Premier League Darts 2017 Results: Phil Taylor Saves Playoff Hopes with Win
Phil Taylor beat Michael van Gerwen 7-3 to keep his play-off hopes alive in the 2017 Premier League Darts at Sheffield on Thursday. The Power hasn't qualified yet, but Gary Anderson has made it after beating James Wade 7-3 at the Sheffield Arena.
Meanwhile, Dave Chisnall also remains in the play-off mix after overcoming Raymond van Barneveld, but Adrian Lewis' chances look bleak after he was thrashed by Peter Wright.
Here are the final scores from Sheffield's matches:
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| Player | Score | Player |
| Peter Wright | 7-2 | Adrian Lewis |
| Raymond van Barneveld | 5-7 | Dave Chisnall |
| James Wade | 3-7 | Gary Anderson |
| Michael van Gerwen | 3-7 | Phil Taylor |
Here's what those results mean for the standings:
| Position | Player | Won | Drawn | Lost | Legs | Points |
| 1 | Michael van Gerwen (Q) | 9 | 4 | 2 | +29 | 22 |
| 2 | Peter Wright (Q) | 9 | 3 | 3 | +24 | 21 |
| 3 | Gary Anderson (Q) | 7 | 4 | 4 | +15 | 18 |
| 4 | Phil Taylor | 7 | 3 | 5 | +5 | 17 |
| 5 | Dave Chisnall | 6 | 3 | 6 | -5 | 15 |
| 6 | Raymond van Barneveld | 6 | 2 | 7 | -4 | 14 |
| 7 | Adrian Lewis | 6 | 1 | 8 | -12 | 13 |
| 8 | James Wade | 5 | 2 | 8 | -13 | 12 |
Here is the updated schedule:
| Date | Event | Venue |
| Thursday, May 11 | Night 15 | GE Oil&Gas Arena, Aberdeen |
| Thursday, May 18 | Finals Night | The 02, London |
Recap
The night's marquee clash proved to be a one-sided affair after Taylor broke throw in the first leg by hitting double-10. A narrow lead soon became a healthy one, as the Power battled back from 2-1 down to go 4-2 in front.
MVG was missing too many on doubles, and a point was all he could hope for after Taylor found double-six. Van Gerwen fought back, with a maximum helping cut the gap to three.
However, the Power didn't waste his chance when throwing for the match. He took out double-16 at the second attempt to seal the win.
Taylor set a quality average from the oche, per Live Darts:
The same source noted how Van Gerwen had wasted his chances at doubles:
Anderson raced into a 4-1 lead over Wade after twice breaking throw. The Flying Scotsman increased his advantage when he landed double-10.
A brief Wade fightback was ended when Anderson again found his range on doubles, this time taking out double-12 to lead 6-3. Anderson soon wrapped things up to guarantee a play-off place.
PDC Darts broke down the numbers:
Plaudits rightly belong to Chisnall after he avoided defeat for a sixth straight match by edging out Van Barneveld in a 7-5 thriller. In the process, Chisnall kept his play-off chances alive.
Yet things didn't start well for Chisnall, who lost the first leg to RVB despite hitting a pair of maximums. Tops soon gave Van Barneveld a 2-1 lead, before Chisnall pulled ahead at 4-2.
Not to be easily outdone, Barney battled back, twice checking out on 25 to even the score. Chisnall soon reclaimed the initiative at 6-4, thanks largely to another 180.
Finding double-eight kept Van Barneveld in it, but a 64 checkout eventually gave Chisnall the win.
PDC Darts summed up Chisnall's remarkable recent upturn in form:
Earlier, Wright was in dominant form against Lewis, with Jackpot only getting as close as 2-2 after taking out tops early on. However, Wright was too good on doubles and soon forged ahead, per Live Darts:
Snakebite's overall average was also impressive:
Wright ended Lewis' play-off chances but has now set his sights on Van Gerwen at the top:
MVG looks a little more vulnerable after the way Taylor swept him aside. Those at the top will know the Power isn't ready to quietly mark time before retirement; he's still a serious contender to win this league.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
