

The pair also traded maximums in the eighth leg as Lewis produced a 14-darter to keep the match alive, but Baxter's sixth 180 of the game pushed him clear in the next before he landed double ten for victory.

Baxter finished the final with an average of 100.55, hitting six 180s plus a 174 and a 171, while Lewis hit four maximums and averaged 105.79.

The win could prove vital for Baxter in his bid to qualify via the ProTour Order of Merit for next month's World Matchplay in his home town, cementing his place amongst the 16 qualifying positions.

Lewis' run saw him reach the final of a ProTour event for the first time since March 2011, as he earned £3,000 prize money on the day.

Taylor to face King in opener

Taylor to face King in opener

Defending champion set for Blackpool

Phil Taylor: Will face Mervyn King (from skysports.com)

Phil Taylor will begin his bid for a record-equalling fifth successive Betfair World Matchplay title, and a 13th victory in total in the Blackpool event, against Mervyn King later this month. 

Taylor, who has been the champion of the £400,000 event for the past four years, will be bidding to equal his unbeaten run from 2000-4 when he returns to the Winter Gardens.

Although King has dropped out of the world's top 16 this year, the Norfolk thrower reached the semi-finals of the European Darts Open event in Dusseldorf on Sunday night to show his return to top form.

James Wade, the 2007 winner who lost 18-8 to Taylor in last year's final, will play resurgent Welshman Richie Burnett in the first round.

Colin Lloyd - the 2005 champion who is the only other previous winner in the 32-man field - takes on ninth seed Mark Webster.

World champion Adrian Lewis, the No.2 seed, has drawn recent UK Open champion Robert Thornton in the first round, while world No.4 Gary Anderson plays PDC newcomer Dean Winstanley.

Wes Newton, the No.5 seed, drew emerging teenage star James Hubbard in the first round after the world youth champion qualified by reaching the quarter-finals of the European Darts Open - an achievement which left him in tears of joy on the Dusseldorf stage.

First round draw and tournament bracket

Adrian Lewis (2) v Robert Thornton
Paul Nicholson (15) v Andy Smith
Raymond van Barneveld (7) v Michael Smith
Terry Jenkins (10) v Kim Huybrechts
Simon Whitlock (6) v Michael van Gerwen
Kevin Painter (11) v Steve Beaton
James Wade (3) v Richie Burnett
Mark Walsh (14) v Colin Osborne
Phil Taylor (1) v Mervyn King
Vincent van der Voort (16) v Ian White
Andy Hamilton (8) v Brendan Dolan
Mark Webster (9) v Colin Lloyd
Wes Newton (5) v James Hubbard
Justin Pipe (12) v Joe Cullen
Gary Anderson (4) v Dean Winstanley
Dave Chisnall (13) v Ronnie Baxter 

Taylor triumphs in Germany

Taylor triumphs in Germany

'Power' averages almost 107 to overcome Chisnall in final

Phil Taylor defeated Dave Chisnall 6-2 to win his first European Tour event at the German Darts Championship, hitting seven 180s in the final at the Tempodrom in Berlin. 

The world number one followed up impressive victories over Colin Lloyd, Raymond van Barneveld and Wes Newton by gaining revenge over Chisnall for his defeat in the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship.

Taylor had also been defeated by the St Helens man in a Players Championship final in Reading earlier this year, but never looked like suffering a third loss with a vintage display in the final.

Taylor opened the decider with a 180 in a 12-darter, and after Chisnall levelled in 14 darts he posted an 11-darter and tops to lead 3-1.

Chisnall won the fifth leg on double ten, despite a maximum from Taylor, before the Stoke great hit the same bed to win his fourth leg, finished a 14-darter to lead 5-2 and landed his seventh maximum in the next as he set up tops for victory.

"I'm delighted to have won this," said Taylor, who ended the game with a 106.82 average to Chisnall's 100.60.

"Dave's played some great darts throughout the weekend so I knew I'd have to be at my best in the final and it's great to win. It's a fantastic way to set myself up for the World Matchplay."

Phil Taylor celebrates (pic: Carsten Arlt, PDC Europe, from skysports.com)