Champions League of Darts 2016: Scores, Results, Updated Schedule After Saturday

Phil Taylor thrashed Michael van Gerwen to provide the highlight of the first day of the 2016 Champions League of Darts. Taylor beat the world No. 1, 10-4, in the evening session to cap off a perfect start to the tournament on Saturday.

Gary Anderson was also 2-0 as the world champion reaffirmed his credentials to challenge Taylor and Van Gerwen at the top.

Here are the full results after Saturday:

Group	Player	Score	Player
B	Gary Anderson	10-5	Michael Smith
B	Adrian Lewis	3-10	James Wade
A	Phil Taylor	10-5	Peter Wright
A	Michael van Gerwen	10-5	Robert Thornton

Group	Player	Score	Player
B	Adrian Lewis	10-8	Michael Smith
B	Gary Anderson	10-7	James Wade
A	Michael van Gerwen	4-10	Phil Taylor
A	Peter Wright	10-6	Robert Thornton

Here's what the standings for each group look like after Saturday, along with Sunday's matches, courtesy of BBC Sport:

Recap

Taylor dismantled MVG in stunning fashion during the evening session. The Power proved to be particularly effective at breaking the Dutchman's throw.

BBC Sport detailed the run of breaks that helped Taylor seize a big lead before intermission:

The same source wondered whether Van Gerwen would respond to his first-half struggles in an emphatic way, just as he had against Robert Thornton in the afternoon session:

But the fightback never came, as Taylor soon broke throw again. Van Gerwen couldn't finish, particularly having trouble hitting doubles. But there was nothing wrong with Taylor's finishing.

The Power hit a 138 checkout to make it 9-4 and move to within one leg of a memorable win. He followed that by closing things out with a 167 for an emphatic victory.

Naturally, Van Gerwen lamented his failings at the oche, pulling no punches about his drab display, per Live Darts:

Van Gerwen will need to beat Peter Wright to move on to the semi-final stage. Snakebite withstood a furious comeback from Thornton before securing a 10-6 win.

Wright led 7-2 before Thornton reduced the deficit to 7-5. But success on doubles helped Wright regain control.

He hit double 10 to hold throw and move three legs in front. Finally, a double-eight effort saw Wright get his first win of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Taylor was joined by Anderson as the only players to enjoy a perfect day. The Scot beat Michael Smith in the afternoon before surviving a war of attrition against James Wade in the evening.

Wade fell two legs behind early but refused to buckle. The Machine evened things at two apiece before Anderson reasserted himself to win the next five legs.

A double-20 effort followed by a 164 checkout got Wade back to within three. However, Anderson took out double nine to move four in front. But it was just 9-7 after Anderson squandered numerous match darts.

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Eventually, Anderson regained his nerve and hit double seven to finally see Wade off and make it maximum points for the day. Yet the world champion knows he needs to play better if he's going to maintain his winning run.

Wade lost in the evening, but he should take heart from his strong effort. He'll also have gained confidence from his earlier emphatic win over Adrian Lewis.

Jackpot managed to win only three legs against an in-the-groove Wade. Still, it was 3-3 before the Machine turned on the style.

A 161 checkout put him four ahead before 40 on tops made it 9-3. In the end, Wade had set a terrific scoring pace:

Wade made a statement against Lewis and made life difficult for Anderson. But the marker was laid down by Taylor.

He offered a firm reminder that he's still good enough to dominate the sport, even in the winter of his career.

All scoring and match information, per PDC.tv.