PHIL TAYLOR kept alive his incredible unbeaten record in the Holsten Premier League Darts to complete a double over Raymond van Barneveld with an 8-5 triumph.
The 13-time World Champion has now completed three league seasons of the Premier League without a defeat, and remains on course for a treble of title wins going into the play-offs on 28 May.
He will meet Dennis Priestley in the semi-finals in Brighton, but gained a vital psychological edge over van Barneveld should they meet in the final.
"It's been another great night and it was a fantastic game," said Taylor. "I got into the lead but Raymond kept plugging away.
"Sometimes he's best when his back is against the wall and I'm sure he'll be back. It's always a pleasure playing him."
On his semi-final against Priestley, Taylor added: "It will be another tough game. He's a grinder and the format gets longer now so I'll prepare for that.
"I've got three weeks to think about it, but we've got the IDL in Holland and the US Open in Connecticut too so it's going to be busy."
Van Barneveld admitted: "The first leg was very important. I missed double 19 for a 155 and if I'd hit that I would have gone ahead.
"Against Phil you have to hit at least 15-darters and if you don't he punishes you."
The Dutchman will meet Terry Jenkins in the other semi-final, and he said: "The first time we played I had a 107 average and we drew, but the second time he missed a lot of doubles.
"He always seems to play well against me and we have great games, so hopefully that will continue in Brighton."
Jenkins ended his league phase by snatching a draw in an entertaining contest with Peter Manley, while Priestley suffered an 8-6 loss to Colin Lloyd.
Lloyd never looked back after taking an early 5-2 lead, and finishes just a point behind Priestley in the final league table - paying the price for a poor start to the campaign.
Holsten Premier League Darts
Night 14, Birmingham NIA
Adrian Lewis 8-4 Roland Scholten
Colin Lloyd 8-6 Dennis Priestley
Peter Manley 7-7 Terry Jenkins
Phil Taylor 8-5 Raymond van Barneveld
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