DARTS: Taylor Wins Eddie Cox Memorial Players Championship

PHIL TAYLOR defeated Red Dragon Darts

Taylormade a victorious return to action following his recent Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship triumph to claim the £6,000 title in the first of two Stan James-sponsored events.

Having defeated Mick McGowan, Jelle Klaasen, Andy Smith and Steve Beaton to reach the semi-finals, he edged out Colin Osborne 6-5 to book his place in the decider.

He trailed Tabern 2-1 before levelling on double top and then producing a superb burst of finishing - taking out two-dart checkouts of 97, 88 and 78 to move a leg away from victory.

A 165 score set up a double eight finish in the next leg, which he landed for a 13-darter to seal the win.

Tabern edged out Mark Dudbridge 6-4 in the semis to reach his first PDC Pro Tour final since September, having seen off Henry Zapata, Julio Barbero Gonzalez, Andy Hamilton and Robert Thornton earlier in the competition.

Dudbridge and Osborne both followed up their runs to finals on the PDC Pro Tour in Doncaster last weekend with semi-final appearances in Gibraltar, while Steve Beaton was a quarter-finalist having reached the same stage in both Players Championship events on ^The Rock^ last year.

Kevin Painter, Robert Thornton and Mark Walsh were the other last eight losers, while world number two James Wade went out in the last 16.

Walsh hit his first nine-dart leg in competition in the deciding leg of his 6-5 win over Jamie Caven in round two, earning him a £1,600 bonus.

Colin Lloyd - last Sunday^s Blue Square UK Open North-East Regional Final winner - Mervyn King, Dennis Priestley, Peter Manley and Ronnie Baxter were first round casualties.

Roland Scholten, who has been impaired by a shoulder injury for the last six months, grabbed a 6-0 win over Nicholas Gumbo on his return to action, before losing narrowly to John Quantock.

Play continues on Sunday at the Victoria Stadium with the StanJames.com Players Championship.

Eddie Cox Memorial Players Championship

Preliminary Round

Mick McGowan 6-2 Marti Santamaria

Jelle Klaasen 6-2 Sean Palfrey

Jonathan Overton 6-2 Robbie O^Keefee

Denis Ovens 6-0 Eric Segui

Carlos Rodriguez 6-5 David Fatum

Andy Smith 6-2 Andrew Davies

Javier Costa 6-4 Dayle Ramirez

Louis Blundell 6-3 Kevin Harris

Steve Beaton 6-4 Barrie Bates

Jacko Barry 6-1 Shane Cox

Peter Wright 6-2 David Farras

Wes Newton 6-0 Alan Kimberley

Steve Brown 6-0 Carlos Garbayo

Steve Evans 6-4 Nick Fullwell

Kirk Shepherd 6-4 Par Riihonen

Matt Clark 6-1 Sergio Gil Sanchez

Wayne Atwood 6-1 Jason Clark

Mark Walsh 6-1 Dyson Parody

Jamie Caven 6-1 Jesus Martinez

John MaGowan 6-0 Jon Archer

Wayne Jones 6-4 Dave Honey

Colin Monk 6-4 Chris Cooper

George Federico 6-4 Darren Latham

Alex Roy 6-5 Martyn Turner

Dylan Duo 6-0 Steve Randall

Toni Munoz 6-4 Dave Ladley

Andy Jenkins 6-2 Juan Carlos Garcia

Robert Watson-Lang 6-1 Duncan Stewart

Roland Scholten 6-0 Nicholas Cumbo

John Quantock 6-1 Paul Wills

Robert Thornton 6-1 Ben Burton

Manolo Rodriguez 6-2 Danny Peach

Russell Mason Bye (Alan Caves)

Chris Mason 6-4 Chris Thompson

Steve Hine 6-4 Simon Craven

Henry Zapata 6-1 Stefan Federico

Adrian Gray Bye (Steve Maish)

Julio Barbero Gonzalez 6-3 Jose Villalobos

Darren Johnson 6-1 Tony Ayres

Lionel Sams 6-2 Kevin McDine

Robbie Newland 6-3 Francisco Ruiz

Jim Withers 6-3 Francisco Cruz

Mark Dudbridge 6-0 Anastasia Dobromyslova

Gary Mawson 6-2 Jim Leighton

Justin Broton 6-4 George Ramos

Tony Eccles 6-1 Ian Jopling

Celestino Mendoza 6-0 Nick Chadwick

Kevin Painter 6-0 Steve Grubb

Jose Perales 6-3 Daniel Duran

Michael van Gerwen 6-0 Ian Perkins

Tony Blundell 6-1 Eric Asquez

First Round

Phil Taylor 6-3 Mick McGowan

Jelle Klaasen 6-1 Jonathan Overton

Carlos Rodriguez 6-3 Denis Ovens

Andy Smith 6-0 Javier Costa

Louis Blundell 6-3 Colin Lloyd

Steve Beaton 6-1 Jacko Barry

Peter Wright 6-2 Dennis Priestley

Wes Newton 6-2 Steve Brown

Adrian Lewis 6-3 Steve Evans

Kirk Shepherd 6-5 Matt Clark

Wayne Atwood 6-2 Peter Manley

Mark Walsh 6-5 Jamie Caven

John MaGowan 6-3 Mervyn King

Wayne Jones 6-2 Colin Monk

Colin Osborne 6-3 George Federico

Dylan Duo 6-5 Alex Roy

James Wade 6-0 Toni Munoz

Robert Watson-Lang 6-4 Andy Jenkins

John Quantock 6-5 Roland Scholten

Robert Thornton 6-3 Manolo Rodriguez

Andy Hamilton 6-1 Russell Mason

Steve Hine 6-3 Chris Mason

Alan Tabern 6-1 Henry Zapata

Julio Barbero Gonzalez 6-5 Adrian Gray

Darren Johnson 6-1 Wayne Mardle

Lionel Sams 6-2 Robbie Newland

Jim Withers 6-5 Ronnie Baxter

Mark Dudbridge 6-3 Gary Mawson

Terry Jenkins 6-0 Justin Broton

Tony Eccles 6-0 Celestino Mendoza

Kevin Painter 6-3 Jose Perales

Michael van Gerwen 6-0 Tony Blundell

Losers £200

Second Round

Phil Taylor 6-1 Jelle Klaasen

Andy Smith 6-5 Carlos Rodriguez

Steve Beaton 6-1 Louis Blundell

Peter Wright 6-4 Wes Newton

Adrian Lewis 6-2 Kirk Shepherd

Mark Walsh 6-0 Wayne Atwood

Wayne Jones 6-0 John MaGowan

Colin Osborne 6-2 Dylan Duo

James Wade 6-3 Robert Watson-Lang

Robert Thornton 6-4 John Quantock

Andy Hamilton 6-5 Steve Hine

Alan Tabern 6-0 Julio Barbero Gonzalez

Lionel Sams 6-0 Darren Johnson

Mark Dudbridge 6-1 Jim Withers

Terry Jenkins 6-2 Tony Eccles

Kevin Painter 6-5 Michael van Gerwen

Losers £300

Third Round

Phil Taylor 6-3 Andy Smith

Steve Beaton 6-3 Peter Wright

Mark Walsh 6-4 Adrian Lewis

Colin Osborne 6-4 Wayne Jones

Robert Thornton 6-4 James Wade

Alan Tabern 6-4 Andy Hamilton

Mark Dudbridge 6-2 Lionel Sams

Kevin Painter 6-3 Terry Jenkins

Losers £400

Quarter-Finals

Phil Taylor 6-2 Steve Beaton

Colin Osborne 6-4 Mark Walsh

Alan Tabern 6-2 Robert Thornton

Mark Dudbridge 6-3 Kevin Painter

Losers £800

Semi-Finals

Phil Taylor 6-5 Colin Osborne

Alan Tabern 6-4 Mark Dudbridge

Losers £1,500

Final

Phil Taylor 6-2 Alan Tabern

Winner £6,000

Runner-Up £3,000

News Updates

Preliminary Round

Denis Ovens is the first winner of the day, whitewashing qualifier Eric Segui.

World Championship qualifiers Steve Grubb and Tony Ayres are knocked out, by Kevin Painter and Darren Johnson respectively.

Mick McGowan wins 6-2 against qualifier Marti Santamaria.

Wayne Atwood sees off Jason Clark 6-1, and John MaGowan whitewashes Jon Archer.

Peter Wright defeats qualifier David Farras 6-2, with Louis Blundell overcoming Kevin Harris 6-3.

Roland Scholten makes a winning return to action with whitewash of Nicholas Cumbo.

Steve Evans sees off Nick Fullwell, and Chris Mason defeats Chris Thompson 6-4.

Henry Zapata defeats Stefan Federico 6-1 to set up clash with Alan Tabern.

Justin Broton is 6-4 winner against George Ramos.

Qualifier Toni Munoz defeats Dave Ladley 6-4, and Darren Latham loses by the same scoreline to George Federico.

Mark Walsh takes 6-1 win over Dyson Parody, and Jelle Klaasen is 6-2 winner against Sean Palfrey.

Lionel Sams defeats Kevin McDine 6-2.

Mark Dudbridge - the runner-up in last Saturday^s Players Championship - whitewashes Anastasia Dobromyslova.

Spanish ace Carlos Rodriguez edges out David Fatum 6-5, and Alex Roy is another deciding-leg winner, against Martyn Turner.

Steve Beaton knocks out Barrie Bates 6-4, with Wayne Jones seeing off Dave Honey by the same score.

Steve Brown and Michael van Gerwen enjoy 6-0 wins against Carlos Garbayo and Ian Perkins respectively.

Robert Thornton takes 6-1 win against Ben Burton.

Andy Smith, Kirk Shepherd, Colin Monk and Jacko Barry all take opening victories.

Matt Clark wins 6-1 against Sergio Gil Sanchez.

First Round

Andy Hamilton is first man into last 32 with 6-1 win over Russell Mason.

Wayne Atwood defeats Peter Manley 6-2.

Colin Lloyd and Dennis Priestley are defeated, losing 6-3 and 6-2 respectively to Louis Blundell and Peter Wright.

Alan Tabern is 6-1 winner against Henry Zapata.

Jim Withers knocks out Ronnie Baxter in a deciding leg.

John MaGowan defeats Mervyn King 6-3.

Phil Taylor returns to action with 6-3 win over Mick McGowan in his first competitive game since the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship final.

James Wade is 6-0 winner against Toni Munoz.

Colin Osborne, Terry Jenkins and Steve Hine progress to last 32.

Mark Walsh hits nine-darter to win deciding leg of his clash with Jamie Caven, earning him a £1,600 bonus.

Steve Beaton wins 6-1 against Jacko Barry, and now meets Louis Blundell in second round.

Wes Newton is 6-2 winner against Steve Brown.

Gibraltar

Adrian Lewis, Wayne Jones, Mark Dudbridge and Lionel Sams all progress.

Wins for Kevin Painter and Michael van Gerwen mean they meet in last 32.

Robert Watson-Lang defeats Andy Jenkins 6-4, setting up a double 16 game shot with a 174 score in the tenth leg.

Kirk Shepherd edges past Matt Clark.

Robert Thornton completes first round action with 6-3 win over Manolo Rodriguez.

Second Round

Andy Hamilton edges past Steve Hine in a deciding leg to move into last 16.

Steve Beaton moves into third round with 6-1 win over Louis Blundell.

Phil Taylor is another 6-1 winner, this time seeing off Jelle Klaasen.

Mark Walsh follows up his earlier nine-darter with whitewash win over Wayne Jones.

Lionel Sams whitewashes Darren Johnson.

Wayne Jones is another whitewash winner, this time against John MaGowan.

Peter Wright defeats Wes Newton 6-4 to reach last 16, where he meets Steve Beaton.

Terry Jenkins wins 6-2 against Tony Eccles to move into third round.

Kevin Painter wins deciding leg battle with Michael van Gerwen.

Alan Tabern whitewashes Julio Balbero Gonzalez.

Adrian Lewis and Colin Osborne progress with 6-2 wins over Kirk Shepherd and Dylan Duo respectively.

Mark Dudbridge wins 6-1 against Jim Withers.

James Wade moves through to last 16 with 6-3 win over Robert Watson-Lang.

Andy Smith wins deciding leg against Carlos Rodriguez, who came from 5-1 down to level before losing 6-5.

Robert Thornton wins 6-4 against John Quantock to move into last 16.

Third Round

Steve Beaton progresses to quarter-finals with 6-3 win over Peter Wright.

Mark Dudbridge and Kevin Painter set up quarter-final clash with wins over Lionel Sams and Terry Jenkins.

Mark Walsh moves into last eight with 6-4 win over Adrian Lewis.

Colin Osborne overcomes Wayne Jones 6-4 and now meets Walsh.

Alan Tabern wins 6-4 against Andy Hamilton.

Phil Taylor overcomes Andy Smith 6-3 to book his quarter-final spot, against Beaton.

Robert Thornton produces two superb legs to pull from 4-4 to win 6-4 against James Wade, hitting seven perfect darts in a ten-darter to break the deadlock before landing two more maximums in his winning leg.

Quarter-Finals

Mark Dudbridge remains on course for a second successive Players Championship final following a 6-3 defeat of Kevin Painter.

Colin Osborne - last week^s Blue Square UK Open North-East Regional Final runner-up - wins semi-final place with 6-4 defeat of Mark Walsh.

Phil Taylor books his semi-final spot with a win over Steve Beaton - who was also a quarter-finalist in both tournaments in Gibraltar last year.

Alan Tabern ends Robert Thornton^s run with a 6-2 quarter-final victory, meaning he now meets Dudbridge in the last four.

Semi-Finals

Phil Taylor won a tight deciding leg battle with Colin Osborne 6-5.

Taylor

Osborne won the next two, only for Taylor to start the next two legs with 180s and finish in 14 and 11 darts to lead 3-2.

The two traded maximums in leg six, only for five missed doubles to cost Taylor as Osborne levelled.

An 11-darter from Taylor, which included a fourth 180 in as many legs, put him 4-3 up - with Osborne waiting on 81 after hitting three 140s.

Double 16 saw Osborne level, and the next two were shared to send the game into a decider, which Taylor began with a maximum and finished on double two to move into the final.

Alan Tabern denied Mark Dudbridge a second successive Players Championship final appearance with a 6-4 win in the second semi.

Tabern punished a slow start from Dudbridge to take the first two legs, on double six and double eight, before two double top finishes saw the Bristol man level.

A 161 checkout saw Tabern move 3-2 up, before the next four legs were shared to leave him a leg away from victory, which was sealed thanks to a fine 12-darter.