STARS GEAR UP FOR 888.com PREMIER LEAGUE DARTS^ OPENING NIGHT

THE 888.com Premier League Darts season begins at London^s O2 Arena on Thursday night, with the four games including reigning champion Phil Taylor taking on World Champion Adrian Lewis.

The first of 14 league nights held in arenas across the UK will see the eight stars do battle in front of 10,000 fans in the capital, with the action being screened live on Sky Sports 3D.

2009 champion James Wade will meet debutant Mark Webster in the first of four games on the night, before another Premier League newcomer takes to the stage, as World Championship finalist Gary Anderson meets Australian Simon Whitlock.

Five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld plays Terry Jenkins in the third game, before Stoke rivals Taylor and Lewis take to the stage in an eagerly-awaited clash.

"I^m really excited about the new season and to play Adrian in front of such a massive crowd is a great way to start," said Taylor, who ended a six-month gap without a major title by taking victory in last weekend^s Players Championship Finals.

"Adrian did brilliantly to win the World Championship and he^s probably still on a high from that, and I^m looking forward to playing him.

"I love the Premier League format and it^s my intention to keep hold of the trophy in May - but I know the other seven players are after me and it^s a great challenge."

Taylor created history in winning last year^s Premier League Darts by hitting two nine-dart finishes in the final against Wade, and he said: "That was possibly the most special moment of my career.

"It would be fantastic to do that again and hopefully during the course of the Premier League I^ll be back in that form. I^ve changed darts recently but am working hard and winning the Players Championship Finals was a boost."

Lewis had won his first televised game against Taylor in the World Grand Prix last October, and said: "I love playing Phil and can^t wait for Thursday.

"It^s one of the biggest nights of my career but it^s only the first of 14 weeks where we^re trying to get into the play-offs. I^ve been practising well and need to take that on stage against Phil."

Welshman Webster was rewarded for his form over the past 18 months with one of the Wildcards for the £410,000 event, having reached the last two World Championship semi-finals and led Wales to the World Cup of Darts final in December.

"The first night has been edging closer and closer and I^m really looking forward to it," said the 27-year-old from Denbigh. "It^s 14 weeks of quality darts, I hope, and I think it will be really good for my game.

"I^ve watched it every year for the past seven years and feel so lucky to be involved this year, and I^m going to relish the opportunity. It^s going to be new but the first target is to get into the play-offs."

Dutch ace Raymond van Barneveld missed out on the play-offs last season for the first time since he entered the event in 2006, but he hit a nine-darter in Aberdeen amongst three successive wins to end the 2010 campaign on a high.

"I^m in better form," he said. "The World Cup in December, when me and Co Stompe won it, did me a lot of good because if you look back over the last year it wasn^t my best 12 months.

"Last year was the first time I didn^t make the top four in the Premier League. It was really disappointing and that^s the first target - to get in the top four, and then I can dream of winning it."

Scottish star Anderson, 40, enters the Premier League as arguably the sport^s form player after reaching the World Championship final a month ago - where he was defeated by Lewis - and losing 13-12 in Sunday^s final of the Players Championship Finals.

"I^d love to turn those defeats into a win in May but it^s going to be 14 very hard weeks," said Anderson. "I^m delighted to be a part of the Premier League and going up against the best players in the game today will only be good for me."

Over 80,000 tickets have been sold so far for the 888.com Premier League Darts, while each night is screened live on Sky Sports HD, as well as on Sky 3D for Thursday^s opening night at The O2.

Each game is the best of 14 legs, with players earning two league points for a win and one for a draw. The top four players after the 14 league nights will then progress to the play-offs on May 19 at the Wembley Arena to challenge for the £125,000 title.

"This is undoubtedly the greatest line-up of players in the history of the 888.com Premier League Darts," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.

"Last year^s Premier League Darts came to an incredible conclusion in the play-offs with Phil^s nine-darters, and that alone has set the standard for this year^s event.

"All eight of the players will want to hit two, or even three, nine-darters and it promises to be 15 sensational weeks. That view is clearly shared by the fans across the country who will turn up in record numbers to watch the tournament."

Tournament sponsor, 888.com, has introduced an all-new team challenge element to the 888.com Premier League Darts.

The eight players have been drawn into two teams led by Phil Taylor, the captain of Team Blue (888poker.com) and Adrian Lewis, who heads Team Green (888casino.com).

Taylor is joined in Team Blue by Raymond van Barneveld, Gary Anderson and Terry Jenkins, while Lewis is joined in Team Green by James Wade, Simon Whitlock & Mark Webster.

Each team will the season with the total number of league points won by its four players, with fans invited to vote for a forfeit for the losing team at www.888.com.

888.com Premier League Darts
Week One Fixtures
February 10 - The O2, London
Mark Webster v James Wade
Gary Anderson v Simon Whitlock
Raymond van Barneveld v Terry Jenkins
Adrian Lewis v Phil Taylor
Tickets: 0844 856 0202 or www.theo2.co.uk

 

DIALAPHONE LINK UP WITH 888.com PREMIER LEAGUE DARTS

ONLINE mobile phone retailer Dialaphone is proud to announce that they are the new Official Mobile Partner of the 888.com Premier League Darts, which will begin its 2011 season at The O2 in London on Thursday and run for the next 15 weeks.

The partnership will see Dialaphone occupy a prominent position within online and offline promotion of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) tournament, as well as the visibility afforded by a high profile deal of this nature.

The event sponsorship marks the beginning of a number of marketing initiatives within the business to reposition Dialaphone back as a leading mobile phone retailer.

With over 200,000 live spectators attending PDC events each year, brand exposure opportunities for Dialaphone are at a maximum. The highly affluent audience that follow the sport (over 40% of viewers fit in to the ABC1 demographic) coupled with television viewing figures second only to football, means that the events offer high exposure to a highly relevant smartphone user audience.

Dialaphone Online Marketing Manager Adam Cartlidge said: "We^re very proud to be associated with Premier League Darts and this partnership marks a return to prominent exposure for the brand, and arrives in conjunction with a magnitude of marketing initiatives which aim to reposition Dialaphone back at the head on the online mobile phone retailer table.

"The phenomenal success of Premier League Darts and the high profile it occupies in the sporting calendar allows Dialaphone as Official Mobile Partner to gain exposure to the sports new fan base, a fan base which we feel perfectly represents that of the smartphone market.

"Past misconceptions about the darts crowd have now long since diminished, and the new prominence of the affluent information hungry male is now in place.

"These are guys who want the latest technology and gadgets, but are savvy enough to realise the best mobile phone deals are online."

To mark the start of the partnership, Dialaphone will be offering darts fans the opportunity to win five pairs of VIP tickets to the opening night of the Premier League Darts season at The O2 on February 10.

The lucky winners will enjoy a VIP evening including seats next to the players^ walk-on area and special VIP access to a private guest lounge.

Entrants need to come up with a name for the Dialaphone darts team and drop it in the comments - for more information and to enter visit: http://blog.dialaphone.co.uk/2011/02/08/lets-play-daaaarts-win-premier-league-darts-tickets-with-dialaphone/