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The following article was written and graciously submitted by Phill Catterick, a freelance writer based in Staffordshire. Phill may be contacted by email.

The Whyte and Mackay Premier League Darts circuit travels to Coventry and the Ricoh Arena this week for the third round of fixtures, with Mervyn King and Phil Taylor sitting pretty at the top of the table separated only by leg difference.

The Whyte and Mackay Premier League Darts circuit travels to Coventry and the Ricoh Arena this week for the third round of fixtures, with Mervyn King and Phil Taylor sitting pretty at the top of the table separated only by leg difference.

The competition provided some terrific entertainment last week, most notably the 160 checkout which earnt Wayne Mardle a vital point over Terry `The Bull` Jenkins, and John Part earning an unlikely 7-7 draw from Raymond Van Barneveld.

This week’s matches possibly provide the best in the competition to date, and with every player having now picked up points; it will be very difficult to predict who will come out on top in this week’s encounters.

At the moment, the only two players really hitting form at the right times are King and Taylor. Both had convincing wins in the first two weeks, and will be hoping for more of the same this time around.

There are also a few players with a bit to prove this Thursday with Jelle Klaasen, Raymond Van Barneveld and James Wade all needing results after disappointing displays in Scotland last time out.

Klaasen will want to bounce back after a dismal display against the World Champion which regularly saw him missing the trebles at every visit. It was quite strange therefore to see him hit two maximums during the commercial break, but with Taylor murdering the 60, Jelle was unable to get his confidence back and went down 8-2.

The match between Barneveld and Part was a very strange one to say the least. Every leg went with throw, and it seemed that both players were aiming for a draw with neither looking threatening without the darts in hand. Part especially showed no signs of a breakthrough whenever the Dutchman threw first, and was happy to just win his own legs. If he does that this week, then he may have a better chance of claiming his first win.

And James Wade is performing well below what he is capable of. My four players to go through at the start of the tournament were Taylor, Barney, Wade and Klaasen, but unless James gets his act together quickly, he may even be fighting off the dreaded wooden spoon. He will find it very tough this week as he takes on Raymond Van Barneveld.

 

Fixture Predictions:

Well last week surprised me somewhat with Mardle coming back strong against Jenkins, and Barney’s failure to overcome John Part.

With the bunch being so close, any player would consider this week as a great chance to put two points on the board and put their nerves to one side as the league gathers pace.
Once again, I have outlined the fixtures below and how I see each one panning out.

Terry Jenkins v Phil Taylor

Jenkins comes into this match unlucky not to have more points on the board after Wayne Mardle’s 160 checkout in the final leg last week means he comes into this match having not recorded a victory. In contrast, Taylor has won both his matches in somewhat comfortable fashion, dropping just the 6 legs.

Terry however is a consistent performer and will be feared by all, particularly on his doubles on which he can be lethal at times. And he’s going to need to be on Thursday night if he’s going to get anything from the game.

Phil didn’t play well for the first half of his match last week, and Jelle didn’t take advantage (he and his fans will be hoping that will be his worst performance of the competition). Jenkins will have to be in a position to pounce if Taylor has a slow start once again.

Although Jenkins is tough to beat, Taylor has to be the favourite considering his form and I think he will maintain his 100% record.

Jenkins 6-8 Taylor

James Wade v Raymond Van Barneveld

Well, I gave James half a chance last week against `The King`, but on current form I really don’t see him getting anything against Barneveld, who will certainly be out to prove a point after gathering just one point from his first two matches.

Wade will need to score well to have half a chance, but Barney is so strong on his own throw and because of this I think one break will be enough.

Raymond has to be stronger against the throw though. Against both Taylor and Part he was poor, and Wade won’t need more than one chance if he’s let in.

However I think the Dutchman will have enough in the locker to record his first win.

Wade 5-8 Barneveld

Mervyn King v John Part

For all you Canadian readers, I apologise that I have written off your man in the previous two weeks by some distance, but to his credit he has proved me very wrong and produced some solid darts, focusing on his own throw to earn some crucial points.

Last week against Barneveld, although far from sensational, he was certainly disciplined and focused, and made sure he won his own legs, and then hoped to pressure Barney when he had the darts.

Unfortunately for him he couldn’t, but he will almost treat a point as if it were a win, and goes into this game with a lot of confidence.

However, King is on fire right now and has dropped just 2 legs of darts which is in itself quite an achievement, and he will be looking to keep Taylor at bay with another victory in Coventry.

I apologise again to the fans of John Part, as again I don’t see him getting anything from this one due to King’s tournament average and the fact he is hitting the trebles with constant regularity.

King 8-5 Part

Jelle Klaasen v Wayne Mardle

And last on stage will be two men who each have a point to their name in this year’s league, and a win would certainly be welcome by either player.

Mardle comes into the match after a thrilling finale against `The Bull`, and Jelle failed to produce against Taylor, so although form and confidence is in Wayne’s favour, I see Jelle picking up a point from this match.

However, he will need to cut out silly errors like the one he made last week. Instead of hitting the fat 12, he hit a 9 which meant he didn’t have a shot at double top. Although Wayne is likely to give you more chances than Phil, Jelle needs to slow up at times and make sure he’s calm and collected.

I can’t choose between these two, so I’m going for a draw.

Klaasen 7-7 Mardle

With the tournament already in Week three, the players will be looking at this fixture and hoping that a win will kick start their campaign, and give them the best possible chance of reaching the play-offs.

However, with Mervyn ahead on leg difference presently, has Taylor, or anyone else for that matter got what it takes to remove `the King` from his temporary throne?

 

 

 

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