Taylor Aims for Top Spot

Phil Taylor can claim top spot in the Premier League with a win over Simon Whitlock in the Premier League in Glasgow this Thursday evening.

Taylor joined Gary Anderson at the top of the table on eight points after taking two points from the Scotsman last Thursday. The pair had been evenly matched throughout before The Power broke his opponent’s throw in the final leg of the game to win 8-6.

"It's a massive win," said Taylor. "I would have been happy with a draw when we got to the final two legs, especially when he kicked in with a 180 in the final leg.”

Whitlock, meanwhile, was humbled by a resurgent Adrian Lewis, losing 8-2 to the World Champion despite posting a respectable 97.16 three-dart average. The Aussie now has four points from his opening five games.

In a repeat of the 2010 World Championship final Taylor is the 8/13 betting favourite with the bookmakers. Whitlock is 11/4 for the victory and it is 4/1 that the game ends in a 7-7 draw.

Last year’s runner-up James Wade is currently rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table with just one victory from his five fixtures. It was another disappointing performance from the world number four last week as he folded to an 8-2 defeat at the hands of Raymond van Barneveld.

This week he faces the man who began last week’s round of fixtures at the bottom of the table, Terry Jenkins. The Bull bounced back with an 8-4 win over Mark Webster and a near 100 three-dart average last week, reminding fans and fellow competitors that he isn’t in the Premier League just to make up the numbers.

Despite his superior position in the table Jenkins is made the outsider of the pair in the betting and can be backed at odds of 7/4 for the win. Wade is priced at 11/10 and the draw is 7/2.

Both players and pundits reiterate it regularly but this really is an event where any player can beat any other player. As we have seen on numerous occasions already this season.