Phil Taylor now knows he faces a real battle to stay top of the pile and World No.1, as arch rival Raymond Van Barneveld continues to close the gap in the Order of Merit. Barney’s latest triumph at the Las Vegas Desert Classic means the Dutch darting dynamo has now earned nearly £250,000 in competition prize money alone, in just under 18 months in the PDC.
Unicorn’s 13-times World Champion will be pulling out all the stops to retain his World Matchplay crown in Blackpool later this month…..to prove a massive point and to stop Barneveld taking another title on the road to darts historic Grand Slam – winning all five PDC ‘Major’ knock-out events in the same year.
Barney has won three – the World Championship, UK Open and Las Vegas Desert Classic and he has already set his sights on victory in his World Matchplay debut.
Taylor is already preparing for Blackpool…..after his shock Vegas 1st Round defeat at the hands of Mark Dudbridge, ‘The Power’ was in the practice room every day at the Mandalay Bay for at least two hours at a time…..he was clearly angry at losing and is now determined to prove a point…..beware a wounded Phil Taylor!
Colin Lloyd stays 3rd in the World but he faces a huge few months. He is defending big money at Blackpool and Dublin after winning the World Matchplay (£25,000) and losing the final of the World Grand Prix two years ago(£10,000). He is also in danger of missing out on a place in the top six of the world at the end in the Dublin event, which would mean he would miss out on an automatic qualifying spot for the 2008 Premier League.
John Part’s run to the semi-finals in Vegas sees him go from 12th to No.8 in the world but he is defending £12,500 in Blackpool, where he was runner-up in 2005. Prize money in the PDC Order of Merit is defended on a two-year cycle.
Of the other Team Unicorn stars, Peter Manley remains No.4, Adrian Lewis is 7th in the world, Andy Hamilton and James Wade are now No.10 and No.11 respectively and Welshman Barrie Bates is 13th.
Kevin Painter is up to 15, Colin Osborne’s rise continues….The Wizard is now up into the World’s top 20, while Wes Newton is 23rd. Mick McGowan is 27, Bob Anderson 29 and Ray Carver is No.48.
The biggest climber is American Gary Mawson, who reached the quarter-finals in Vegas. He goes from No.251 up to No.76!
The PDC new boys continue to make steady progress…..Vincent van der Voort is 38th, Mervyn King 43rd, Michael Van Gerwen 50th, Tony Eccles is No.70 and Jelle Klaasen No.77.
PDC Order of Merit (after LVDC):
1 – Phil Taylor - £318,308
Other Unicorn rankings:
13 – Barrie Bates - £56,447
BY STUART PYKE
