Taylor powers into quarters

14 April 2012

Defending champion Phil Taylor outplayed his great rival Raymond van Barneveld to clinch a place in the quarter-finals of the Skybet World Grand Prix in Dublin.

"The Power", chasing his seventh Grand Prix title, had a point to prove after suffering back-to-back defeats against the Dutchman in televised events.

And he was able to raise his game when it mattered most, closing out an impressive 3-1 victory at the Citywest Hotel.

Taylor, 46, will next face Roland Scholten after he overcame 1996 Embassy world champion Steve Beaton earlier in the evening.

Both players took time to settle but it was Taylor who gained the upper hand, winning six of the first eight legs to open up a two-set lead.

However, Van Barneveld averaged almost 102 during the next four legs to reduce the deficit.

He also produced a brilliant 120 checkout under pressure to save the fourth set - but Taylor scored heavily in the next leg to wrap up victory.

"What a great player Raymond is - it was a tough game," said Taylor.

"The next few years (on the Professional Darts Corporation circuit) are going to be brilliant."

Taylor believed it was important that he started well against Van Barneveld.

"I put him under pressure from the very beginning," he said. "The first set was crucial and then when I went 2-0 up, I thought, 'I'm not going to lose now'.

"But he kept hitting the right shots at the right time - he just gets better under pressure.

"I remembered the double top I missed at Bolton (against Van Barneveld at the Budweiser UK Open) and I thought 'don't miss now', and I didn't."

Looking ahead to his clash with Scholten, the 2004 UK Open champion, Taylor said: "Roland is a very consistent player. He's a very good player and I'm looking forward to playing him."

Scholten, this year's Premier League runner-up, made it through despite struggling with a neck problem.

The Dutchman overcame a slow start to inflict a 3-1 defeat on Beaton, who had to qualify for this tournament.

After the opening two sets were shared, Beaton moved into the driving set by winning the next two legs.

However, Scholten rediscovered his form and reeled off six straight legs to wrap up victory.

"I didn't feel comfortable from the first leg onwards - I've not felt right the last two days," admitted Scholten afterwards.

"I'm just pleased that I won in the end. Steve battled all the way through and never gave up."

Rising star James Wade will take on veteran Dennis Priestley for a place in the semi-finals tomorrow night.

Priestley held off a spirited fightback by Adrian Lewis to clinch a 3-2 victory, while Wade overcame "Rocket" Ronnie Baxter 3-0.

Wade, who came of age during his run to the final of the Stan James World Matchplay back in July, dropped just four legs on his way to victory.

The 23-year-old from Aldershot edged a tight opening set with a ton-plus finish, and he won three of the next four legs to extend his advantage.

Baxter checked out on 119 at the start of the third set - but it proved to be his last success of the night as Wade ran away with the next three legs.

"Ronnie didn't really turn up tonight so, fortunately for me, it was easier than it should have been," said Wade, who became a full-time professional in the summer.

"The double-start format makes so much difference. It's never been a favourite tournament of mine so I'm just happy to have made it through."

Priestley checked out on 144 and 117 in the final set of his match against Lewis, and said afterwards: "I am absolutely delighted because Adrian's a really good player.

"For a young lad he doesn't give in, and that's a great sign from an up and coming darts player."

Looking ahead to his clash with left-hander Wade, the "Mexborough Menace" added: "It promises to be another cracking game."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT