Barney cruised into the top 8 of the world matchplay at Blackpool last night, the score line of 13-5 reflected the throwing power of the former world champion, Tabern did not have an answer, and must be pleased he managed to take 5 legs away from the Dutch ace, I sat with Raymond at the Unicorn luanch last week and we spoke about the way he was playing and his attitude,I told him to stop beating himself up, relax and play the game at his own pace, I believe he took it on board, he looks like he is enjoying playing agains, the smooth throw is back, he will be a hard player to beat in this tournament. Wayne Jones pulled of a great win over Lancashires favourite player Ronnie Baxter, the 13-9 score line could have been higher but for missed doubles by Jones,62 scores of over 100 was the telling difference between the two players, and Baxter could not complain about his exit.

Phil Taylor made his entrance at the World Matchplay in Blackpool last night, and he instantly set the standard, a Tournament record 114 per throw, his opponent Barry Bates hung in there for 10 legs, but then Taylor went into overdrive reeling off 5 winning legs in a row, a remarkable performance from the champion, the question is not who will beat him, but who will come close? Kevin Painter produced the biggest come back of the tournament, and probably the biggest for a long time, he was 9-2 down to Colin Lloyd and looked to be going out, then he found a winning streak that demorolised Lloyd stringing together 9 winning legs to take the match 11-9, Lloyd was left wondering how he could have lost, and why he could not win the one leg needed to take him through. Walsh v Dudridge was anything but classy, it was poor at times by professional standards, but that happens now and again and shows the players are human, can be off form, the match see sawed to 10-10, then Walsh managed to win the 2 legs that won the tie.

The World Matchplay at the winter Gardens, Blackpool, is enjoying record crowds for the biggest event of the year at the seaside resort, 3000 people at every session provide great support and atmosphere for the players, and they in turn are not letting anyone down. Garry Anderson produced the first whitewash of the tournament when he beat fellow Scott robert Thornton 10-0, not nice for Thornton,especialy when the beating comes from one of your close friends, but Anderson summed it up when he said "I had a job to do, and I did it well" Andersons success came from clinical finishing, something that has let him down on many occassions. Simon Whitlock beat Lancashires Tony Eccles by 10 legs to 1, Whitlock has a bout of the flu, and it looked like he was determined to get to his bed in quick style. surprise of the night, Jenkins went down 10 legs to 4 to Steve Brown, Brown's finishing wa superb, going out on: 116. 127 and 149.

The World Matchplay is off to a great start, the ton eighty's are flying in, and Barney hit the first of what could be a few 9 dart legs, the standard of play seems to be almost level by all players, everyone is waiting for Taylor to begin his campaign, then, and only then will the players know the level of play they must reach, if they are going to take his title away. The predictions from Bristow/Lowe are almost par, Bristow secured all 4 results on Saturday night to Lowe's 2, Sunday produced just 1 win for Bristow, Lowe gaining 2, so it's Bristow 5 Lowe 4.