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Former World No.1 Rod Harrington pulled the balls from the bag to set up a mouth-watering semi at the Mandalay Bay…..and everyone is counting the hours to these two great rivals getting it on again!

Round One was a draw in the Premier League at Bournemouth….Round Two saw Taylor snatch a narrow victory in Doncaster….Round Three went to Barney in that dramatic quarter-final at the UK Open in Bolton…..who will grasp the moment this time?

Taylor of course is bidding to win the Vegas title for a 4th time, while Barneveld is searching for back-to-back majors after his triumph at The Reebok.

John Part’s gamble to be more aggressive in the gambling capital of the world paid rich dividends again, as the Canadian reached the semi-finals in Vegas for the 4th successive year….and he has a great opportunity of reaching the final after being drawn against Lancashire lad Wes Newton in the last four.

His comeback victory over Terry Jenkins was another reminder to the doubters, who have been saying Part’s best days are behind him. He proved once again that he is always a threat in the major tournaments.

Part lost the first set despite hitting three 180s and was also 2-1 behind and one leg away from defeat in the 4th set….but the Unicorn ace showed tremendous battling qualities to see off the talented Terry Jenkins, finally sealing victory with double top in the decider.

The Canadian of course was forced to qualify for the Desert Classic V after slipping out of the world’s top 12 but he has looked impressive all week. This win, coming on the back of fine victories over Ronnie Baxter and Roland Scholten.

Part was delighted with his achievements so far: “That was a great battle and I always believed my experience would carry me through. I have defended my points by reaching the semi-finals and have picked up a few dollars, which will boost my standing in the order of merit. There are two big games to go but this title is now within my sights.”

Can anyone turn off ‘The Power’ at the Mandalay Bay? Dennis Priestley was no match for Taylor, who breezed through their quarter-final 3 sets to nil. “I guess I will have to go away and practice a bit harder!” joked ‘The Menace’ after another Power surge from Mr.Taylor.

He averaged over the 100 mark yet again and dropped only three legs in the match. In fact Priestley produced two ton plus finishes to win legs and averaged nearly 99 in defeat.

Raymond Van Barneveld disposed of Stoke publican Andy Hamilton 3 sets to 1…some revenge for his defeat at the World Matchplay qualifiers.

The enigma that is Chris Mason was as frustrating as ever….flashes of brilliance but the darting demons returned…and just when you thought he could reach a major final, Mason blew it again. But credit to Wes Newton, who held it all together brilliantly to win 3 sets to 2 to reach the semi-finals for the second consecutive year.

But roll on the semi-finals and roll on Taylor against Barney! It should be another classic.

Quarter-final results:

John Part 3-2 Terry Jenkins
Phil Taylor 3-0 Dennis Priestley
Raymond Van Barneveld 3-1 Andy Hamilton
Chris Mason 2-3 Wes Newton

Semi-finals:

Phil Taylor v Raymond Van Barneveld
Wes Newton v John Part

BY STUART PYKE