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Magic doubles from the Wizard
Taylor beats Wade, Whitlock killer doubles  beat Barney

Simon Whitlock produced a near-flawless display of finishing to beat Raymond van Barneveld 8-5 in Belfast, while Phil Taylor battered James Wade to take a two-point lead in the Premier League table.

Ronnie Baxter and Terry Jenkins both got off the mark with a first win of the season as Mervyn King’s unbeaten start was ended and Adrian Lewis was grounded after last week’s marvellous showing.

Australian star Whitlock again got the better of Barney in a rematch of their World Championship semi-final, with the ‘Wizard of Oz’ hitting eight out of his nine attempts at a double.

Outshots of 130 and 140 fired Whitlock to 7-3 in front and Barney needed a 12-darter just to stay in touch, but there was no respite and with his next chance Whitlock sealed his first win in the Premier League.

“It’s getting better every week for me now, it felt fantastic,” Whitlock told Sky Sports 1 after the game. “It’s unbelievable here, you can’t even hear yourself think and the crowd are awesome – it’s what darts is all about.” The Power’s revenge

Taylor avenged his defeat in Belfast last year against Wade by thumping the defending champion 8-2 with a 104.5 average against a well below-par left-hander.

The only two men to have won the Premier League should have served up a classic but it was one-way traffic from the start, with three 180s in the first three legs firing Taylor into a 3-0 lead.

Wade’s only high point came as he took out 128 on the Bull just to go into the break 4-2 down, but he did not get a sniff after the restart with ‘The Power’ rattling off four legs on the spin.

“I’m beginning to feel myself again now,” said the 15-time world champion. “This virus is nearly gone and I’ve had a good week of practice this week.

“With James, I know its three losses in three games but the Premier League is a long tournament and James is good enough to turn it around and I’m sure it will come for him.”

Terry ‘The Bull’ Jenkins still unbeaten

Terry Jenkins remains unbeaten after he edged out Adrian Lewis 8-6 in a high-quality contest with 11 maximum 180s in the 14 legs played.

Jenkins came from behind to draw his opening two matches, but it was almost a role reversal as he let a 7-4 lead slip before summoning up an 11-darter to see off the Lewis revival.

“I’ve done the opposite of the last two weeks,” said Jenkins. “I got off to a good start and went to sleep in the second half of the game. When you’re in front you see the winning line too early and possibly go to sleep.”

Ronnie Baxter also grabbed his first win of the season as he ended Mervyn King’s unbeaten start to the campaign with an 8-6 success.

‘The Rocket’, who blew a 4-0 lead to lose to Taylor last week, hit finishes of 100 and 112, before thrilling the Belfast crowd by sealing his victory with a brilliant 164 outshot in the final leg.

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