PHIL TAYLOR returned to top form in condemning reigning Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts champion James Wade to a third successive defeat this season with an 8-2 triumph in Belfast.
Wade's slow start to the 2010 season continued with another below-par display, as he failed to match Taylor's impressive scoring as the World Champion piled in six maximums and a 104 average.
Taylor's display saw him warm up in style for a clash against old rival Raymond van Barneveld in Exeter next week and show that he is approaching his best after overcoming a recent virus.
Opening scores of 140 and 180 from Taylor helped him to the first leg before he hit another maximum and double 16 to break Wade immediately.
He hit another 180 in the third, as double 16 put him 3-0 up, before Wade punished four missed doubles in the next to get off the mark on double ten.
Wade kicked off the fifth with a maximum of his own, but Taylor took out 71 to regain his three-leg cushion.
Wade produced his best leg of the game with a 12-darter in pulling back to 4-2, hitting a 180 which he followed up in style with a 128 bullseye checkout.
Taylor, though, found another gear after the break to leave Wade trailing, hitting 180s in successive legs in taking a 6-2 lead, double eight for a seventh leg and then tops to wrap up a comprehensive triumph.
"
I'm over the moon to have won three from three," said unbeaten Taylor. "I'm enjoying it and feel like I'm getting back to my best after the virus I had at the start of the season.
"I'm not 100 percent yet but James didn't play as well as he can and at times I was waiting for him to kick in.
I played steady and where I was hitting 90-odd averages I'm getting up now to 100-odd averages."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment