2155: If Tabern had a hell of a task, what about Darren Webster?

Simply march into the semi-finals by beating Phil Taylor.

Webster is an occasional practice partner of The Power so was unlikely to get the dismissive treatment meted out to mouthy Mason.

But Taylor is a man who has lots of friends off the oche but none on it.

Webster was surely musing that when he stood staring at his darts with the first two sets gone in less than 25 minutes.

He should have won the third set, piling in the 180s but mssing the crucial double - a bit like driving a golf ball 300 yards but three-putting every green.

Taylor drives for show - and also putts for dough and it was quickly 4-0.

Whatever Barney can do, I can do better.

Not quite. Webster's three-dart averages, touching 97 for much of the match, winkled out the fifth set, including an amazing 164 checkout even applauded by Taylor.

Of course, that was the Norfolk thrower last shot at redemption but he left with his ability enhanced and his dignity intact.

2020: St Helens is famous for glass, rugby league and Johnny Vegas.

But he reckoned without Raymond van Barneveld.

The former Dutch postman has somehow acquired the 'van' in recent years and in tonight's quarter-final it was the size of a juggernaut as he mowed down Tabern 5-0.

The stats read like nasty mess in the fast lane of the motorway though Tabern did try his best.

But almost everyone at the Circus Tavern wants to see ex-BDO king Barney play The Power in the final.

So over to you, Taylor.

1805: An epic and draining afternoon comes to an end with a pair of quarter-finals to stir even the most lukewarm of darts fans.

With England's cricketers seemingly unable to battle with their backs to the walls in the embarrassing Ashes series, Andy Jenkins, Colin Osborne, Andy Hamilton and Terry Jenkins showed them how to do it.

Osborne, calmness personified on the oche with an unholy din of yelling, well-lubricated fans all around him, coasted into a 3-1 lead.

Andy Jenkins refused to admit defeat and emerged the stronger in a 5-4 thriller.

The other Jenkins comes from Hereford and is nicknamed 'The Bull'.

At 3-0 down, he could be forgiven for sounding and looking like Flintoff's bedraggled crew.

But he knuckled down, started banging in the 180s and levelled at 3-3.

Paramedics were now on standby in case anyone's heart in the Purfleet crowd failed to cope with the drama.

Hamilton threw off the shock of the ramapaging Bull to prevail 5-4.

The quality of van Barneveld and Taylor are in action tonight.

1000: Phil "The Power" Taylor has a "wet lettuce leaf-like handshake" and it's quite clear very few within the game of darts would miss him if he packed in it.

Last night the greatest champion the sport has ever known sensationally threatened to quit after a heated exchange with Chris Mason ruined his latest convincing victory.

Mason had labelled Taylor a "Bertie Big B******s" in yesterday's papers but it only fuelled the Power to surge to an easy 4-0 triumph before open hostility broke out.

After the match Taylor claimed his opponent swore at both him and the crowd before going on to blast rival players he believes are jealous of his incredible success.

But today Mason's account of events have been revealed and it appears as if he challenged the 13-times champion to a car-park bust-up.

He was quoted in the Sun as saying: "If he wants to sort it out in the car park, I'll see him there because I'm a better man than him.

"I grew up hard, making bog chains. Taylor used to be a big fish in a small pond, now he thinks he is God. It seems to be one rule for him and one for the rest of us."

Excuse me but when did making bog chains make you hard? Then again who am I to argue with a man who spent a year in prison for attacking a scaffolder with a hammer during a row over a dog.

In any case, he's certainly not the better man he claims he is. And judging by the emails we've received, our readers feel the same.

One even said Mason is as "pathetic as his darts" while many others can't be published!

In terms of darts fans, Taylor would be sadly missed by all and I hope he realises that, because it's the most important thing.

Darts could have faded into insignificance without such a supreme champion who is now almost a household name and was even in the running for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

As my colleague Steve Joyce remarked in Thursday night's blog, "when sporting superstars are taken for granted, they end up being missed more when they have gone."