The Derby man took the seventh leg on double eight to lead for the first time in the game, and three missed doubles at double 14 and double seven in the next allowed Osborne in to extend his lead further on double top, before he landed double ten in the next for victory.

Osborne will take on Phil Taylor in the semis, after the 13-time World Champion overcame Kevin McDine 6-3.

After taking the first leg against the throw, McDine was punished for a missed double top as Taylor levelled and then pulled two legs clear in double-quick time, hitting an 11-darter in leg three and a 164 finish to take the fourth.

McDine punished four missed doubles from Taylor in the next, but Taylor won the next two to move 5-2 up.

A 92 finish saw McDine reduce the arrears, but Taylor sealed the win in style in the next, landing 177, 140 and 140 to reach the finish first and taking out double eight for a 13-darter.

Chris Thompson reached his second Blue Square UK Open Regional Final semi with a 6-3 win over Mark Frost.

Thompson made the last four in Ireland last October, and the York thrower held off Frost's challenge to progress in Wigan.

He opened up a 4-0 lead with some fine darts, breaking the throw immediately and also in leg three before Frost punished a missed double 18 to get off the mark.

Frost, a 12/1 chance at 4-0 down, made the odds compilers sweat by also taking the next two - following a string of misses from Thompson - to pull back to 4-3.

But the Yorkshireman regained his range on double eight, and landed the same bed to book his semi-final berth.

Adrian Lewis won the final last eight contest, edging out Colin Lloyd 6-5 in a thriller.

Lloyd was bidding for a third successive Regional Final win, and matched Lewis blow-for-blow throughout, with all 11 legs eventually going with the throw,

Three of the first seven legs saw both players hit 180s, while a fourth maximum from Lloyd set up a double 18 finish in the eighth as he levelled at four-all.

Lewis took the ninth on double 14 before Lloyd landed another maximum in taking the tenth to send the match into a decider.

A sixth 180 from Lloyd in the decider gave him an early edge only for scores of 125 and 123 to put Lewis on a finish. Lloyd missed the bullseye for a 110 finish, and Lewis stepped in to take out 109 on double 16 for the win.

Semi-Final Round-Up

Phil Taylor romped into the final with a 7-0 whitewash of Colin Osborne, the Stoke legend producing a sensational display to average 110.75 in the game.

He kicked off with back-to-back 13-darters, ending on double 16, before landing in the same bed for a 14-darter and a 3-0 lead without Osborne reaching a double.

Osborne landed two 180s in the next leg, only for one from Taylor in between to set up an 81 finish, which he took out on the bullseye for a 12-darter.

Five missed doubles from Osborne in the next allowed Taylor in to take a 5-0 lead on double eight, and a 14-darter took him to the brink of victory.

Another maximum from Taylor in the next pushed him clear, and he returned to the oche after a missed double 16 from Osborne to seal the win, once more on double 16.

Adrian Lewis came from 2-0 down to book his place in the final with a fine 7-2 defeat of Chris Thompson.

The Yorkshireman made a brilliant start, landing a maximum in breaking Lewis' throw in the opening leg and then hitting double five to double his lead.

Lewis kicked into gear with a maximum in taking the next, and a 171 set up a 135 finish in the next - which he took out on the bullseye, with Thompson waiting on 133, to level.

A 13-darter saw him hit the front at 3-2 and he took the next three to lead 6-2.

Thompson opened the next with a maximum, but a missed double top for a 120 finish allowed Lewis in, and he completed the win on the same bed to progress.

Blue Square UK Open North-West Regional Final

Preliminary Round

Chris Beeston 5-2 Graeme Stoddart

Louis Blundell 5-3 Steve Cusick

Kevin Harris 5-3 Andy Relf

First Round

Paul Cooper 5-4 Matt Chapman

Andy Gourlay 5-2 Brian Whybrow

Lee Holden 5-4 Ian Eames

Gary Barnett 5-3 Sean Dowling

Andy Howarth 5-4 Chris Allen

Mark Stephenson 5-4 Scott Kirchner

Ricky Williams 5-3 Aaron Monk

Chris Beeston 5-4 Bob Crawley

Garry Clamp 5-3 Darren Green

Matt Jackson 5-4 Jimmy Dunlop

Jamie Harvey 5-2 Richard Plowman

Shayne Burgess 5-1 Jonathan Overton

Chris Cooper 5-2 Dan Cook

Stephen Hardy 5-4 Mark Jodrill

Ian Lever 5-4 Jim Young

Robbie Parker 5-1 Sean Whyte

James Barton 5-1 Dean Stewart

Scott Marsh 5-3 Robbie Newland

Robert Watson-Lang 5-3 Danny King

Kelvin Painter 5-1 Karl Loiseau

Peter Edmonds 5-4 Mark Tiller

Peter Wright 5-3 Ian Walters

Pat Orreal 5-1 Brian Jones

Frazer Hill 5-4 Daniel Sare

Richard Foster 5-1 Ian Critchett