Van Gerwen in seventh heaven
Dutch star Michael van Gerwen produced some blistering darts in week seven of the Premier League in Cardiff.
- Related Content
The 23-year-old was in unstoppable form as he moved to the top of the table with a 7-1 rout of Gary Anderson.
The 2013 World Championship runner-up won the first leg with a 13-darter before needing just 12 in the next thanks to a 121 checkout featuring a bullseye, treble 13 and double 16.
Van Gerwen then took out 120 to win leg three and produced a second 12-darter to go 4-0 up after opening with a 180 and finishing with a 164 checkout.
The world number three finally cooled off a little and lost the fifth but took the remaining three legs to complete a whirlwind victory.
Van Gerwen, who averaged in excess of 107, told Sky Sports: "Sometimes you have days like this. I'm very glad I had it today against Gary."
Phil Taylor got his campaign back on track with a convincing 7-2 victory over Wes Newton in Cardiff.
The 16-time world champion had lost two matches in succession heading into the contest but was back to somewhere near his best form in Wales.
Taylor took out finishes of 126 and 111 as he thrashed Newton, who is now two points adrift at the bottom of the table with just a fortnight to go until the bottom two are eliminated.
'The Warrior' was on the back foot from the off, slipping 2-0 behind, and did not come close to mounting a comeback as Taylor completed the win with an average of 101.7.
"There was a lot of pressure on me tonight. It's the toughest Premier League there's ever been and I've been worried that I might not even qualify for the top eight in a couple of weeks," Taylor said.
"But Wes let me off a little bit and he didn't play as well as he can, and he's a lot better than he showed tonight."
Raymond van Barneveld lost his place at the top of the table after he was held to a 6-6 draw by James Wade.
The five-time world champion went 3-1 up but thereafter there was never more than one leg between the two players.
In the final leg van Barneveld opted against a shot at the bull despite his opponent being on a 140 finish but escaped when Wade missed his attempt at hitting double top twice.
Van Barneveld is level on points with fellow Dutchman van Gerwen, who has the superior leg difference, while Taylor and Wade round out the top four.
In the evening's opening game Andy Hamilton moved up the table with a 7-4 defeat of Simon Whitlock leaving him with a record of four wins and three losses.
After the first two legs where shared, The Hammer moved into a 4-1 lead after Whitlock missed three darts at a double in the fifth.
The Aussie responded but, looking to level at 5-5, Whitlock missed tops for a 114 finish in the 10th and Hamilton took advantage to win the final two legs for a 7-4 victory.
In match three, Adrian Lewis moved off the bottom of the table with a 7-5 win over Robert Thornton.
Lewis made his move at 4-4 with a superb 155 finish edging him in front and he won the next to ensure at least a draw.
Thornton kept the game alive with a sensational 161 checkout but Lewis hit double five to secure just his second victory of the season.
Click here for completely free £10 bet with Sky Bet & £5 free every week