2335: Looks like I may have spoken too soon.

Taylor, who has just completed his match with Mick McGowan, wasn't happy with one member of the crowd during his 4-1 victory.

The world champ was fuming at someone to the right of the board and exchanged words (better not say which ones here) with the person in question. Perhaps his popularity isn't as universal as I may have been suggesting earlier, although having one detractor isn't exactly a major surprise.

Anyway, that incident had little effect. Having looked shocked at losing the opening set, The Power moved through the gears and produced some fine darts to down the Irishman who played well but still had no answer.

Taylor has looked in fine touch in his two matches so far and it's still very hard to see anyone stopping him winning a 14th world title on New Year's Day.

2230: It's just taken the best part of the opening leg for the crowd to calm down after Phil Taylor's entrance for his clash with Mick McGowan.

A chorus of 'there's only one Phil Taylor' begs the question what makes the world champion so popular?

So many people or teams who dominate like Taylor does have been hated over the years. Take Manchester United in football, Stephen Hendry in snooker.

Their domination has been down to a superb ability, but it's also, in many eyes, made the sport in question boring.

Well, Taylor's won 13 world titles in only a few more years, yet he's still loved on tonight's evidence.

We can only conclude that it's his down-to-earth personality. He's the man from the pub and success doesn't seem to have gone to his head.

Many feel McGowan can test 'The Power' tonight, after all he beat him in Holland recently. We're about to find out...

2030: Blimey! What an epic. Alan Tabern has just booked his place in the last 16 after more than two hours on stage against Denis 'The Heat' Ovens.

The match went all the way to a deciding 'shoot-out' leg at 5-5 in the final set.

Ovens had earlier missed two darts at double top to win the match, but perhaps his biggest disappointment at the moment will be his narrow miss at the perfect 'nine-darter'.

Having landed with his first eight darts, Ovens missed double 12 by millimetres and with it went the chance of being the first man ever to record the feat at the Circus Tavern.

That lengthy encounter has really got the crowd buzzing - a couple more final-setters and you get the feeling the Tavern's beer sales could hit record levels.

Andy Hamilton and Mark Dudbridge have just made their way to the stage - to the tune of MC Hammer's U Can't Touch This and Queen's Flash's Theme (from the Flash Gordon film). Surely that's the best musical entry we've here so far this year!