2300: This very blog raised concerns about our favourite arrers chuckers and their excessive sweating at last year's tournament and while we labelled it 'sweatwatch' I think they might have been suffering from a condition called Hyperhidrosis.

Yet so far at Ally Pally we have yet to see the tell-tale signs of glistening sweat and ridiculous levels of facial flushing - at least not on the oche anyway.

But in the crowds, the streets of Stoke and in a certain darts tipster's household, Phil Taylor backers were made to sweat from every pore as 'The Power' stumbled his way through to round two.

As young Dutchman Michael van Gerwen missed a double 12 for the match the out-of-sorts Taylor was given a reprieve and he eventually edged through 3-2 in a thriller.

Only day two and the action has already provoked Sid Waddell into 'I don't believe my Geordie eyes' quote. Brilliant stuff!