2006 Premier League Darts

The 2006 Holsten Premier League the second year of the Professional Darts Corporation's popular darts league. The 2006 league was launched with the top six players in the PDC world rankings and the addition of a wildcard player, Raymond van Barneveld who decided to switch from the British Darts Organisation just weeks after reaching their 2006 World Championship final.

Barneveld, a four-times BDO World Champion went on to achieve the perfect nine-dart finish on 23 March against Peter Manley, on the fifth night of the 2006 Premier League at the Bournemouth International Centre. It was the same night that he faced Phil Taylor for the time since his switch, the match ended in a 7-7 draw.

Taylor and Barneveld dominated the league stages, with both players unbeaten against the rest of the league. Taylor came out on top 8-6 in their other meeting in Doncaster.

Given the form of Taylor and Barneveld in the group matches, there was much anticipation of a clash between the two in the final. However, it failed to materialise as Roland Scholten average 104.13 in the semi final to hammer Barneveld (average 91.79) by 11 legs to 3. Phil Taylor averaged 105.03 in his 11-3 semi-final win over Colin Lloyd (average 99.42).

Phil Taylor successfully defended his title by seeing off Scholten in the final by 16 legs to 6. Taylor's average in the final was 101.41 to Scholten's 92.01.

Results

Group Stages

The format had a slight change from 2005. Previously, all twelve legs of a match had to be completed - regardless of whether a winner had already been determined. From 2006, a match would finish when a player reached the 8 legs victory target, unless the match reached 7-7 when the points would be shared and the match drawn.

"Matchday 1 - King George's Hall, Blackburn"
* 16 February 2006 Wayne Mardle v Phil Taylor 6 - 8
* 16 February 2006 Peter Manley v Roland Scholten 4 - 8
* 16 February 2006 Raymond van Barneveld v Ronnie Baxter 8 - 1
* 16 February 2006 Phil Taylor v Colin Lloyd 8 - 1 "Matchday 2 - Seaburn Leisure Centre, Sunderland "
* 23 February 2006 Ronnie Baxter v Roland Scholten 4 - 8
* 23 February 2006 Wayne Mardle v Raymond van Barneveld 4 - 8
* 23 February 2006 Colin Lloyd v Peter Manley 8 - 6
* 23 February 2006 Roland Scholten v Phil Taylor 4 - 8 "Matchday 3 - AECC, Aberdeen"
* 2 March 2006 Colin Lloyd v Ronnie Baxter 3 - 8
* 2 March 2006 Peter Manley v Wayne Mardle 8 - 5
* 2 March 2006 Raymond van Barneveld v Roland Scholten 8 - 3
* 2 March 2006 Ronnie Baxter v Phil Taylor 4 - 8 "Matchday 4 - Wolverhampton Civic"
* 16 March 2006 Phil Taylor v Wayne Mardle 8 - 2
* 16 March 2006 Colin Lloyd v Peter Manley 6 - 8
* 16 March 2006 Ronnie Baxter v Peter Manley 8 - 3
* 16 March 2006 Roland Scholten v Wayne Mardle 8 - 3 "Matchday 5 - Bournemouth International Centre "
* 23 March 2006 Raymond van Barneveld v Peter Manley 8 - 3
* 23 March 2006 Roland Scholten v Ronnie Baxter 7 - 7
* 23 March 2006 Colin Lloyd v Wayne Mardle 7 - 7
* 23 March 2006 Phil Taylor v Raymond van Barneveld 7 - 7 "Matchday 6 - Sands Centre, Carlisle"
* 30 March 2006 Phil Taylor v Peter Manley 8 - 1
* 30 March 2006 Ronnie Baxter v Colin Lloyd 4 - 8
* 30 March 2006 Wayne Mardle v Roland Scholten 7 - 7
* 30 March 2006 Peter Manley v Raymond van Barneveld 3 - 8 "Matchday 7 - Newport Centre"
* 6 April 2006 Roland Scholten v Colin Lloyd 8 - 5
* 6 April 2006 Ronnie Baxter v Wayne Mardle 7 - 7
* 6 April 2006 Peter Manley v Phil Taylor 3 - 8
* 6 April 2006 Raymond van Barneveld v Colin Lloyd 8 - 4 "Matchday 8 - Doncaster Dome"
* 20 April 2006 Phil Taylor v Ronnie Baxter 8 - 5
* 20 April 2006 Colin Lloyd v Roland Scholten 8 - 6
* 20 April 2006 Wayne Mardle v Peter Manley 3 - 8
* 20 April 2006 Raymond van Barneveld v Phil Taylor 6 - 8 "Matchday 9 - Stevenage Arts & Leisure Centre"
* 27 April 2006 Roland Scholten v Peter Manley 6 - 8
* 27 April 2006 Colin Lloyd v Phil Taylor 3 - 8
* 27 April 2006 Wayne Mardle v Ronnie Baxter 8 - 5
* 27 April 2006 Roland Scholten v Raymond van Barneveld 3 - 8 "Matchday 10 - Rivermead Centre, Reading"
* 4 May 2006 Peter Manley v Ronnie Baxter 3 - 8
* 4 May 2006 Raymond van Barneveld v Wayne Mardle 8 - 5
* 4 May 2006 Raymond van Barneveld v Colin Lloyd 8 - 6
* 4 May 2006 Phil Taylor v Roland Scholten 8 - 3
* 4 May 2006 Ronnie Baxter v Raymond van Barneveld 2 - 8
* 4 May 2006 Wayne Mardle v Colin Lloyd 4 - 8

NB: LWAT = Legs Won Against Throw. "Semi Finals, Plymouth Pavilions"
* 29 May 2006 Phil Taylor v Colin Lloyd 11 - 3
* 29 May 2006 Raymond van Barneveld v Roland Scholten 3 - 11"Final"
* 29 May 2006 Phil Taylor v Roland Scholten 16 - 6

Top Match Averages

Darts averages are based on the total number of points scored divided number of darts thrown (multiplied by 3 in this case to give a "3 dart average"). There were 16 matches where a player managed an average in excess of 100 per visit to the board. Phil Taylor achieved this during seven matches, Raymond van Barneveld six times. Roland Scholten, Ronnie Baxter and Peter Manley each averaged over 100 during one match in the competition. [http://www.planetdarts.tv/page/PremierLeagueDetail/0,,10180~785018,00.html]

*107.75 - Phil Taylor v Peter Manley (week 6)
*106.79 - Phil Taylor v Colin Lloyd (week 1)
*105.03 - Phil Taylor v Roland Scholten (final)
*104.75 - Phil Taylor v Raymond van Barneveld (week 8)
*104.35 - Raymond van Barneveld v Ronnie Baxter (week 10)
*104.13 - Roland Scholten v Raymond van Barneveld (semi-final)
*103.44 - Raymond van Barneveld v Wayne Mardle (week 10)
*102.19 - Phil Taylor v Peter Manley (week 7)
*101.33 - Ronnie Baxter v Raymond van Barneveld (week 10, Baxter lost match 2-8)
*101.72 - Raymond van Barneveld v Colin Lloyd (week 7)
*101.05 - Phil Taylor v Ronnie Baxter (week 3)
*101.04 - Raymond van Barneveld v Phil Taylor (week 8, Barneveld lost match 6-8)
*100.88 - Phil Taylor v Raymond van Barneveld (week 5)
*100.69 - Raymond van Barneveld v Peter Manley (week 5)
*100.55 - Raymond van Barneveld v Wayne Mardle (week 2)
*100.35 - Peter Manley v Phil Taylor (week 6, Manley lost match 1-8)