Day 2: Afternoon session

:00:22. > :00:51.Hello, good afternoon to you, welcome to the 2016 Champions League

:00:52. > :00:56.of Darts. Tonight, one of the world's top eight players will be

:00:57. > :01:02.lifting this trophy. We have a truly magnificent day of darts ahead of

:01:03. > :01:06.us, after a pulsating Saturday here in Cardiff.

:01:07. > :01:15.We are under way in Cardiff! So Gary Anderson, he has done it.

:01:16. > :01:31.This would be a killer. This would be a killer treble 17, a killer

:01:32. > :01:38.bull's-eye! There it is! James Wade! Double 17 is left, wow! 154, that is

:01:39. > :01:44.going to hurt! Phil Taylor beats Peter Wright 10-5. Michael van

:01:45. > :01:52.Gerwen is capable of silly darts, just like this!

:01:53. > :02:02.Both players know that it is basically now a straight knockout.

:02:03. > :02:08.Two darts for double top... Jackpot! Is first win of the championship so

:02:09. > :02:19.far. Anderson to finally get over the line. He has got to keep his

:02:20. > :02:24.composure here. And that will do it. He could have won it a lot, lot

:02:25. > :02:30.earlier. This is the match we have especially

:02:31. > :02:37.been looking forward to, this will be for 167 have our Phil Taylor, for

:02:38. > :02:42.a third break in a row. Oh, yes! This is for an incredible win from

:02:43. > :02:47.the Power. He will have a double added, double top for a 10-4 win

:02:48. > :02:55.against Michael van Gerwen, he has done it! Robert Thornton's chances

:02:56. > :03:00.here in the Champions League may be about to be extinguished by

:03:01. > :03:08.Snakebite. Double eight, double eight it is for Peter Wright.

:03:09. > :03:12.What a day it was, let's take a look at the group tables, remember, the

:03:13. > :03:20.top Gear players from each group go through to the semifinals and final.

:03:21. > :03:24.-- the top two players. Michael van Gerwen, will be the one, will be the

:03:25. > :03:29.favourite to take a semifinal spot when they clash later this

:03:30. > :03:36.afternoon. Let's take a look at Group B, Gary Anderson is top, two

:03:37. > :03:38.from two, the Flying Scotsman at top speed. Then James Wade and Adrian

:03:39. > :03:58.Lewis, they know what is at stake. Welcome, welcome, all, I am so

:03:59. > :04:04.looking forward to doing another terrific day of darts, the Champions

:04:05. > :04:06.League living up to its name. Outstanding, some of the

:04:07. > :04:10.performances, certainly from Phil Taylor, that has got to write pretty

:04:11. > :04:15.high because of the prestige of the tournament, the player he has been

:04:16. > :04:20.playing, who he has been second best to for some time. He seems to be

:04:21. > :04:24.enjoying every minute of Cardiff. The Fed off the crowd, taking out

:04:25. > :04:29.the big shots, going for big shots when he didn't need to. He did a

:04:30. > :04:32.really good job on Michael last night. Any chance of Michael van

:04:33. > :04:37.Gerwen going out of this competition? When you first saw the

:04:38. > :04:40.groups, you would pick them two anywhere, the two biggest names in

:04:41. > :04:47.the sport. Peter Wright has a tough job, you would not write him off,

:04:48. > :04:50.but it will be hard. He has lost 13 games to Michael, Peter has, he will

:04:51. > :04:55.really have to buck the trend. The early exchanges will be massive, but

:04:56. > :05:00.it is going to be very difficult. The highest tournaments checkout so

:05:01. > :05:04.far, 167, and many people at the show last night said it was a

:05:05. > :05:13.pleasure to see Phil in action last night. It was a big feature of the

:05:14. > :05:18.tournament, the big finishes, 161, 167 there. The crowd was electric. I

:05:19. > :05:24.love that shot, that smile from Phil says it all. Definitely, he will be

:05:25. > :05:28.buzzing, he is the only man in the back room who was guaranteed a

:05:29. > :05:32.semifinal spot. He will not take as I off the job this afternoon, but he

:05:33. > :05:40.will fancy himself to win the title. -- his eye. Enjoy this afternoon

:05:41. > :05:45.with us, this is what is coming up. James Wade takes on Michael Smith,

:05:46. > :05:50.The Machine. Gary Anderson, world champion, takes on Adrian Lewis, who

:05:51. > :05:54.really needs a win. Can Phil Taylor power through his match with Robert

:05:55. > :05:57.Thornton to seal three from three? And the showdown for a semifinal

:05:58. > :06:02.spot, Michael van Gerwen takes on Peter Wright. That is undoubtedly

:06:03. > :06:06.the pick of the matches, given where we are in the tournament so far, but

:06:07. > :06:09.when you look at James Wade against Michael Smith, James knows what is

:06:10. > :06:15.at stake. We started the tournament so well but faded late on. He didn't

:06:16. > :06:19.play as well in the second game, the first was outstanding, but this is

:06:20. > :06:24.what a group throws up, when you get through to the last game, anybody

:06:25. > :06:35.can get through. Big afternoon for Adrian Lewis, because these boys

:06:36. > :06:37.know if it is defeat, it is all over. Adrian is in a tricky

:06:38. > :06:40.position, if James wins the first game, he may feel he has to be

:06:41. > :06:45.carried by six or seven legs. Have you been up all night with the

:06:46. > :06:49.permutations? There are a couple of hunting is in there. It is a

:06:50. > :06:54.complicated group! Michael Smith as the task of beating James Wade 10-4

:06:55. > :06:59.to give an survey chance, no guarantees, even if he does. Good

:07:00. > :07:04.man, this boy has done his homework! Caroline Barker, bloody thing, is on

:07:05. > :07:13.the quay alongside Paul Nicholson, good afternoon to you both. -- lucky

:07:14. > :07:17.thing, is on the oche. Let's show you what it is going to

:07:18. > :07:21.be liked a bit later, because if there is someone they love to hate,

:07:22. > :07:30.it is the man in the glasses, this is your get up, isn't it? They are

:07:31. > :07:37.already booing! Let's take you close, give us a bit more! I know

:07:38. > :07:40.you love to feed off this. I do indeed, in the early part of my

:07:41. > :07:44.career, I thought it was the catalyst for my success, and I have

:07:45. > :07:51.calmed down a little bit over the years, but some things you cannot

:07:52. > :07:56.change. We love him, don't we? Yeah! They love a bit of pantomime too.

:07:57. > :08:01.When the players are walking up in a few moments' time, we have got the

:08:02. > :08:06.crowd booing and hissing, some will feed on that, some will try to zone

:08:07. > :08:10.it out. Some guys have really got to take the atmosphere onto the stage,

:08:11. > :08:13.because we have got some tired players, they have played a lot

:08:14. > :08:18.recently, they need to use the adrenaline to get them through what

:08:19. > :08:22.could be a very long day. You do need to smile, because people do

:08:23. > :08:26.feed off that as well, smiles go along way, and I was saying that to

:08:27. > :08:30.Gary Anderson yesterday. The atmosphere will hopefully carry the

:08:31. > :08:34.players to glory later. What is it about the glasses? Having to see

:08:35. > :08:41.myself back is intimidating? It used to be a with the Matrix, but it was

:08:42. > :08:45.a thing to help me focus walking on the stage, it worked really well.

:08:46. > :08:51.But people thought I was trying to shut them out, that is why I got the

:08:52. > :08:57.bad boy type. We are going to make you step up to the oche, let's see

:08:58. > :09:05.if he can handle it. You can do better than that BOOING

:09:06. > :09:14.Here he goes, stepping up to the oche!

:09:15. > :09:21.He is not bad for a part timer, is it? You were brilliant down there,

:09:22. > :09:27.the rest of you, work on it, you have to intimidate them when they

:09:28. > :09:29.come up. Jason, I know why you can't handle it!

:09:30. > :09:34.Our first match this afternoon is James Wade taking on Michael Smith,

:09:35. > :09:41.and James Wade, obviously, needs a win today, and he needs to catch a

:09:42. > :09:47.big one. My name is James Wade, and my nickname is The Machine. I am

:09:48. > :09:51.happy, happy, happy, happy. A lot of the time, I cannot switch off, and I

:09:52. > :09:57.can actually come here and switch off, which I don't understand how

:09:58. > :10:02.that works, but it does work. It is very frustrating, the game of darts,

:10:03. > :10:08.because it comes natural one day, and another day can be like me going

:10:09. > :10:20.fishing. Over there, do you reckon? Yeah. It is stuck on the tree!

:10:21. > :10:25.I am always with James, supporting him, just looking after him, really.

:10:26. > :10:32.He cannot be trusted on his own. He wouldn't even get out of bed

:10:33. > :10:35.probably. No! I was his walk on girl for the PDC, and at one of the

:10:36. > :10:41.Premier League yeah in Nottingham, we were chatting backstage, and

:10:42. > :10:47.after, you won the game, didn't you? You seemed happy, so you can't have

:10:48. > :10:53.lost. I am a good loser, aren't I? Oh, yeah! There was a little

:10:54. > :10:59.fishbowl window, he was knocking on it, and I waved back. He was trying

:11:00. > :11:03.to be funny. I thought that was funny. He asked for my number, we

:11:04. > :11:08.were chatting for like a week, and then we met up at the following

:11:09. > :11:14.Premier League, and within four days I had got all my stuff and moves

:11:15. > :11:19.down with James. Winner. See? She is a winner. I love it when he gets a

:11:20. > :11:25.finish, and sometimes it might be a dad has gone past, the alarm goes

:11:26. > :11:32.past, he jumps out of his little bed. -- duck. That is it. It is as

:11:33. > :11:37.exciting as that. We used to play darts in the kitchen, we used to

:11:38. > :11:41.hang it up above the back door. Grandad used to complain all the

:11:42. > :11:45.time. The first tournament darts match I can recall, I think it was

:11:46. > :11:49.Paul Williams, I remember watching it, thinking, how good is it? It is

:11:50. > :11:53.amazing that he can do that. I would watch a bit and then go and practice

:11:54. > :11:58.on the board, watch a bit more, throw again, and it amazed me how

:11:59. > :12:02.good he was. All the gadgets, no idea, that is what they say. You

:12:03. > :12:07.have even got your name on the thing. Terrible, innit? They are

:12:08. > :12:12.just cheap stickers off the internet. I approached every match

:12:13. > :12:19.the same, you know, just try and win. To succeed, it is like to try

:12:20. > :12:22.and prove a point to myself, prove that I am good enough, and you

:12:23. > :12:26.cannot beat the feeling of winning. You could have all the money in the

:12:27. > :12:35.world, you cannot buy that feeling. Usual success, weed! Hopefully have

:12:36. > :12:40.more luck in Cardiff, my fishing is not very good at all.

:12:41. > :12:42.The prize at stake is a place in the semifinals, a pretty simple

:12:43. > :12:48.equation, we have done the maths, and if James wins, years through.

:12:49. > :12:52.That is what he will be concentrating on, just winning. If

:12:53. > :12:56.he focuses on the legs, it can have a negative effect. All the has to

:12:57. > :13:01.think about is winning. What have you made of his performances so far?

:13:02. > :13:06.The first one was top-notch, seven legs on the trot to beat Adrian

:13:07. > :13:11.10-3. He was a bit flat last night, Mr Lott of doubles, wayward, not

:13:12. > :13:15.like James, but he will not dwell on that. I expect him to beat Michael

:13:16. > :13:18.today. When you look at Michael Smith today, you have done the

:13:19. > :13:23.maths, there is an opportunity for him, but it is a tall order. It is

:13:24. > :13:30.an outside chance, but it can still be done. He has to win by six legs,

:13:31. > :13:33.and that puts him in a good position, and then it depends on

:13:34. > :13:37.what happens in the second one. When you look at some of the checkouts

:13:38. > :13:40.that James Wade finished with yesterday, absolutely incredible

:13:41. > :13:48.stuff, a tall order for Michael Smith. This 161 finish at a killer

:13:49. > :13:53.time, it really killed the game, a double break, 7-3. If he does that

:13:54. > :13:59.to Michael today, it is going to be tough for him. This was the second

:14:00. > :14:04.match, 164 checkout, the highest tournament check out until he was

:14:05. > :14:08.overtaken by Phil Taylor's 167. Absolutely, always good to see, but

:14:09. > :14:13.Michael has always struggled this year, and it has carried on in this

:14:14. > :14:17.tournament. The big question is, we know he is capable, we have seen how

:14:18. > :14:21.impressive he was in patches yesterday - as he got enough to seal

:14:22. > :14:26.a semifinal place and possibly go on to make the final? On his game,

:14:27. > :14:31.Michael Smith has definitely got it, but he has to be a bit more

:14:32. > :14:36.convicted to get back into it. I think James is going to do a job on

:14:37. > :14:40.him. He has looked a bit tense, he is in a bad run of form, but I

:14:41. > :14:46.expect James to do the job on him. Michael, is Michael Smith out of it?

:14:47. > :14:51.He is not out of it, but it is a very big order. OK, thank you very

:14:52. > :14:56.much indeed, the players are on standby, let's join our MC, John

:14:57. > :15:05.MacDonald. Hello and a very warm welcome, you join us live in the

:15:06. > :15:11.great city of Cardiff! Welcome to day two of the Unibet Champions

:15:12. > :15:14.League of Darts brought to you by the Professional Darts Corporation,

:15:15. > :15:19.and a very warm welcome to the viewers joining us across the BBC!

:15:20. > :15:22.Now it is time, ladies and gentlemen, to meet our players.

:15:23. > :15:35.Would you please welcome the former world youth champion, the Bully Boy!

:15:36. > :15:48.Michael Smith! MUSIC: "Shut Up And Dance"

:15:49. > :16:26.by Walk The Moon And now, ladies and gentlemen, the

:16:27. > :16:36.winner of seven major titles, time to meet the Machine!

:16:37. > :17:22.MUSIC: "The Boys Are Back In Town" by Thin Lizzy

:17:23. > :17:28.So here we go, the Champions League of Darts about to get under way,

:17:29. > :17:32.standby for some terrific action this afternoon and right through

:17:33. > :17:36.tonight with us and BBC Two. Remember, if James Wade, he is

:17:37. > :17:43.through good afternoon to Vassos Alexander and Paul Nicholson.

:17:44. > :17:51.There are all sorts of permutations in Group B, but if James Wade wins,

:17:52. > :17:55.he is definitely through, and if Michael Smith has any chance of

:17:56. > :17:58.playing again tonight, he must win 10-4 or better, and he then has to

:17:59. > :18:03.hope Gary Anderson beat Adrian Lewis. Smith was first in this

:18:04. > :18:07.morning, he has been hitting the practice boards hard, trying

:18:08. > :18:13.desperately to find a bit of form. He has not brought is A game to

:18:14. > :18:17.Cardiff so poor, that is for sure, but that is the wonderful thing

:18:18. > :18:22.about this group format. Apparently he was disgusted with itself last

:18:23. > :18:26.night, but he can still win the tournament, as can James Wade, who

:18:27. > :18:30.was brilliant in the afternoon, less so in the evening session, when he

:18:31. > :18:38.lost to Anderson. It is the first tee at ten, then. The first leg is

:18:39. > :18:43.James to throw first, game on! And no room for error, not any more, not

:18:44. > :18:50.for these two, James Wade has the darts. What do you reckon? It is

:18:51. > :18:54.cut-throat darts today, Vassos, the guys know what they have to do, and

:18:55. > :18:58.when it comes to the group format, if they do not know the permutations

:18:59. > :19:02.before they go on stage, I think that is a mistake. I have been in

:19:03. > :19:05.that situation myself, where I say, I just want to go up and play my

:19:06. > :19:10.best. The lesson I learned was I really should have known. These guys

:19:11. > :19:13.will know, because they have got that experience, but when they are

:19:14. > :19:19.playing something that they are more familiar with, cut-throat, knockout

:19:20. > :19:25.style darts, this should bring out the best. Michael Smith knows he has

:19:26. > :19:30.to win 10-4 or better. All of a sudden, if he is leading 9-5, he has

:19:31. > :19:34.kind of lost! We will probably see a difference in

:19:35. > :19:39.the body language at that point. Right now he still has a towns, his

:19:40. > :19:44.shoulders are up, it is early in the game, let's put our stamp on it. If

:19:45. > :19:48.James Wade goes far in front, you might see the shoulders dropped and

:19:49. > :19:51.the eyes roll from Michael Smith. I hope that is not the case. Because

:19:52. > :19:55.Michael Smith is capable of beating James Wade by a big margin if he

:19:56. > :20:03.brings is A game, but James Wade has brought a better game is so far this

:20:04. > :20:08.weekend. They have played seven times before, Wade has won five of

:20:09. > :20:13.them. Wade on a finish first in this first leg.

:20:14. > :20:19.Smith would have wanted to try to get the jump on James Wade in his

:20:20. > :20:26.opening leg, but it is not going to happen, because James Wade does not

:20:27. > :20:31.miss double ten very often! 62 checkout, the majority of people

:20:32. > :20:35.will go for treble 10 and double 16. James Wade is so prolific and double

:20:36. > :20:44.top and double ten that he always finds a way to leave those corners

:20:45. > :20:47.of the board for himself. A little bit more pressure now on Michael

:20:48. > :20:53.Smith, then, he can only afford to lose three more legs if he is to get

:20:54. > :20:59.through to the semifinals. Would he take a good performance and any old

:21:00. > :21:05.win after yesterday? Maybe. I think so. Yesterday definitely did not go

:21:06. > :21:08.to plan, psychologically, talentWeiss, he did not hit and of

:21:09. > :21:17.big scores, and that is his game. When he hits big scores, double top,

:21:18. > :21:21.he is so dangerous. But it has not happened. As much as he wants to win

:21:22. > :21:25.this tournament, there is another big tournament next week at the

:21:26. > :21:30.world, World Grand Prix. He will have to find something to lift his

:21:31. > :21:35.game, or he may find that the bad form is infectious for the rest of

:21:36. > :21:38.the season. I mentioned he was in early practising this morning, how

:21:39. > :21:44.hard is it to force yourself into a bit of form on the practice board?

:21:45. > :21:47.It is extremely difficult, because your mental state from yesterday,

:21:48. > :21:55.you have to try and fix that first. Michael is not the kind of guy who

:21:56. > :22:03.likes to meditate, but James Wade... 164 yesterday. I think we will see

:22:04. > :22:12.170 today, I really do. Bull's-eye for tops stallholders throw, yes, he

:22:13. > :22:17.did it. -- to hold his throw. Blink and you will miss it darts from

:22:18. > :22:24.Bully Boy, and it is a harder route, because the bull's-eye is a lot

:22:25. > :22:29.smaller than the double 18. It goes to show, there have been some good

:22:30. > :22:31.darts but a few too many loose darts, like that five on his first

:22:32. > :22:51.visit. Very good hold of throw for Michael

:22:52. > :22:55.Smith. What he has got to do now, aside from eliminating those 5s,

:22:56. > :22:59.which he has had on the first two throws in this game, he needs to

:23:00. > :23:14.break the wade Thoreau, and typically that is not an easy thing

:23:15. > :23:18.to do. -- Wade Thoreau... This finish would equalise the highest of

:23:19. > :23:22.the tournament so far, which was Phil Taylor against Michael van

:23:23. > :23:26.Gerwen last night. It was really funny, Vassos, Phil Taylor, when we

:23:27. > :23:30.told him about the 167 in the studio, he thought there may have

:23:31. > :23:34.been a ?1000 bonus for it. I don't think the PDC have done that for 20

:23:35. > :23:41.years, but he still looks out for it!

:23:42. > :23:48.Very loose darts, all three of them. He has left a finish, but James Wade

:23:49. > :23:57.will be favourites to hold his throw, double top, which he loves,

:23:58. > :24:02.and that is why. Well, a couple of clinical aspects to this game so

:24:03. > :24:09.far, the doubles have been pretty handy and hold of throw have been

:24:10. > :24:14.handy, 100%. Yeah, two out of two for James Wade, one out of one for

:24:15. > :24:18.Michael Smith. You would think that at this point in the tournament, and

:24:19. > :24:22.the season, that aspects like that will be sharp. They have had a lot

:24:23. > :24:27.of darts under their belt in the last four weeks after Michael had a

:24:28. > :24:31.bit of a break in August, James not so, he was in Australia doing World

:24:32. > :24:37.Series darts. But these guys have played over the last two and a half

:24:38. > :24:42.weeks, a lot on the European tour, and at Barnsley earlier this week.

:24:43. > :24:46.How much is too much, do you think? I think we might find out later

:24:47. > :24:50.tonight, all later this afternoon with Michael van Gerwen, because a

:24:51. > :24:54.lot of these guys have played a lot recently. It is like the golf

:24:55. > :25:00.circuit, you do not see them go for more than three weeks in a row,

:25:01. > :25:03.because it is too much - you need to rest your head, reset your machine.

:25:04. > :25:08.After this, you need to get some good quality rest leading into next

:25:09. > :25:11.week and the Grand Prix. But the circuit is such that it is hard to

:25:12. > :25:13.get a rest. In between games, you have got to do that very

:25:14. > :25:24.effectively. Another thing you have got to take

:25:25. > :25:28.into consideration is jet lag - some of these guys do a lot of

:25:29. > :25:31.travelling, and speaking to Gary Anderson this morning, he said that

:25:32. > :25:35.he has never slept so poorly because of the amount he is travelling, and

:25:36. > :25:42.there is a guy who could sleep on a bed of needles. 50 when he comes

:25:43. > :25:58.back, Michael Smith. And not much pressure, then, to

:25:59. > :26:04.level this match at 2-2. Tops for Michael Smith, double ten, no. Those

:26:05. > :26:07.are the mistakes he was making yesterday, and you get the feeling

:26:08. > :26:11.it is creeping into his game a bit more, not an encouraging sign for

:26:12. > :26:17.Michael, but he will feel a lot better if he can come back and just

:26:18. > :26:22.hit this double ten first start. If he is to make the summer finals,

:26:23. > :26:26.remember, he must win 10-4 and better. And then hope Gary Anderson

:26:27. > :26:33.does him a favour later. Still in with a chance. Well, we have seen it

:26:34. > :26:37.in sport a lot, haven't we? People coming back from the brink, people

:26:38. > :26:45.just making the cut and then winning the tournament. Something I like to

:26:46. > :26:53.call the Paul Lawrie effect. He came from, what, ten back in 1999 in

:26:54. > :26:56.Carnoustie at the Open? Remembered as much for John Vandevelde as it is

:26:57. > :27:08.for Paul Lawrie. We made a joke yesterday about the Claret Jug that

:27:09. > :27:18.the engraver had already carved Jean van der Lawrie! James Wade has been

:27:19. > :27:22.at the brink in a major final before, in the Grand Slam, he was

:27:23. > :27:27.way in front and ended up losing to Scott Waites. It is one of those

:27:28. > :27:31.games, when you get a game like Michael's, you can put pressure on

:27:32. > :27:41.your opponent and do magical things. Well, that will help, a chance to

:27:42. > :27:55.break the Wade throw! Here we go, then. Oh, unlucky! I am not sure

:27:56. > :28:00.which wire it hit, it doesn't really matter now, he will only come back

:28:01. > :28:15.for that 50th James Wade misses 160. And tops... He will have fancied

:28:16. > :28:23.that when the two 60! -- when the two 60s went in. A picture can tell

:28:24. > :28:30.a thousand words. Double ten will tell James Wade he is 3-2 in front.

:28:31. > :28:39.And he is. That was a huge chance for Michael to try and give himself

:28:40. > :28:42.the opportunity to push forward and potentially win this game, but now

:28:43. > :28:45.he has to win every lead by one if he is going to have any hope at all.

:28:46. > :29:00.-- leg. 180! They all love the darts, and

:29:01. > :29:06.they love a bit of that, they love a maximum! There was a lot of standing

:29:07. > :29:10.up if you love the darts last night, what an atmosphere we had. It is

:29:11. > :29:17.tense today because people are going to be eliminated on this Sunday. Who

:29:18. > :29:26.will it be? Well, if I am not mistaken, that helmet he is wearing

:29:27. > :29:37.is from Thor. Hammering darts from Michael Smith! Very Bully Boy type,

:29:38. > :30:02.with the two horns. His second of the match. Still 95 behind.

:30:03. > :30:10.A narrow miss from Wady. Smithy does have to hit this 160.

:30:11. > :30:15.There have been a few fives creeping in the game. But that is what James

:30:16. > :30:34.wants right now. He wants a fivement now he wants a double ten.

:30:35. > :30:41.Double 16 he is left. Doesn't hang about, does he.

:30:42. > :30:46.He would ordinarily go ten tops. Wanted to try something different. I

:30:47. > :30:52.commend him for doing that, this double two, or this double one, this

:30:53. > :30:56.gudge means that Michael Smith has to win every leg in this match and

:30:57. > :31:07.he still has to pray He is on the brink Michael

:31:08. > :31:13.Smith, he has to win eight legs in a row and it is still no guarantee, he

:31:14. > :31:16.has to hope that Gary Anderson beats Adrian Lewis. First break of throw

:31:17. > :31:31.of the match and Wade leads 4-2. He might want to play a bit faster.

:31:32. > :31:46.Nothing is upsetting James right now.

:31:47. > :31:52.Yes. Paul Easton sills are getting a Tasering right now.

:31:53. > :31:55.We will see a lot more 180 today than we did yesterday. The guys are

:31:56. > :32:00.in the groove. They know the at moss feerk they know what is at stake. --

:32:01. > :32:10.atmosphere. How much of a bite can he take out of 190. Good last dart.

:32:11. > :32:19.Another one of those would be handy. Double 16 would be very handy.

:32:20. > :32:23.To consign Michael Smith... Going to be the bull's-eye. Got to be. Or

:32:24. > :32:29.maybe double 15. That could be the writing on the

:32:30. > :32:33.wall for bullyboy. You never see James Wade in this corner of the

:32:34. > :32:42.board. That is good enough, Michael Smith now has been eliminated.

:32:43. > :32:50.We now know that Michael Smith will not be one of our semifinalists.

:32:51. > :33:00.James Wade will be, if he win, if he wins five more legs.

:33:01. > :33:06.It is an interesting mentally fors in m he knows he won't be going

:33:07. > :33:13.forward into the semifinals. But what he really needs to do is

:33:14. > :33:19.just take a deep breath, accept the situation, relax and play well. Can

:33:20. > :33:24.he just start enjoying himself now? Frankly, he is a darts player, he

:33:25. > :33:29.loves playing if front of big audience, he has a terrestrial TV

:33:30. > :33:33.audience, this is what it is all about, and there is no score board

:33:34. > :33:40.pressurety more. No, there isn't, that is what I would do. But, the

:33:41. > :33:45.person Michael is s wanting to win as much money as possible and as

:33:46. > :33:49.many title, he will be in a bad place right now. What he needs do is

:33:50. > :33:54.suck all of this up and say you know what, why don't we just play darts

:33:55. > :34:00.now, this is what I do for a living. Showcase myself over the next seven

:34:01. > :34:07.or eight legs. Bull's-eye.

:34:08. > :34:11.On the flip side James Wade will want to make Michael Smith as

:34:12. > :34:14.miserable as possible. There is another thing Michael Smith

:34:15. > :34:18.could do. How about a few trick shots? There is no reason he

:34:19. > :34:24.shouldn't. Show us what you can do Smithy.

:34:25. > :34:30.Double ten. For a 6-2 lead. Another dart at it. Doesn't misthat very

:34:31. > :34:38.often. Didn't miss it there. -- miss that.

:34:39. > :34:40.It looks like we will see James Wade again, in think evening's

:34:41. > :34:46.semifinals. Still has four legs to win, mind you.

:34:47. > :34:51.That is a very business like performance from James. Our

:34:52. > :34:55.co-commentator Dan was talking about it yesterday, very business like

:34:56. > :35:08.dart player. Nothing flashy about him. He does everything the same.

:35:09. > :35:14.Average 85, he will do a bit for than you. Enough is enough with him.

:35:15. > :35:19.Unlike what we often see with Michael van Gerwen who is striving

:35:20. > :35:25.for the perfect leg, the perfect match. James Wade knows a win is a

:35:26. > :35:30.win. Sometimes if Michael van Gerwen was a bit more James Wade-like he

:35:31. > :35:35.would put less stress on himself, because he strifes for that

:35:36. > :35:39.perfection in every game. We know for a fact that Michael would have

:35:40. > :35:43.Bruno N'Gotty rest last night. Had a minor setback, we will know today is

:35:44. > :35:50.a different day. But you are right. If he wins 6-is

:35:51. > :35:54.in an event, he will have wanted to win 6-0. We saw that earlier in the

:35:55. > :35:57.week. He is just that kind of player.

:35:58. > :36:25.Yes. Phantom of the oche. So, will he Saturday with a

:36:26. > :36:31.bull's-eye? Treble 20, for a bull's-eye, no he has hit one.

:36:32. > :36:39.I can guarantee James Wade is going for treble 19 here.

:36:40. > :36:48.12. Double 13, because he hit the treble.

:36:49. > :37:00.Go on Michael. Two double 13s. Tops it is. Tops it isn't! Well

:37:01. > :37:11.interesting to see where James goes here double four. For 7-2.

:37:12. > :37:16.7-2 it is S this is all goes James Wade's way. He won seven legs in a

:37:17. > :37:21.row this time yesterday, to win 10-3. Can he go one better from two

:37:22. > :37:25.all and win eight in a row? There will be a break after this leg.

:37:26. > :37:34.Chance for Michael Smith to get his head together backstage.

:37:35. > :37:40.Not a bad way to start the leg. James Wade. Maximum number three of

:37:41. > :37:47.this match. Number Ten for him of this tournament. Now, another one

:37:48. > :37:54.would get this place jumping. Quite a few years ago when James was

:37:55. > :37:57.started to get a foot hold in the Professional Darts Corporation

:37:58. > :38:07.circuit, he hit multiple nine darters in a season. For a wile he

:38:08. > :38:13.was called 009. Not The Machine I think the machine is have been apt

:38:14. > :38:17.for him. 009, that is a cool nickname. Maybe somebody else can

:38:18. > :38:21.take it in the future. It is up for grabs, all you have to do is back it

:38:22. > :38:28.up with the nine darters. Small task!

:38:29. > :38:33.They are good darts from Michael. They really are, they are just not

:38:34. > :38:42.falling in for him. Small margins and small misses. He has hit this

:38:43. > :38:47.twice, you know. Not this time. So to stay alive in

:38:48. > :38:54.this leg, double 16, two darts at it. Double eight. Yes.

:38:55. > :39:01.Doesn't seem to enjoy it very much but he knows he is out already and

:39:02. > :39:29.James Wade is on the brink already. Wade leads Smith 7-3.

:39:30. > :39:34.James Wade said after his defeat against Gary Anderson he was

:39:35. > :39:40.unhappy, he had to put it behind him. He said the talk was cheap but

:39:41. > :39:43.hopefully the right James Wade can come out on Sunday afternoon and

:39:44. > :39:46.edge a little closer to a semifinal spot. That is want we have got. What

:39:47. > :39:51.we have got is James Wade looking to try and get into the groove, to not

:39:52. > :39:55.only book place in the semifinal but make a final. What is your

:39:56. > :40:01.assessment. From Michaels of point of view it look like he is desperate

:40:02. > :40:06.for a win. He is finding it hard up there, and one thing we were talking

:40:07. > :40:09.about during the break, was, it leaves double top. In one of the

:40:10. > :40:14.legs he went for double 16 which is unusual. It shows he is playing mind

:40:15. > :40:21.games with himself. What is different for James? He has been

:40:22. > :40:25.regimental, the The Machine, he took advantage of Michael Smith, he knows

:40:26. > :40:28.the equakes win and I am through, he has done a professional job, he will

:40:29. > :40:32.close the game out for sure. When you look at the way James is hitting

:40:33. > :40:37.the board, are you looking at a James who could do some damage in

:40:38. > :40:41.this tournament? He is capable of doing that, yesterday he had the

:40:42. > :40:44.saint equation, he played well in the afternoon and not well at night.

:40:45. > :40:47.He will hope to get through and secondly, put that right.

:40:48. > :40:56.How will he prepare for the semifinal? He will relax, if the

:40:57. > :40:59.semifinal, if Gary Anderson, Phil Taylor, they won't talk Miguel

:41:00. > :41:03.Jiminez, he will blend in, he knows he can beat them, he will fancy his

:41:04. > :41:08.chances. It is dose pointing for Michael Smith. It is, but it has

:41:09. > :41:11.been a culmination of the year, he has struggled. He has got himself in

:41:12. > :41:16.the top eight, which is hard to do and since then he has got in the

:41:17. > :41:19.Premier League, which is obviously hard match, played in the Premier

:41:20. > :41:23.League, you are under pressure every week, it has taken its toll, he is

:41:24. > :41:27.such a good player, he is still young, he still has a long time in

:41:28. > :41:32.the game, but at the moment, you really fear for him. We have looked

:41:33. > :41:36.at the body language of all the players, and when you look at the

:41:37. > :41:40.way that Michael is going to get his dart, he looks really really upset

:41:41. > :41:46.and dejected about the way he has played. He has the body language of

:41:47. > :41:49.a skeleton. I sympathise. It is not happening for him. There is no

:41:50. > :41:53.conviction with double, he is playing games with hymn. He doesn't

:41:54. > :41:57.know which way to go. He is having a hard time. He has to keep playing

:41:58. > :42:02.and hopefully come out the other en. Playing for pride mow. He will play

:42:03. > :42:09.for pride, he will get a win and move on. Michael Smith needed to win

:42:10. > :42:14.10-4 or better to overtake James Wade. Look at him. Him. Really

:42:15. > :42:17.dejected. He had to hope that Gary Anderson defeats lose louse later.

:42:18. > :42:22.James Wade all he had to do was win and he is through. Back to the boys.

:42:23. > :42:28.And he is son his way, isn't he, he is on his way, 7 listen 3 he leads.

:42:29. > :42:35.Three legs away from the semifinals. What we can tell you is that Michael

:42:36. > :42:40.Smith decided no got backstage, decided not have a break, he stayed

:42:41. > :42:41.up on the oche, he was throwing darts left handed, looking as

:42:42. > :42:49.miserable as anything to be He lock like someone who has stolen

:42:50. > :42:55.his Christmas presents. But like I said to you, he can throw

:42:56. > :42:59.a decent dart left handed. I wouldn't be the catted for him to do

:43:00. > :43:05.that right now, that would be taking it too far. Advocate. Is you need to

:43:06. > :43:10.realise where you are and what you are doing, and a the moment Michael

:43:11. > :43:15.Smith just looks like he doesn't want to be here, and think this is

:43:16. > :43:20.where the big deep breath comes in, and just find that happy place, and

:43:21. > :43:25.the happy place is right there. The happy place is the red bet. The

:43:26. > :43:36.lipstick, the haddy -- happy place is 180 number five of this match.

:43:37. > :43:44.He his average nudges just above 90 with that, but nothing like the

:43:45. > :43:48.darts he is capable of. Think Alan said it very well in the

:43:49. > :43:53.studio, that when you get yourself into the position where you are top

:43:54. > :43:58.eight in the world and you have add multiple event victories on the

:43:59. > :44:04.circuit, it is even harder to maintain that. That is what makes

:44:05. > :44:09.what James Wade has done even more remarkable. That would have been

:44:10. > :44:13.remarkable, I still think we will get one, I have faith.

:44:14. > :44:19.We haven't been closer than that, double 19 for James Wade.

:44:20. > :44:33.And it is an 8-3 lead. You can see what he is getting

:44:34. > :44:38.annoyed about. The first dart hits the treble 20. The second is a bit

:44:39. > :44:43.low, third dart is in there. It is the smallest little mistake he is

:44:44. > :44:49.getting annoyed with. He has to make peace with the game of darts. He

:44:50. > :44:50.can't hit 180 all the time. But Michael Smith can hit a lot of

:44:51. > :45:09.them a lot of the time. Just in the last leg-and-a-half, he

:45:10. > :45:19.has just started finding a bit of rhythm. He needs to hang on to that.

:45:20. > :45:23.Way ahead in this one. 81 left after nine darts is the equivalent of

:45:24. > :45:28.hitting three 140 scores and that is where he wants to be all the time.

:45:29. > :45:32.That is not possible. Unless you are a robot. Which Michael van Gerwen

:45:33. > :45:38.has said people aren't. Last night in an interview.

:45:39. > :45:44.But this is almost the weird finishof the weekend.

:45:45. > :45:47.Can he do it again? He has done it twice. So treble 17. Just the wrong

:45:48. > :46:02.side. But the treble 19 is there.

:46:03. > :46:04.And the touch is is there for Smith. He will wonder to himself the little

:46:05. > :46:08.voices in the back Can But the treble 19 is there.

:46:09. > :46:11.And the touch is is there for Smith. He will wonder to himself the little

:46:12. > :46:14.voices in the back of your brain saying "Where have you been? " But,

:46:15. > :46:18.I think the one thing I would say to Michael is you are not playing bad

:46:19. > :46:25.young man but James Wade, very good signs for The Machine. He will no

:46:26. > :46:29.know he has two legs to win. Against a potentially very dangerous

:46:30. > :46:37.point. If he can relax and play his best darts how about this from James

:46:38. > :46:41.Wade, that is four, that is five. Just too low with the sixth.

:46:42. > :46:48.I was say earlier that James Wade has been part of the top ten in the

:46:49. > :46:54.world, for what seems like forever. That is an achievement, that needs

:46:55. > :46:58.to be applauded. There are not many stars in sport, period. That can

:46:59. > :47:04.stay in the top ten in any sport for a period of a decade, that is

:47:05. > :47:12.remarkable. Especially a port which is so heavily reliant on a strong

:47:13. > :47:16.mind. There have been people saying James has been very emotionally

:47:17. > :47:25.possibly unstable, but I think as a dart player she as strong as they

:47:26. > :47:29.get in mind. Missed. So he has to go 12 dart, rather than 11, but that

:47:30. > :47:35.doesn't make any difference at all and he is a leg away, a 12 dart leg

:47:36. > :47:44.from James Wade. It doesn't. It is such a comical thing to say, one

:47:45. > :47:57.dart at, is doubles for anyone else. It looks that big to him.

:47:58. > :48:02.Is thises in Mees last leg? -- is this Michael Smith's last leg in

:48:03. > :48:07.Cardiff? Perhaps not. James Wade will want that to be the

:48:08. > :48:13.case. And because you are going to follow him. Yes, he is. Sammy enjoys

:48:14. > :48:21.that. It look like she will be back

:48:22. > :48:28.supporting James tonight. This is a great time to play because

:48:29. > :48:34.you have the maximum rest before tonight's frolic, and dramas.

:48:35. > :48:40.Get the feeling if Michael doesn't hit this he might not come back. 16.

:48:41. > :48:46.The bull. Hits the bull. What a lovely shot from bullyboy.

:48:47. > :48:47.And a little taste of want he can do.

:48:48. > :48:59.-- what he can do. Here we go again.

:49:00. > :49:03.Here we go again, James Wade. Here we go again Michael Smith

:49:04. > :49:09.possibly. This game has warmed up all of a

:49:10. > :49:14.sudden Vassos. Can we go first to 20 please? Have a word Ly with the

:49:15. > :49:20.tournament director, that is Mr Graham Fairhurst.

:49:21. > :49:30.I am certain his answer will be not today, thank you.

:49:31. > :49:37.14 180s. All of a sudden, James Wade's average has crept north of

:49:38. > :49:42.102. And they are all perfect darts as

:49:43. > :49:45.well. 41 points when he comes back for a place in the semifinals. Do

:49:46. > :49:51.you think he wants to win this? There was a come on there and that

:49:52. > :49:59.is something you never see from James Wade on a 180. Angry last dart

:50:00. > :50:04.from Michael Smith. It will be his final dart of the weekend. James

:50:05. > :50:09.Wade wraps up a might Tim presieve 10-5 victory. He knew he had to win,

:50:10. > :50:31.he did win. He is through to the semifinal.

:50:32. > :50:36.James Wade is through to the semifinals of the Champions League,

:50:37. > :50:40.his good run over Michael Smith continue, he has won the last four

:50:41. > :50:44.meetings, including the most recent before today, here in Cardiff at a

:50:45. > :50:48.European tour event in Germany, that was earlier this month, that

:50:49. > :50:52.finished 6-5. James Wade we are hoping is on his way to studio to

:50:53. > :50:56.talk to us up here, and I will want to know, I am sure our viewers will

:50:57. > :51:01.want to know, what he said there to Michael Smith. Maybe a few words of

:51:02. > :51:05.encouragement. It has not gone Michael's way at all. He will have

:51:06. > :51:16.told him to keep his chin up. When I was on a bad run and he beat me 8-1,

:51:17. > :51:19.he was sympathetic. You can't be too sympathetic though. There was a bit

:51:20. > :51:24.of a come on there as well from James, right at the very end. He

:51:25. > :51:28.wants to win this tournament Of course, we talk about his double and

:51:29. > :51:31.finishing but he is scoring brilliant. He locks the finish

:51:32. > :51:34.article. He will be the dark horse but he will like that, blend in and

:51:35. > :51:39.he could win this competition. So what does he do now, this is the

:51:40. > :51:43.tricky part, this is the magic of the tournament, in so far as he has

:51:44. > :51:50.booked his place in the semifinal, now he, what does he do, does he go

:51:51. > :51:55.hotel, does he hit the board? I know James, What would you do? I would

:51:56. > :51:59.chill out, might have a few dart, I don't think James will, he will

:52:00. > :52:03.chill out, he has his wife Sammy with him, they will chill out and he

:52:04. > :52:06.will look for the schedule of play tonight and prepare as needs to. ?

:52:07. > :52:10.We can confidently say that James Wade is through to the semifinals,

:52:11. > :52:14.what we can't tell you is who he is going to play but we can predict.

:52:15. > :52:20.When we look the boards here, it is going to be somebody like Michael

:52:21. > :52:26.van Gerwen, we think, because there is a good chance he will beat Peter

:52:27. > :52:31.Wright and Phil Taylor will be at the top. His group is up in the air.

:52:32. > :52:38.If Adrian beats Gary, James can finish top. So he would play Peter

:52:39. > :52:43.or Michael. If he finishes sec it will be Phil. He has beaten these

:52:44. > :52:47.players before, he will prepare as needed. But his numbers are good and

:52:48. > :52:53.when you look at the way he scored in that match a few moments ago, do

:52:54. > :52:58.you think he is in the same sort of groove and the same sort of class as

:52:59. > :53:02.we saw with Phil last night? You would have to say no, Phil was an

:53:03. > :53:08.exception last night. James isn't far off. The good things the

:53:09. > :53:12.finishes round the 161s he has been taking out. He won't be worried. If

:53:13. > :53:16.he has left a shot he will have a pop. In you come James,

:53:17. > :53:20.congratulations, to you. I was asking Mark, what are you going to

:53:21. > :53:25.do now? The way this tournament is set up now you have a gap, what will

:53:26. > :53:30.you do? Practise I think, there is no right or wrong way do things.

:53:31. > :53:34.Everyone does it differently. Differently. It is hard. I am

:53:35. > :53:38.fortunate I played Michael Smith when he is not playing well and I

:53:39. > :53:42.got away with it. What it is like out there, how you feeling? It is

:53:43. > :53:49.brilliant. You know. It is a step back in time. I started off in the

:53:50. > :53:54.BDO, when the BBC covered it, and almost feels like being at home. In

:53:55. > :53:56.your post match inter-Jew you said you were disappointed with your

:53:57. > :54:01.performance yesterday because you got off to such a great start if

:54:02. > :54:06.your first match. Did you sleep well last night, did you think I need to

:54:07. > :54:11.get out firing? No, I didn't sleep well. If a dart player is a good

:54:12. > :54:15.loser they are a bad win e any dart player that loses you know, they are

:54:16. > :54:23.distraught. If you can't be distraught you don't want it enough.

:54:24. > :54:30.Absolutely. As Mark knows. I am a good loser. You seem down after that

:54:31. > :54:36.first round. How have you picked yourself up you are ready for the

:54:37. > :54:42.seems Probably gave myself a kick up the backside. It is no more

:54:43. > :54:47.complicated than that, I know at times, I can be a good player and

:54:48. > :54:51.probably at times one of the best in the world and for me sometimes to

:54:52. > :54:56.lose to players that I lose to, when they are not playing well, it hurt,

:54:57. > :54:59.you know, as I say, if it doesn't hurt then that will be day when I

:55:00. > :55:04.throw them in the canal and I walk off and do what I do Could we just

:55:05. > :55:10.asked you what did you say to Michael? It has not gone his way,

:55:11. > :55:16.what did you say to him? I will be honest, I could disclose but I am

:55:17. > :55:23.not going to, as Mark will tell you, Mark was a lovely lad, he is not

:55:24. > :55:27.going through the best stage at the moment, thankful for players like

:55:28. > :55:30.me, when he is playing well he is phenomenal and touch, you know that

:55:31. > :55:35.Mark Mark, more than most people. He is phenomenal. But what I said to

:55:36. > :55:39.him up there is between me and him. It was a compliment. I understand

:55:40. > :55:44.that. It is all good stuff. I think people at home would be interested.

:55:45. > :55:51.You gave him a few words of encoun. In way. I have been there an done it

:55:52. > :55:56.and what he is doing now isn't what Michael Smith can do. Michael Smith

:55:57. > :56:01.can get out of bed, walk on to a practise board, within five minutes

:56:02. > :56:07.average 110. As much as I was happy to win I didn't play Michael Smith.

:56:08. > :56:11.Talking about everybody goes on about you being a great finisher,

:56:12. > :56:16.you must be pleased with your scoring, you have been hitting 180s.

:56:17. > :56:22.I have to, I have to try and hang on the coat tails. The scoring, in

:56:23. > :56:27.dart, they are phenomenal, and you know, perhaps I am not old hat but I

:56:28. > :56:30.am not good enough with my scoring, the last probably year, I have

:56:31. > :56:34.started to get in touch with those players again that are scoring

:56:35. > :56:40.phenomenally, and I, trying to keep up with them. My finishing has been

:56:41. > :56:46.in my opinion good enough, if not better than anyone else in the

:56:47. > :56:50.world, but you have to get there. 15 180s, you look that the board over

:56:51. > :56:59.there, it has the numbers on, and we have you done as the first nine 140.

:57:00. > :57:04.Not bad numbers. A few slips! I try as hard as I can. I played a weak

:57:05. > :57:09.Michael Smith, and I made the most of it. You have a choice of three,

:57:10. > :57:13.you don't get to choose though! But we have Phil Taylor who is top of

:57:14. > :57:16.the group in the other standings, we have Peter Wright. Michael van

:57:17. > :57:20.Gerwen, that is a straight shoot out for a semifinal. Which one of those

:57:21. > :57:24.three in an ideal world, who do you want to play? Good luck to them, I

:57:25. > :57:28.hope they have a real hard game and I couldn't care who I play. Can I

:57:29. > :57:35.say this is not a Politics Show, you are allowed to answer questions.

:57:36. > :57:40.Honestly, I am as straight as they come, and I am very honest, I don't

:57:41. > :57:45.care who I play, you have the very very very best, the most elite

:57:46. > :57:49.players in the world here, you have not got an easy one. I love playing

:57:50. > :57:53.all of them, because whenever you play one of the best in the world,

:57:54. > :58:00.you have to play very well. If you don't, you are going home. Will you

:58:01. > :58:04.watch them later? I did say you wouldn't. I said you wouldn't

:58:05. > :58:09.practise either. He wants to watch you in action on television. He has

:58:10. > :58:14.done a very good job. I want to sound good on TV. I will do my own

:58:15. > :58:19.thing, I do something different to everyone else, but you know, I let

:58:20. > :58:25.those get on with it. I let them fight it out, and, they can try as

:58:26. > :58:29.hard as they want. I am ready. Can I ask you, enjoying Cardiff? It is

:58:30. > :58:34.amazing. You know, as I say one of the Premier Leagues but you know

:58:35. > :58:40.their interaction with the became is brilliant. But what I have noticed

:58:41. > :58:44.at this particular venue is they are being so, so, they are in such good

:58:45. > :58:47.order, they are not calling out when you are throwing for doubles. It is

:58:48. > :58:54.brilliant. A breath of fresh air. Thank you.

:58:55. > :58:58.Freshing honesty from a sportsman. Right, OK, this is aest is a sorry

:58:59. > :59:06.that will warm your heart if you are looking to got involved in dart,

:59:07. > :59:12.this is Beau Greves and destined for great things. It is an exciting time

:59:13. > :59:25.for darts. Standards are higher than ever. Double 12 for Michael van

:59:26. > :59:29.Gerwen. My name is Dita. I have seen the game grow in popularity an

:59:30. > :59:35.inspire a new generation one particular story that caught my eye

:59:36. > :59:42.is that of an outstanding young player, from Doncaster, her name is

:59:43. > :59:47.Beau Greves. We were complacent about Beau being good at darts but

:59:48. > :59:50.my husband took her to his local pub, she began to play different

:59:51. > :59:55.teams and she proved her worth. Obviously this year she went on to

:59:56. > :59:59.win the European Championship youngest girl ever at 12. The first

:00:00. > :00:08.time she entered it for England. Amazing, very very proud of her.

:00:09. > :00:20.How does a ten-year-old find herself getting into darts? I would watch

:00:21. > :00:25.Taylor, took a set of darts, then just started playing. I played a lot

:00:26. > :00:29.of men before I played a woman. Not many women play in the league. When

:00:30. > :00:33.I went into the pub to play, lots of men didn't want to play to me,

:00:34. > :00:38.because there is that stigma, they don't want to lose. Recently you met

:00:39. > :00:43.one of the best players, Michael van Gerwen. What was that like? Very

:00:44. > :00:51.nice to talk to he knows a lot about darts, gave me a lot of advice. I

:00:52. > :00:55.had less problems the other day! If you keep playing as well, you can

:00:56. > :01:05.join the men's. You need to make it step-by-step. At that age, I was a

:01:06. > :01:12.little bit the opposite of her, I was probably the most arrogant youth

:01:13. > :01:22.player in the world, I was really bad. You need to believe in yourself

:01:23. > :01:26.that you want to go to the top. He has done it! She enjoys playing

:01:27. > :01:31.senior level, she has just recently beaten Trina Gulliver, the former

:01:32. > :01:37.champion, which was amazing. She graciously held her hand up and

:01:38. > :01:42.said, future world champion. But Beau is not fazed by any of this,

:01:43. > :01:47.she just wants to play darts and focus on winning. If you have one

:01:48. > :01:54.wish, what would it be? I would like to win the world Masters event, and

:01:55. > :02:00.then I would like, later on, to win at Lakeside, which would be really

:02:01. > :02:02.good. If you keep going, I have no doubt that you will win it. Until

:02:03. > :02:19.then, we will wait and see! What a terrific story, and for all

:02:20. > :02:25.you butting darts fans, you can hear more inspirational stew is doing the

:02:26. > :02:28.BBC women in sport week in October. -- inspirational stories. Head to

:02:29. > :02:36.the website if you want to take up darts. Chaps, post-Olympics, that

:02:37. > :02:41.website is probably taking a right hammering, because there are so many

:02:42. > :02:45.people who have watched the various sports at the Olympics, be it water

:02:46. > :02:49.polo, archery, sports they have never seen before, and they have

:02:50. > :02:53.taken it up. If you have got any advice for young viewers who want to

:02:54. > :02:57.take up darts, who have been thrilled by what we have seen, what

:02:58. > :03:06.would you say to them? The first thing is enjoy it, you would say

:03:07. > :03:10.that with any youth player, but there are so many have a news now,

:03:11. > :03:13.we have got the JDC up to the age of 18, the development tour, up to the

:03:14. > :03:16.age of 23, so all these merit tables, giving you a chance to move

:03:17. > :03:20.up to the next level. But the most important thing is to enjoy it. Very

:03:21. > :03:27.well said. When you look at the popularity of sports right across

:03:28. > :03:30.Great Britain, we know how popular rugby union is, cricket and

:03:31. > :03:34.football, but no reason why any young darts player would go to one

:03:35. > :03:38.of the many academies that is springing up. There is so much

:03:39. > :03:42.access to top players, if you want to ask for advice, tournaments

:03:43. > :03:45.everywhere. You have got to enjoy it, the young players, but have a go

:03:46. > :03:52.in competitions. If it doesn't work out, keep going, keep practising. It

:03:53. > :03:56.is a bright future for the sport. Good luck to Beau Greaves, great

:03:57. > :03:59.story. We will turn our attention to the next match, we are really

:04:00. > :04:00.looking forward to the next one, Gary Anderson taking on Adrian

:04:01. > :04:23.Lewis. 216 Adriaan takes every game as it

:04:24. > :04:29.stands, we mentioned it earlier in the tournament, so laid back, one of

:04:30. > :04:33.the jokers in the pack. He wants to beat everyone. If he loses, he will

:04:34. > :04:39.shake hands and move onto the next one. A tall order for Lewis today.

:04:40. > :04:45.He will fancy it, he is so confident, if he needs to win 10-2,

:04:46. > :04:50.he will think he can do it, he can reel off the legs, he is a massive

:04:51. > :04:55.score, but he has to get out and get a lead early doors. Gary Anderson

:04:56. > :05:00.only needs four legs, so similar to the situation Wade was in, he knows

:05:01. > :05:06.what he has to do. They will know that before going on, but he needs

:05:07. > :05:09.to concentrate on the game, you need that thought process when you go

:05:10. > :05:12.into the game with groups. If you let those differences get on the

:05:13. > :05:16.back of your mind, it can have an effect on the match. Let's take a

:05:17. > :05:31.look at the table as it stands. James Wade has gone top of the

:05:32. > :05:38.group, and it is still all to play for for Lewis and Anderson, Mark.

:05:39. > :05:44.Gary will want to top the group by winning the match. But like I said,

:05:45. > :05:49.Adrian will believe he can overcome this deficit. It is going to be

:05:50. > :05:53.tough, but he will have a good go. Looking at the other group, you do

:05:54. > :05:56.not know who you are going to play as the runner-up, anything can

:05:57. > :06:00.happen. We talked about this yesterday, you have been impressed

:06:01. > :06:04.by the way Gary Anderson has come into this tournament, four weeks

:06:05. > :06:12.off, he has been on holiday, he has not played much darts, but he seems

:06:13. > :06:17.to be driving off the energy of the crowd. A very natural player, not a

:06:18. > :06:23.big practice, even if he sat down for eight weeks, it wouldn't be a

:06:24. > :06:29.problem. No signs of rustiness. Not at all, great few years, the break

:06:30. > :06:32.was needed, certainly with the World Series coming around Australia and

:06:33. > :06:37.New Zealand, and now he is back into the thick of it with a lot of donors

:06:38. > :06:42.coming up. Second match of today's coverage on BBC Two of the Champions

:06:43. > :06:47.League up darts, great crowd, noisy crowd, here is John McDonnell. Thank

:06:48. > :06:52.you very much, welcome back to the Unibet Champions League of Darts, it

:06:53. > :06:56.is time to meet the players. From Stoke-on-Trent, England, the format

:06:57. > :07:19.two time back-to-back champion of the world, Jackpot! Adrian Lewis!

:07:20. > :08:03.And now, ladies and gentlemen, here he is, the reigning two time

:08:04. > :08:14.back-to-back champion of the world, the Flying Scotsman!

:08:15. > :08:54.MUSIC: "Jump Around" by House of Pain

:08:55. > :09:05.So let's join our commentary team, Paul Nicholson and Pat Dawson.

:09:06. > :09:09.Two back-to-back world champions on stage in the Champions League of

:09:10. > :09:14.Darts looking to settle things in Group B, Gary Anderson, two wins out

:09:15. > :09:19.of two so far, at the top of the group, but not completely safe. He

:09:20. > :09:27.knows that four legs against Adrian Lewis is enough to see through. As

:09:28. > :09:33.Adrian Lewis knows, he has to win and win big, and that is a very,

:09:34. > :09:36.very tall order against a man who was won the last two World

:09:37. > :09:40.Championship titles. These two met in the most recent World

:09:41. > :09:44.Championship final. In fact, they have both been in the final three

:09:45. > :09:50.times over the last six years, more than anybody else. They can turn it

:09:51. > :09:55.on on the biggest stages of all, and Jackpot knows he has got to turn it

:09:56. > :10:00.on right now or his campaign will be coming to an end. Ladies and

:10:01. > :10:08.gentlemen, first leg, Gary to throw first, game on! Yes, a rematch of

:10:09. > :10:12.the World Championship final. Not as long a format, and the thing that

:10:13. > :10:16.goes through my head when we have got the scenario that we are going

:10:17. > :10:20.through right now is, Gary Anderson has got to win a few legs off Adrian

:10:21. > :10:25.Lewis, and that is never an easy thing to do, first and foremost.

:10:26. > :10:30.They have had matches where someone has dominated, vice versa, Gary

:10:31. > :10:37.Juanmi, Adrian another. It is a strange situation to be in. -- Gary

:10:38. > :10:39.one way. In a funny sort of way, you would rather the Adrian, because I

:10:40. > :10:46.just think you have to win every leg! There is no such thing as

:10:47. > :10:52.defending in darts, it is not like you can take the darts in the corner

:10:53. > :10:56.and just wait it out until the referee calls time. You just have to

:10:57. > :11:01.stand there, swing at each other, and try to hit the other guy harder

:11:02. > :11:07.than he has hit you. Interesting concept, maybe we can have a Total

:11:08. > :11:14.Wipe-out ever and where we have obstacles! I am not sure we need any

:11:15. > :11:22.of that. That is a decent setup shot from Lewis, Anderson once

:11:23. > :11:34.bull's-eye. -- wants. Jansenist to the Scotsman.

:11:35. > :11:48.13, double can possibly? Nine, double 12 it is. Double six. What am

:11:49. > :11:55.I thinking? Double 12 is the Gary Anderson double. Will it be kind to

:11:56. > :11:58.Adrian Lewis? He had a few misses yesterday. Could this be a sign of

:11:59. > :12:09.thing to come with the tension that is building? One, double one. The

:12:10. > :12:14.world champion unable to take it out, yet another chance for Jackpot,

:12:15. > :12:23.right on the wire. And just like that! Yes, folks, the best players

:12:24. > :12:27.in the world are human. We have got two of the most repetitive throwing

:12:28. > :12:32.players in the world here with Lewis and Anderson, but even they get a

:12:33. > :12:38.little bit jittery going onto the stage.

:12:39. > :12:44.When you cannot afford to lose any more than three legs, missing seven

:12:45. > :12:49.darts in the opening leg is not a solid game plan. Lewis has got that

:12:50. > :12:55.first leg, it is a break of the row, so ultimately it has gone as well as

:12:56. > :13:04.he could have hoped. Not the explosive start that he would have

:13:05. > :13:08.wanted, the start he came up with when he beat Anderson in the World

:13:09. > :13:13.Championship final. Many years ago now, he threw a 9-darter in the

:13:14. > :13:17.first set, the first we have seen in a World Championship final. Do you

:13:18. > :13:20.get the feeling that may not be the last time they play each other in a

:13:21. > :13:26.world final? Sometimes it happens, you have the same competitors in

:13:27. > :13:31.that culminating final. Phil Taylor, Dennis Priestley, Peter Manley, Phil

:13:32. > :13:40.Taylor, we are seeing a bit of a pattern with Phil Taylor! Staying on

:13:41. > :13:48.the 18s, bull's-eye now for Jackpot. Anderson is on a big one. That

:13:49. > :13:55.leaves 82. Treble 14. That would have left tops. He does anything to

:13:56. > :14:04.leave tops and 10s, much like Wade does. That is a lot cleaner than it

:14:05. > :14:15.was in the first leg. 2-0 to Lewis, plan may be executed slightly better

:14:16. > :14:21.in that league. -- leg. Oh, that looks good, looks very good!

:14:22. > :14:29.Wonderful start from Jackpot! He does make it look terrifyingly easy.

:14:30. > :14:33.And it Adrian Lewis keeps going on like this, getting leg on the board

:14:34. > :14:40.after leg on the board, he starts to ask a few questions. You think, hold

:14:41. > :14:48.on, 3-0? 4-0? Then Gary starts to lose a bit of time in the situation.

:14:49. > :14:57.You have got to feel that Gary Anderson has got to get off the mark

:14:58. > :15:01.as soon as possible. No break until ten legs are completed, so Anderson

:15:02. > :15:10.has just got to dig himself out of this. That will help! Lewis, oh,

:15:11. > :15:18.double 16 he did want, now it is double eight.

:15:19. > :15:25.There it is. This game has been played at a rapid pace. Exactly what

:15:26. > :15:42.we want to see. I think Gary Anderson might have

:15:43. > :15:55.just turned up. He is in the building. He might have just found

:15:56. > :16:02.his range. Six, seven perfect darts. He wants to get this fourth leg on

:16:03. > :16:04.his name as soon as possible. That way we can get down to playing a

:16:05. > :16:16.game of darts. Gary Anderson a two-time Premier

:16:17. > :16:21.League winner. He has won championship finals as well. And a

:16:22. > :16:26.number of big BDO titles. You always knew he was one of the best players

:16:27. > :16:32.in the world. It is only really over the last three years that he has

:16:33. > :16:41.started to really produce on the biggest stage of all, the World

:16:42. > :16:51.Championship. This will pressure the shot from Gary Anderson. He gets

:16:52. > :17:02.tops again. The two leg cushion that Loursac has gone in a flash. --

:17:03. > :17:09.Adrian Lewis. Gary Anderson wants to come back from the break with a bang

:17:10. > :17:13.and win the tournament. Gary Anderson will tell you that whatever

:17:14. > :17:18.game of darts he plays, it does not matter whether it is down the pub or

:17:19. > :17:22.an big television stages such as this, win or lose, it does not

:17:23. > :17:28.matter, it is just the game. He will stick religiously to that line. I do

:17:29. > :17:37.not think you can entirely believe it. This renaissance, this second

:17:38. > :17:39.coming of Gary Anderson was all sparked from losing to Michael van

:17:40. > :17:44.Gerwen at the World Championship in a game that he thought he should

:17:45. > :17:48.have won. I have never seen Gary that angry about a defeat before. He

:17:49. > :17:52.rolled his sleeves up and won everything the following year and

:17:53. > :17:58.won the world title. It does matter to him, whatever he says. Going back

:17:59. > :18:03.a little further, when I played Gary Anderson at the UK open, we had a

:18:04. > :18:07.real bruiser. I beat him the previous year and a year after, but

:18:08. > :18:14.that year he really wanted to win. If he tells you that darts do not

:18:15. > :18:24.matter, do not believe it for a second. The aggressive rude, treble

:18:25. > :18:40.18 for tots. That is a decent marker. He does not use it. That was

:18:41. > :18:49.close. Not close enough. He leaves lowest 10s. -- Adrian Lewis. The

:18:50. > :18:55.break of throw that Gary Anderson God did not last very long. No, it

:18:56. > :19:00.did not. As things stand, Adrian Lewis still in with a chance of

:19:01. > :19:13.making the semifinals. It has to be a flawless performance from now on.

:19:14. > :19:20.I was speaking to Gary Anderson this morning. He said he has not been

:19:21. > :19:25.sleeping well. He prides himself on how well he rests away from the

:19:26. > :19:29.oche. It is not so much a worrying pet -- worrying sign at this point

:19:30. > :19:36.in time but it is something he has to address. It is a side-effect of

:19:37. > :19:44.doing so much travelling with the World Series. It is an occupational

:19:45. > :19:50.hazard. No, for a party piece, Adrian Lewis. His reaction suggests

:19:51. > :19:55.that he might have gone for the bull's-eye for the big finish. Of

:19:56. > :20:02.course he would have. Phil Taylor has the biggest finish of the

:20:03. > :20:13.weekend, 167. I guarantee everyone who gets a 172 day will go for it.

:20:14. > :20:20.Tops for another leg to Lewis. Anderson is not threatening yet. We

:20:21. > :20:29.have seen a pattern in this game. Maybe at two leg spell again for

:20:30. > :20:34.Lewis. It is. He put in double ten for the third time in this match,

:20:35. > :20:39.Adrian Lewis. He is opening up that gap once again. Gary has not played

:20:40. > :20:51.darts for a month. He has gone on holiday and taking earned rest. He

:20:52. > :20:56.is not even registering on The Bronzed Adonis tanning scale. Yes,

:20:57. > :21:02.Steve Beaton is the kind of player whose time goes down when he goes to

:21:03. > :21:17.Spain. Yes, somewhere between creosote antique most of the time,

:21:18. > :21:21.The Bronzed Adonis. I will say one thing, I like the tanned look on

:21:22. > :21:27.Gary Anderson. It suits him. It was better than the one he got in Dubai

:21:28. > :21:32.when he won the title. He was distinctly red in colour. It did not

:21:33. > :21:38.stop him producing good darts. He will set this up. Down to 104. He

:21:39. > :21:44.only needs one treble. He only needs four to guarantee himself a place in

:21:45. > :21:51.the semifinals tonight. Lewis is waiting on tops. It cannot be done

:21:52. > :21:59.now. The one shot you cannot hate is a five. You cannot take 99 in two

:22:00. > :22:07.darts. He can definitely hit tops. That is another break of throw for

:22:08. > :22:16.Lewis. He is not hanging about. This might be happening. Adrian Lewis

:22:17. > :22:19.needs to win this 10-3 to topple Gary Anderson from his position in

:22:20. > :22:25.the group and sneak through to the semifinals himself. If he does win

:22:26. > :22:32.10-3, you would have to call it powering past. It is fair to say

:22:33. > :22:43.that Adrian Lewis has also turned up today. Yesterday he had a great 180

:22:44. > :22:48.when he looked at the floor, took the dart, and threw it into the

:22:49. > :22:55.treble 20. He still find the target. He is finding it with alarming

:22:56. > :23:03.regularity. After that first dart was low, Lewis had real frustration.

:23:04. > :23:08.He seems focused and opt for this. 17 Ford double top would make it

:23:09. > :23:13.6-2. What happens when Keith Deller arrives at the arena with Adrian

:23:14. > :23:20.Lewis. He must unlock something in that Jackpot brain of his, as if to

:23:21. > :23:27.say, come on, Lewis, you're the best in the world. Do hang around. This

:23:28. > :23:36.time he misses. Anderson to go within a leg of safety. He gets the

:23:37. > :23:41.double 18. I missed opportunity for Adrian Lewis. He cannot afford to

:23:42. > :23:45.lose another leg. No, and as soon as he misses the doubles at the back

:23:46. > :23:55.end of that leg, he knows how significant it was. He has said how

:23:56. > :24:03.hard it would be to get four legs and Lewis, to guarantee their own

:24:04. > :24:07.safety. How hard is it to get that many from Gary Anderson, the current

:24:08. > :24:19.two-time world champion? I think that probably tells a story, that

:24:20. > :24:23.reaction from Adrian Lewis. Adrian will be frustrated that he did not

:24:24. > :24:28.bring his game yesterday. If he had, he would not be in this mess that he

:24:29. > :24:40.is in. He is definitely playing better. A fourth 184 Adrian Lewis.

:24:41. > :24:46.He looked very good in the opening stages against James Wade. The first

:24:47. > :24:57.game up, but James Wade took out a series of big finishes and run away

:24:58. > :25:00.from him. Is it slipping away? Is Anderson going to rubber-stamp

:25:01. > :25:10.Lewis's XL from the Champions League Of Darts? Yes, he is. Gary Anderson

:25:11. > :25:15.looks like he wants to win this match and consign Lewis to complete

:25:16. > :25:20.obscurity in Cardiff. It was missed doubles that cost him against James

:25:21. > :25:26.Wade. He was only getting about 30% of his darts that doubles. To date

:25:27. > :25:30.is 20%. Even if he had been finishing better than that, it was

:25:31. > :25:38.always going to be tough to record a big victory against the world

:25:39. > :25:46.champion. Gary Anderson snuffing out his hopes. A 106 check out in the

:25:47. > :25:50.last leg. Adrian was doing a lot right. He was scoring heavily,

:25:51. > :25:58.putting himself into position to take out legs. And fortunately for

:25:59. > :26:03.him, he wasn't able to cross the line in those two legs. The story

:26:04. > :26:05.could be so different. Adrian is at the point where he is playing for

:26:06. > :26:26.pride. At couple of company-mac- plus

:26:27. > :26:36.checkouts. -- a couple of ton-plus checkouts. He does not get the

:26:37. > :26:47.treble. He has two choices, treble 16 or treble 20. That is handy. He

:26:48. > :26:53.will return. Adrian needs to hit this out. You can see the

:26:54. > :26:59.frustration in his face. He will be even more frustrated with Gary

:27:00. > :27:06.Anderson gets double seven. He does. Not only is Lewis out of the

:27:07. > :27:08.tournament, Gary Anderson is looking to tell him, I am going to beat you

:27:09. > :27:31.as well send you home. I hope you have got your calculators

:27:32. > :27:35.ready. Gary Anderson needed the four legs to ensure that Adrian Lewis

:27:36. > :27:42.cannot go above him in the table and qualify. He has done that, he has

:27:43. > :27:45.got the five legs. It is all over for Adrian Lewis. Gary Anderson is

:27:46. > :27:50.through to the semifinals. We were just discussing this. We were

:27:51. > :27:57.looking at the permutations for the 15th time this weekend. It is not

:27:58. > :28:02.enough to go top yet. Yes, he has to win the match to go top of the

:28:03. > :28:07.group. Adrian has had chances to put Gary and pressure. He should have

:28:08. > :28:12.gone 3-0, he has missed two darts. Gary has got to close out the game.

:28:13. > :28:15.Fair play to the boys and commentary. They said this could

:28:16. > :28:22.have been so different if Adrian had scored. The damage was done

:28:23. > :28:26.yesterday, he needed so many legs. 10-3 against James Wade. It was an

:28:27. > :28:30.uphill task but it has been a good game. You could feel the tension in

:28:31. > :28:37.the match. He could have been so far ahead going into the break and with

:28:38. > :28:40.a chance. But it is not to be. What have you made of Gary Anderson? If

:28:41. > :28:45.you were with us yesterday, you would have heard Gary Singh, it

:28:46. > :28:50.depends on which Gary turns up. He started very slowly. He could have

:28:51. > :28:55.found himself 3-0 down. He has worked himself into the game and

:28:56. > :28:59.taking out the finishes. He looked positive in the last four legs. I

:29:00. > :29:04.think Gary will win the game. He will want to finish this in style.

:29:05. > :29:09.Of course. You will want to move into the semifinals tonight on good

:29:10. > :29:14.thoughts. He has not played the best. There is still some of the

:29:15. > :29:16.game to go but it can move on. The fantastic thing about this

:29:17. > :29:20.tournament is if he goes on to win this match and top the group, you

:29:21. > :29:24.could end up playing Michael van Gerwen. He just has to do what he

:29:25. > :29:29.has to do and win matches. He will not want to go into the semifinals

:29:30. > :29:33.on the back of a defeat. He wants three wins out of three, showing he

:29:34. > :29:39.is on good form and that he can win the competition. Any Peter Wright

:29:40. > :29:44.fans, please do not jam social media, saying, do not write off

:29:45. > :29:49.Peter Wright. He certainly has the chance. Michael will be a big

:29:50. > :29:56.favourite. As in any tournament he plays in. He will have the better

:29:57. > :30:01.chance. Peter Wright is still in it. This may be an omen. In the most

:30:02. > :30:06.recent meeting between Anderson and Lewis, the Tokyo dance masters,

:30:07. > :30:10.Anderson 18-5 in the semis and won the title defeating Michael van

:30:11. > :30:16.Gerwen in the final. Is that an omen? It could be. These things crop

:30:17. > :30:23.up quite often. The players are looking at this as a one-off. These

:30:24. > :30:31.guys are beating each other all the time. Let's go back to commentary.

:30:32. > :30:38.Adrian Lewis's fate is sealed, but we await the outcome of Group B. Any

:30:39. > :30:43.windfall Gary Anderson will see him finishing top of the group. He does

:30:44. > :30:47.not do who he would have to face yet, but as the lads in the studio

:30:48. > :30:51.was saying, you just want to keep on winning games - it feels good,

:30:52. > :31:02.confidence is a big part of professional. -- professional darts.

:31:03. > :31:08.If ever there was a time for him to start doing some party pieces,

:31:09. > :31:19.Adrian is possibly going to turn on the fireworks. And he has certainly

:31:20. > :31:23.got an opportunity to do so. And we have seen it, we have seen him

:31:24. > :31:28.produce darts that nobody can live with on the day. UK Open title

:31:29. > :31:31.particularly sticks in the memory, just mind blowing stuff. He

:31:32. > :31:40.dismantled Terry Jenkins in the final of that one. Ireland a

:31:41. > :31:43.semifinal in the European Championships against Raymond van

:31:44. > :31:48.Barneveld in Dusseldorf, he had a 9-darter. From the first to the

:31:49. > :31:49.last, one of the best matches of all time, just like the biggest street

:31:50. > :32:01.fight you have ever seen. Nicely set up there by the world

:32:02. > :32:09.champion, who will come back looking at double four to go into the lead.

:32:10. > :32:20.That last question, Anderson, having been 5-2 down, is now 6-5 up! In a

:32:21. > :32:28.pro-TDF match away from the cameras, he would have won the game, but this

:32:29. > :32:31.is Champions League darts, and statistically Gary will be very

:32:32. > :32:36.disappointed with his first nine darts. We were talking in the

:32:37. > :32:42.interval about how it is not too far ahead of his overall average, just a

:32:43. > :32:47.shade over 90. He wants to be more where Adrian is with the first nine,

:32:48. > :32:52.but statistics can lie sometimes. Gary Anderson is in front in this

:32:53. > :32:57.match. And that is one way to fix that statistic! Yeah, it has all

:32:58. > :33:02.been about the finishing, 20% for Adrian Lewis on his doubles, almost

:33:03. > :33:12.double that for Gary Anderson, a 109 checkout to get his first leg, 106

:33:13. > :33:15.checkout to seal Adrian's fate. These guys have played each other a

:33:16. > :33:22.lot around the world, they have played each other in Australia,

:33:23. > :33:26.Germany, England, Wales. It doesn't matter where it is, it is the same

:33:27. > :33:36.dart board, same regulation distance. Same outcome as well, a

:33:37. > :33:40.win in their corner. Adrian Lewis, the professional that he is, will

:33:41. > :33:48.still want to go out of this tournament on a high with a win over

:33:49. > :33:56.the world champion. Tops for 7-5, and that is five legs on the spin

:33:57. > :34:02.for the world champion. He was not too sure it was his throw

:34:03. > :34:13.there. It is, though. That was a break, and that is a 180! Well, he

:34:14. > :34:17.didn't hit a single maximum in his opening match against Michael Smith.

:34:18. > :34:21.Nasr four against James Wade last night, he has surpassed that, five

:34:22. > :34:28.against Adrian Lewis and still time for a few more. -- he had four. You

:34:29. > :34:34.get the feeling he's a bit more in touch today than he was yesterday.

:34:35. > :34:37.He still won twice yesterday, an incredible achievement against the

:34:38. > :34:43.players who played against. But Gary starts with a 180, somewhat scratchy

:34:44. > :34:47.visit after that, just gradually getting his game together after that

:34:48. > :34:51.break. What he will want to do here is get over the line, get back on

:34:52. > :34:57.the practice board and get better with each game. And he has got very

:34:58. > :35:02.recent memories of going all the way and winning titles on TV where he

:35:03. > :35:06.has had to win more than one game in a day. He has done it in the World

:35:07. > :35:13.Series at the start of the year, he was untouchable in the World Series,

:35:14. > :35:20.Dubai, Auckland, Tokyo. Who would have thought that a few years ago?

:35:21. > :35:31.Saying that darts players would win tournaments in Dubai, Auckland,

:35:32. > :35:40.Tokyo. Even here! For 8-5. And Gary Anderson is just strolling towards

:35:41. > :35:48.topping Group B here the Flying Scotsman is on rails and steaming

:35:49. > :35:57.ahead. After the break he has won every leg.

:35:58. > :36:05.The mentality of Adrian Lewis right now, you have just got to think he

:36:06. > :36:10.would be very disappointed. But there have been some very good signs

:36:11. > :36:14.for Adrian Lewis's game. We mentioned the big tournaments are

:36:15. > :36:20.coming up, yes, this one is out of his reach now. But if he can do the

:36:21. > :36:24.right preparation over the next few weeks, there is no reason why

:36:25. > :36:28.Jackpot cannot challenge for titles that he has either been close to

:36:29. > :36:32.getting in the past or has won before. Maybe the Grand Prix will be

:36:33. > :36:42.one of them, but he has been drawn against Jelle Klaasen in the opening

:36:43. > :36:46.round, tough game. Ouch! And Jackpot, he was 3-3 with James Wade

:36:47. > :36:54.in his opening game and lost seven straight legs. He was 5-2 up here

:36:55. > :37:00.and has lost six on the bounce. It is curious to see it happen twice in

:37:01. > :37:07.quick succession. Canny stop the rot here? Oh, wow, he needed the 16 to

:37:08. > :37:13.give himself a dart at the bull's-eye. If it keeps happening,

:37:14. > :37:25.Dan, we know for a fact it is going to have to be addressed. A rare

:37:26. > :37:43.mathematical malfunction! Gary, you do need 106! 106, Gary! 9-5, seven

:37:44. > :37:44.on the spin, and all Adrian Lewis can do is stand and watch and shake

:37:45. > :37:58.his head. Well, if pictures could tell a

:37:59. > :38:03.thousand words, I think it would be here, for a lot longer than a

:38:04. > :38:14.thousand words! Adrian Lewis was just, oh, it is one of those days!

:38:15. > :38:30.If if Santa buts were candy and nuts. --

:38:31. > :38:37.ifs and buts. The crowd singing Gary Anderson's name, you wonder how

:38:38. > :38:42.loudly singing would have been if the earlier part of the game had

:38:43. > :38:48.been the template, when Adrian Lewis was taking him apart, but the roles

:38:49. > :38:52.have been emphatically reversed, and what they setup shot that is, double

:38:53. > :38:57.top for the match when he returns, three darts at it, and you do not

:38:58. > :39:07.expect the world champion to pass up this opportunity. Tops it is. To top

:39:08. > :39:13.the group. Not yet! But he might be back if Lewis cannot hit this

:39:14. > :39:19.magical 141. You don't expect it, do you? He will come back looking at

:39:20. > :39:28.double ten for 10-5, the world champion. Really?! Yeah, there it

:39:29. > :39:33.is, Gary Anderson tops Group B, Adrian Lewis, well, we knew halfway

:39:34. > :39:36.through that he was not going to go any further in this tournament.

:39:37. > :39:41.Anderson and Wade into the semifinals as we turn our attention

:39:42. > :39:42.to Group A and who will join them in the last four of the Champions

:39:43. > :40:14.League. So Gary Anderson beat Adrian Lewis

:40:15. > :40:21.10-5, which means Adrian Lewis crashes out of the Champions League,

:40:22. > :40:27.but increasingly it means that Gary Anderson is very much in the running

:40:28. > :40:31.to win the Champions League. Three wins out of three, brilliant

:40:32. > :40:34.performance from Gary Anderson, fantastic performance by him, three

:40:35. > :40:40.out of three comedy tops the group. You cannot complain with that, he

:40:41. > :40:46.started a bit slow in the game, but you could see that Adrian was out of

:40:47. > :40:49.the competition, Gary reeled off those legs professionally. Gary is

:40:50. > :40:54.on the way up to the studio, we will talk to him in a moment, but Adrian

:40:55. > :40:58.Lewis will be disappointed with his performance. Essentially, he left

:40:59. > :41:04.himself with too much to do. It is a big ask to beat Gary, but he had to

:41:05. > :41:09.beat in 10-4. He did miss some doubles, once you do that, Gary got

:41:10. > :41:14.to four pretty easily, and he became dejected. We have seen Phil Taylor

:41:15. > :41:18.and Michael van Gerwen, we know the sort of groove they are in. When you

:41:19. > :41:21.look at the weight Gary is plain, you have to say that he could win

:41:22. > :41:28.the semifinal, he could win this thing. -- the way Gary is playing.

:41:29. > :41:32.Of course he could, he has beaten Michael and Phil plenty of times. He

:41:33. > :41:37.will not be in fear of them, he is relaxed, throwing and finishing

:41:38. > :41:41.well. What was so special about his performance for you? I think it is

:41:42. > :41:45.because he started slowly, rhythm players need to get off to a good

:41:46. > :41:50.start. But he didn't let it bother him, he did not get off the mark how

:41:51. > :41:54.he would like, but he finished well. We can hear from Adrian Lewis with

:41:55. > :42:00.Caroline. Obvious disappointment, was the

:42:01. > :42:05.damage done yesterday? Losing 10-3 against James put me on the back

:42:06. > :42:10.foot during the group stage. Not convincing last night. Today I

:42:11. > :42:13.turned up, and I thought, you know, I was quite unfortunate at times,

:42:14. > :42:19.because when Gary got to three legs, I knew I was out of the tournament.

:42:20. > :42:26.There was a point where it could have been easy, 8-2 at the break,

:42:27. > :42:30.missing a double, my own fault. Phil Taylor is causing mischief, let him

:42:31. > :42:42.have his moment, Phil! What did you say to the fella afterwards?

:42:43. > :42:45.Glasses! He did all right! Your moment will come, he has had a

:42:46. > :42:51.few in his life, we will let him go! Your mascot is going, I am getting

:42:52. > :42:55.rid of you! Well, Phil Taylor has gone, they are chanting your name,

:42:56. > :43:00.go and enjoy it. Adrian, players like Phil, how do you reflect on

:43:01. > :43:06.this whole weekend? It has been a tough week, like I said, I have not

:43:07. > :43:10.been playing my best darts by any stretch, I could do a lot better,

:43:11. > :43:13.but I'm building up now, can did put me in good stead for the Grand Prix

:43:14. > :43:18.next week, looking forward to that, and other week on the board, just

:43:19. > :43:24.looking forward to it. Are you going to go and gear Phil on now? I just

:43:25. > :43:30.hope you wins it, it is one of those things, I think he might even be

:43:31. > :43:35.playing Gary in the final. Well done this weekend. Cheers.

:43:36. > :43:40.A lovely moment hearing from Phil, a shoulder for him to cry on. Here is

:43:41. > :43:46.a man very much in the running, how are you feeling? Still there, just!

:43:47. > :43:53.Top of the group, three out of three? I don't know how! The first

:43:54. > :43:58.ten legs, he should have been a type up, I kept pinching legs. I have got

:43:59. > :44:04.nothing left in the tank now. -- 8-2. The quicker you finish, I will

:44:05. > :44:08.get to bed! When Gary walks into the studio, there was a puff of the

:44:09. > :44:12.cheeks, was that relief that you are into the semifinals? Or feeling

:44:13. > :44:19.tired? Just feeling tired, it is a struggle. I have got a long night

:44:20. > :44:22.air, I will keep pushing forward, hopefully it will come good. A

:44:23. > :44:29.struggle in so far as you have been away? I was outside at four o'clock

:44:30. > :44:40.this morning, having a stroll around Cardiff. I cannot sleep at all. What

:44:41. > :44:45.is that, then, Gary? Just out of interest. Just the pressure? I think

:44:46. > :44:50.we have spent the last three or four months on the road, we have done the

:44:51. > :44:54.World Series, Dubai, Japan, Shanghai, New Zealand. Body clock

:44:55. > :45:01.all over the place. Just back from Florida, I do not know where I am,

:45:02. > :45:07.to be honest. What is the plan now? Sleep, then 40,000 cups of coffee,

:45:08. > :45:11.then we will get on it. But no, I will have a rest for a bit, then I

:45:12. > :45:16.will come back and get back on the board. Be careful what you say, what

:45:17. > :45:22.is Cardiff like at four o'clock in the morning? Still a bit noisy,

:45:23. > :45:23.still a bit noisy! We're not surprised in anyway! This is the

:45:24. > :45:27.final group tabled... guys are beating each other all the

:45:28. > :45:36.time. Let's go back to commentary. Gary Anderson through to the

:45:37. > :45:40.semifinals, topping the group. James Wade, having beaten Michael Smith,

:45:41. > :45:44.is through to the semifinals. We cannot give you a semifinal line-up

:45:45. > :45:49.because we have grouped a business to come shortly. Out of the three

:45:50. > :45:55.contenders, who would you like to play? Give me mpg. It will be a

:45:56. > :45:58.quick game, anyway. We dug out a good start earlier. In the most

:45:59. > :46:05.recent meeting between you and Adrian, do you know when it was?

:46:06. > :46:12.This is going somewhere, do not worry. I beat him in January, so

:46:13. > :46:18.maybe me by one? In Tokyo, the most recent meeting? I cannot remember.

:46:19. > :46:21.It was in the Tokyo masters, you beat him 8-5. You went on to win the

:46:22. > :46:28.title and defeated Michael van Gerwen. I did not know that. Michael

:46:29. > :46:39.is a quick player. It suits me. You want Michael? Yes. Enjoy Cardiff at

:46:40. > :46:45.2:45pm in the afternoon. It is a little bit different. Listen to this

:46:46. > :46:48.wonderful interview. Caroline Barker talking to Phil Taylor about his

:46:49. > :46:54.future. I know you had a break coming into

:46:55. > :46:58.this, but does part of you think, do this one, get your name on the

:46:59. > :47:03.trophy and leave? I have been thinking about this. My friend, Pete

:47:04. > :47:07.Williams, he said, he was an entertainer, he said he would wake

:47:08. > :47:12.up and he would know. I think it is coming to that time when I want to

:47:13. > :47:18.do other things. I do not want to be competing in tournaments every week.

:47:19. > :47:22.It is difficult, you have to be very disciplined. You have got to live a

:47:23. > :47:27.boring life. You cannot go out and enjoy yourself. I have never been

:47:28. > :47:32.one for going out to pubs and clubs, but I like to do other things, to

:47:33. > :47:36.spend time with my grandchildren. I missed my own children growing up

:47:37. > :47:41.and know it has started with my grandchildren. It is weird. I do not

:47:42. > :47:46.want to do that again. In the next 18 months, I will phase out

:47:47. > :47:53.steadily. I will pass it over. There are things me to do. People say, if

:47:54. > :48:00.you retire, you will be bored no chance. I cannot see you fading out.

:48:01. > :48:06.I am. I want to do it. I will fade out or go on a big high. Either way,

:48:07. > :48:09.I am not bothered. I am enjoying it more because I am playing more for

:48:10. > :48:13.myself rather than trying to win major tournaments every week. Has

:48:14. > :48:21.the money been a driver? Over the years it was. When it first started,

:48:22. > :48:28.I was skint. I had ?74 a week. I did three jobs at the time. I was not

:48:29. > :48:34.very wealthy. That is why I played, I wanted to make a living. There is

:48:35. > :48:42.?100,000 on the table this weekend. After tax it will be less than that.

:48:43. > :48:45.Yes, ?100,000. Sometimes I watch people winning 50000 and it has

:48:46. > :48:53.changed their lives. It is fantastic money. We are used to winning big,

:48:54. > :48:56.large amounts of money. It does not mean a great deal because you know

:48:57. > :49:01.with large amounts of money comes large amounts of hassle. It goes in

:49:02. > :49:07.the bank, you forget about it, pay your tax and pay your bulls. You do

:49:08. > :49:12.not think about it. I pay myself a little wage. Going out on a high, on

:49:13. > :49:19.Sunday, you lift the trophy, your name is on it, maybe then say

:49:20. > :49:24.goodbye? What? For darts? No, I have a few more tournaments left. I will

:49:25. > :49:31.see how the rankings go and go from there. What a great interview.

:49:32. > :49:39.Caroline Barker talking to this man, Phil The Power Taylor. These is --

:49:40. > :49:43.this is his record. He has joined us in the studio. If I carry on reading

:49:44. > :49:48.the roll of honour, we will run out of time and missed the darts. He has

:49:49. > :49:53.been incredible. He has put the sport were it is now. He has set the

:49:54. > :49:57.standard of what we all aspire to at this point in time. Michael van

:49:58. > :50:02.Gerwen has lifted the standard. 90 average used to be really good. They

:50:03. > :50:07.are still good right now but Phil Taylor has lifted that by 10%.

:50:08. > :50:12.People are looking at 100s being good. We are playing for such big

:50:13. > :50:16.money now because of his success. He has taken the sport to the

:50:17. > :50:22.mainstream, and even more this week with the BBC coming on board. His

:50:23. > :50:33.life's work is something special. Caroline Kilel Aidy at a great

:50:34. > :50:36.moment. -- Phil. He said it was time to spend time with his family. He

:50:37. > :50:39.did not say he was going to retire, but he is hinting at it. He wants to

:50:40. > :50:43.put the top players back in their place. He wants to prove it this

:50:44. > :50:49.weekend. He is still playing in 510 years' time. He will manage his

:50:50. > :50:53.schedule. The day will come one day, and I know what Caroline is trying

:50:54. > :50:58.to do, as television and radio presenters we have all been there,

:50:59. > :51:04.can I get it out of him, can he give me a date. He did not, but do you

:51:05. > :51:10.expect that time to be coming soon? It is coming closer. He is in his

:51:11. > :51:14.56, 50 seventh year. I think if he wins another world title he will

:51:15. > :51:19.want to finish right there. He will say, that is my trophy, it is the

:51:20. > :51:24.perfect place to start. You have been commentating on Gary Anderson

:51:25. > :51:29.topping the group, three from three, and Phil will want to top the group?

:51:30. > :51:33.Of course, he wants every dollar, every bit of success he can squeeze

:51:34. > :51:39.from the sport. That is why he is playing now. He is on plus 11 after

:51:40. > :51:44.playing against Michael van Gerwen last night in a fantastic match. I

:51:45. > :51:49.feel like he wants to squeeze the lemon more this weekend, to get the

:51:50. > :51:55.best out of it before he goes on to further challenges. Do you mean more

:51:56. > :52:00.money in the bank? Always. Is he going to top the group? You would

:52:01. > :52:05.think so. It will probably be hard for Robert to find motivation. He is

:52:06. > :52:08.out of the tournament. If he can win the game, he will finish third and

:52:09. > :52:13.that is an increase of five grand in his prize-money. A victory for Phil

:52:14. > :52:20.Taylor will rejuvenate him for the rest of the year. -- a victory over

:52:21. > :52:26.Phil Taylor. It must be demoralising taking on Phil Taylor. The crowd

:52:27. > :52:30.will cheer him. And he knows he is out of the tournament? It is a

:52:31. > :52:35.tricky situation. The extra money to jump up one place is very important.

:52:36. > :52:42.Robert is getting towards his 50th year. He is trying to provide for

:52:43. > :52:44.his retirement so little thing like that may be his biggest inspiration.

:52:45. > :52:48.We cannot forget that Robert Thornton does turn up against Phil

:52:49. > :52:54.Taylor lots. In the world Grand Prix a couple of years ago, I think it

:52:55. > :52:57.was the best doubles darts came in history. Robert Thornton has never

:52:58. > :53:04.been afraid of Phil Taylor and he will not be afraid of him today. The

:53:05. > :53:10.players are standing by. Let's say hello to the MC, John Nicolson.

:53:11. > :53:16.Welcome back to the action. This is the Champions League Of Darts. It is

:53:17. > :53:18.time to meet the players. From Scotland, the former UK open

:53:19. > :53:25.champion, the reigning world Grand Prix champion, it is time to meet

:53:26. > :53:47.the Thorn. Robert Thornton. MUSIC: "I'm Gonna Be (500

:53:48. > :54:14.Miles)" by The Proclaimers. And now ladies and gentlemen, here

:54:15. > :54:24.years, Stoke-on-Trent, England, it is time to meet the record-breaking,

:54:25. > :54:37.history making, 16 times world champion.

:54:38. > :54:56.It is still the Power Taylor. -- is Phil the Power Taylor.

:54:57. > :55:29.Thank you to our MC. The volume has gone up a notch. This is the

:55:30. > :55:36.Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff. Robert Thornton has beaten Phil Taylor in

:55:37. > :55:38.the 2012 UK open final. Your commentators are Dan Dawson and Alan

:55:39. > :55:43.Warriner-Little. The greatest player of all time,

:55:44. > :55:53.Phil Taylor, always spine tingling for the work on. 16 time world

:55:54. > :55:58.champion. That is one of many, many titles that this man has claimed.

:55:59. > :56:04.Talking about feeding out from the game in the last -- in the next 18

:56:05. > :56:09.months with Caroline Barker. This weekend he is averaging nearly 105

:56:10. > :56:15.for the tournament. We have seen he is quite capable of disappearing

:56:16. > :56:21.with a bang and not a whimper. Well, Robert Thornton, we know what he is

:56:22. > :56:24.capable of as well. The UK open final, which Jason mentioned, were

:56:25. > :56:28.he not only beat Phil Taylor Buckie beat him up. Then he beat the best

:56:29. > :56:36.player in the world last year for the Grand Prix title as well. Can he

:56:37. > :56:40.finished things off, the Champions League, claimed the third spot in

:56:41. > :56:44.the table? An extra five grand for that. Not too shabby. Good

:56:45. > :56:50.afternoon, everyone, wherever you may be. Phil Taylor, after last

:56:51. > :56:57.night's magnificent performance against Michael van Gerwen. He is

:56:58. > :57:00.looking to win this game. He is looking to top the group and move

:57:01. > :57:05.into the semifinals. He is already through. But to keep the momentum

:57:06. > :57:14.going. Robert Thornton has played pretty well in periods during his

:57:15. > :57:19.first two game, but become a of the bad -- but the combination of a bad

:57:20. > :57:28.few months has taken its toll. You can see that fight in him, which is

:57:29. > :57:35.good to see. Will this be a ninth for Phil Taylor? One Phil Taylor,

:57:36. > :57:39.echoing around the arena in Cardiff. Taylor can win the group even if he

:57:40. > :57:45.is beaten in this game. As long as it is eight legs, it is guaranteed.

:57:46. > :57:51.Even if it was only seven, you would need a 10-0 victory in the other

:57:52. > :57:56.game in this group. He will want to win, and he will want to win well.

:57:57. > :58:06.He will want to have a good average, good finishing. You do not want to

:58:07. > :58:19.take your foot off the gas at any point. Double eight for the first

:58:20. > :58:27.leg. It would have been a 12. That would not have been a bad start. It

:58:28. > :58:34.was a curious game against Michael van Gerwen last night. Still looking

:58:35. > :58:43.at that double eight. There it is. 14 darts will do. 1-0 to the Power.

:58:44. > :58:47.Van Gerwen unable to hold his goal during the course of the match. I am

:58:48. > :58:51.struggling to remember a time when that has happened over anything

:58:52. > :58:58.longer than six legs. Quite an incredible statistic. When you're

:58:59. > :59:03.playing well, he did average around 103, 104, it was not like he had a

:59:04. > :59:08.bad game. Phil was really on top form all the way through the match.

:59:09. > :59:22.That was the key feature. His finishing was incredible. 167, 122,

:59:23. > :59:33.several others. Yes, five ton plus checkouts in that game. Vintage

:59:34. > :59:38.stuff from the world champion. He has made the final of the Premier

:59:39. > :59:45.League, the final of the matchplay. It is not like he is not even

:59:46. > :59:50.competitive any more, far from it. When you have achieved as much as

:59:51. > :59:55.Phil Taylor, when you are not at the standard you were previously,

:59:56. > :59:59.someone else is taking the attention, in this case Michael van

:00:00. > :00:04.Gerwen, people think you're finished but you're still in the top four in

:00:05. > :00:10.the world, still or thereabouts. Performances like yesterday. He has

:00:11. > :00:25.got quite a few gallons left in the tank. Two treble 20s gives him a

:00:26. > :00:32.dart at double top. There is loads of room in the treble five, but that

:00:33. > :00:37.is not where you want to put it. Slightly to the left otherwise he

:00:38. > :00:51.would have had a chance at double top.

:00:52. > :01:06.What Robert will be wanting to do is play for pride, just considering the

:01:07. > :01:23.upward spiral. Once you get a few bad results, it puts a toll on you

:01:24. > :01:31.in the next game. You look at the big TV tournaments, that is where

:01:32. > :01:41.the big money is. Robert Thornton this year has managed to win three

:01:42. > :01:46.out of 22. Admittedly he was playing with the Premier League players, but

:01:47. > :01:50.if you start losing early on, the pressure can get to you. Strangely

:01:51. > :02:04.enough, one of those victories was at Blackpool. He has his world Grand

:02:05. > :02:13.Prix to defend. He will certainly be getting ready for it.

:02:14. > :02:22.Will he go for the bull's-eye? No. Resort that a couple of times

:02:23. > :02:30.yesterday particularly against Michael van Gerwen. He really wanted

:02:31. > :02:51.to send out a message to his opponent. Lay it on that start --.

:02:52. > :03:12.-- lay it on that dart there. I would love to see the maximums. It

:03:13. > :03:18.is all kicking off. Both men firing in 180 to start this leg. Only 41 to

:03:19. > :03:35.follow it up from Thornton, what can Taylor do? Surely. Fill it up, man!

:03:36. > :03:52.The groans from the crowd as the second dart went in. He really wants

:03:53. > :04:09.to do this, Taylor. Treble 19, it is on, double 12 four Taylor! Oh! --

:04:10. > :04:19.for Taylor! So close, but in other ways so far. I cannot believe that,

:04:20. > :04:30.we built it up, eight perfect dart Barral.

:04:31. > :05:15.-- we see 9-darters all the time. A missed double 12 for the nine. It

:05:16. > :05:23.does not seem to have knocked him out of his stride though, does it?

:05:24. > :05:34.Certainly one for the history books. Apart from that dart at double 12,

:05:35. > :05:44.it has been a fantastic performance so far. Three maximums, 110 average.

:05:45. > :05:51.Look at that one there, he cannot believe it. After 30 years in the

:05:52. > :06:00.game, it takes something to get that reaction from Phil Taylor. Double

:06:01. > :06:12.12, not a big night, that is the one. Probably just rushed it, maybe

:06:13. > :06:19.slipped out of his hand a bit. Still a remarkable performance. At the

:06:20. > :06:29.moment, there is not a lot more he can do.

:06:30. > :06:39.It looks like he has lost a tenner and found a pound.

:06:40. > :06:51.Well, missed darts at double 12 aside, tantalising glimpses of

:06:52. > :06:56.perfection aside, Phil Taylor is producing some astonishing stuff

:06:57. > :07:00.here. If you thought his performance against Michael van Gerwen last

:07:01. > :07:09.night the special, this is something else, look at that. The four

:07:10. > :07:25.maximums have come in the last few lakes. The last few lakes have been

:07:26. > :07:39.outstanding. -- legs. It is potentially another 11 dart leg. It

:07:40. > :07:52.would be 12 for the bull's-eye. He will have nightmares about the big

:07:53. > :08:10.nine and then the small nine air. Trouble 19 -- small nine there,

:08:11. > :08:14.treble 19. 55, it is another break. Phil Taylor is in charge of this

:08:15. > :08:28.one. If he does win, he should be playing

:08:29. > :08:35.James Wade, the winner of the other group.

:08:36. > :08:45.I am sure they will be discussing it in the studio. Double 12, they will

:08:46. > :08:51.be showing that a few times no doubt. Quite a few people in Cardiff

:08:52. > :09:02.will be discussing that missed dart for quite some time. He has thrown

:09:03. > :09:14.Jiro mac 9-darters in the same game. -- he has thrown two 9-darters in

:09:15. > :09:18.the same game. You can only think that he rushed it, wanted to do

:09:19. > :09:30.something for the crowd in the new tournament. That has gone and

:09:31. > :09:35.passed. How much do you think winning this title would mean to

:09:36. > :09:39.Phil Taylor, bearing in mind that since he lost in the grand slam

:09:40. > :09:48.final last year he has not had a big TV title to his name? He has always

:09:49. > :09:51.had a big TV title, usually many. First and foremost he knows he is

:09:52. > :10:02.playing well, well enough to win one. Whether that happens, things

:10:03. > :10:05.can change in the next game. He is certainly capable of doing it and he

:10:06. > :10:14.will be really determined for the lots of different reasons to be the

:10:15. > :10:27.first name on the title to get the winning feeling back on that stage.

:10:28. > :10:29.Thornton takes out double top. He is still averaging 96, although he has

:10:30. > :10:40.only had Jiro -- -- although he has only had two

:10:41. > :11:02.darts at double. Robert Thornton is absolutely fuming

:11:03. > :12:00.that he could not produce. Robert has that termination, it

:12:01. > :12:12.looks like he could handle wrestle a grizzly. It is very good from

:12:13. > :12:16.Filbert Howard Taylor today. Averaging almost 110 and his first

:12:17. > :12:38.nine average. -- from Phil Taylor. You just put the mockers on it. He

:12:39. > :12:45.has been producing these kind of darts for a while. He has already

:12:46. > :12:52.said he wants to cut back on some of the tournaments. Looking to fill in

:12:53. > :13:23.again. Those tournaments are very difficult

:13:24. > :13:33.to win. Pushed all the way, came out the winner on all three occasions.

:13:34. > :13:47.Will he be holding the trophy later this evening, firstly he has to get

:13:48. > :13:56.past Peter Wright. Phil Taylor is zero weighing in on the eight legs

:13:57. > :14:06.he needs to guarantee himself. -- Phil Taylor focusing in. Treble 19

:14:07. > :15:09.or tops. Down for double ten. Steady, confident prediction from

:15:10. > :15:33.the young man full. You can see the studio analyse the

:15:34. > :15:49.first half stop I'm sure there will be one main topic.

:15:50. > :16:01.Mike the 410 legs, Phil Taylor has been almost unplayable. It has been

:16:02. > :16:08.excellent from the 16 time world champion. Thornton looking to make

:16:09. > :16:17.it 7-3. And that is not what Robert Thornton was after. He was unlucky.

:16:18. > :16:26.That is a great first dart from Taylor. Phil Taylor will top Group

:16:27. > :16:30.A. He will face James Wade in the semifinals. Will you make it three

:16:31. > :16:36.victories out of the? He only needs two more legs? Stunning from Phil

:16:37. > :17:04.Taylor. Sparkling darts from Phil Taylor.

:17:05. > :17:08.You have to have sympathy with Robert Thornton, already out of the

:17:09. > :17:15.Champions League, he was beaten by Taylor in the Premier League this

:17:16. > :17:20.year, 7-0 and 7-2 respectively. He is having another sorry drubbing at

:17:21. > :17:27.the hands of this man. This is wonderful stuff from Phil. It is

:17:28. > :17:32.incredible. If you look at his first nine average, it has been higher

:17:33. > :17:36.than that in the match. He was around the 130 mark, which is up

:17:37. > :17:44.there with some of the best darts we have seen. That 107 three dart

:17:45. > :17:48.averages where he wants to be. Four legs as well, one against the throw.

:17:49. > :17:56.Yes, he has been in control of the game. It is testament to how well

:17:57. > :18:02.Phil is playing. Robert is averaging 99 and he is losing. There was a

:18:03. > :18:07.great moment in the Motorpoint Arena for the nine dart attempt. There was

:18:08. > :18:14.a massive roar for every single dart that was thrown. That is the way in

:18:15. > :18:19.that situation with the big crowds. You're thinking, get that 60. He

:18:20. > :18:25.hits the treble 19, and not only that is the worst shots he has

:18:26. > :18:32.thrown for a nine darter, it is the worst he has thrown in his career.

:18:33. > :18:38.Our cameraman said that he said it slept. It slipped out of my hand. We

:18:39. > :18:43.will give him that one. If you look at the dart, it was at a different

:18:44. > :18:48.angle to the others. It is one of those things. It just happened to be

:18:49. > :18:53.on a double for a nine darter. We will not back against him getting

:18:54. > :18:57.another one. He has the game. The people who have paid money to come

:18:58. > :19:01.here today, they thought it was going to happen. Yes, you can see

:19:02. > :19:07.the excitement. It was an anti-climax in the end. There it is,

:19:08. > :19:14.it slept. I am inclined to believe it did. Phil Taylor does not miss

:19:15. > :19:19.double 12 by that much. He has been dominant. Phil will win this match.

:19:20. > :19:24.It will be three from three for him. It will be James Wade in the

:19:25. > :19:28.semifinals. Mouthwatering. James Wade is here to play and he has the

:19:29. > :19:34.game to beat Phil Taylor. He will have to play better than today and

:19:35. > :19:38.yesterday to get over which -- to get over what is a resurgent and

:19:39. > :19:43.well rested Phil. Let's go back to commentary. We know

:19:44. > :19:47.the Power is going to top the group if they can make it three victories

:19:48. > :19:53.out of three. He will have some momentum going into the semifinals

:19:54. > :20:01.tonight. I do not think I would want to take on Phil Taylor if he's going

:20:02. > :20:10.to play like this today. No, he and meticulous form. The 12 would have

:20:11. > :20:14.put the icing on the cake. I think he has the tournament victory in his

:20:15. > :20:22.sights. He wants to be holding aloft the trophy later this evening. There

:20:23. > :20:33.is a big crowd coming into night. Down in Cardiff. The crowd enjoying

:20:34. > :20:38.the afternoon's proceedings, getting ready for the culmination, the two

:20:39. > :20:42.semifinals the final. It should be pretty good. It will be some sure if

:20:43. > :20:43.these guys continue to play at the level they have produced over the

:20:44. > :20:58.course of this weekend. There have been a few 180s so far in

:20:59. > :21:09.the tournament and quite a few in this match so far. Another slip. He

:21:10. > :21:16.cannot leave a finish no, certainly not with that five. He has been

:21:17. > :21:23.making a habit of taking out big checkouts. The 140 is not going to

:21:24. > :21:30.go. He will look to leave a nice one darter at tops. Happy with that

:21:31. > :21:40.visit. This is a chance for Thornton to leave something handy. That is

:21:41. > :21:47.better. That is not bad either. Taylor has to take out the AT, which

:21:48. > :21:53.would put him one leg away. That was a bit close to the treble, but

:21:54. > :21:58.double tops. He is back where he needs to be, Taylor one leg away

:21:59. > :22:04.from making it three wins out of three, a 10-5 victory over Peter

:22:05. > :22:08.Wright, a 10-4 victory over the world number one, Michael van

:22:09. > :22:13.Gerwen. It looks like it will be even more emphatic than that against

:22:14. > :22:20.the Thorn. It is relentless at the moment. He probably does not want to

:22:21. > :22:31.leave himself a nine darter again in case he has to throw a double 12.

:22:32. > :22:36.Plenty of room, Robert. That actually push is Robert Thornton's

:22:37. > :22:41.averages to over 100 which is phenomenal considering he is 9-2

:22:42. > :22:47.down. That is what the standard of darts is nowadays. The 100 average,

:22:48. > :22:54.which used to be the benchmark of excellence is now not enough. It is

:22:55. > :23:00.not. Robert Thornton has his title to defend in a few weeks' time. It

:23:01. > :23:06.is the rest of the season. There are lots of big events coming. Taylor is

:23:07. > :23:10.homing in on another maximum. Yes, Thornton will begin the defence of

:23:11. > :23:15.his Grand Prix title against Stephen Bunting, a former world champion.

:23:16. > :23:20.That is not easy in round one. Taylor is looking at 82 to close

:23:21. > :23:27.this out. It has been devastating at times from Taylor. That is perfect.

:23:28. > :23:36.That is perfection from Taylor as well. He could not produce a perfect

:23:37. > :23:40.leg, but it was not bad. 108 average. Phil Taylor storming into

:23:41. > :23:42.the semifinals of the Champions League as group winner with three

:23:43. > :24:13.victories out of three. Phil Taylor records his 22nd career

:24:14. > :24:17.victory over Robert Thornton. And perhaps one of the easiest as well.

:24:18. > :24:24.A fantastic performance from Phil "the Power" Taylor. This is

:24:25. > :24:30.magnificent. The crowd is loving this. Look at those numbers. Paul

:24:31. > :24:35.Nicholson. We talked about the numbers between the interval and the

:24:36. > :24:41.finish. He got better in the last two legs. The average has gone up to

:24:42. > :24:45.108. It shows he wanted to get better even though he was six legs

:24:46. > :24:49.in front. When you look at numbers like this, he is the man of the

:24:50. > :24:55.tournament. No one else is playing like him. Not yet. I see what you

:24:56. > :25:00.have done there. I would like to think that James Wade can lift his

:25:01. > :25:04.game more. He is hungry and he will want to play against a really good

:25:05. > :25:09.Phil Taylor. He does not want to play against Phil Taylor on the

:25:10. > :25:14.wane, he wants to play someone who is fresh and vibrant. Phil has

:25:15. > :25:21.definitely got that. James Wade is broad an aggressive game. I think he

:25:22. > :25:24.might need it. Phil has steam-rollered into the semifinals.

:25:25. > :25:28.What you're trying to suggest is that James Wade has been through the

:25:29. > :25:32.mental mill as well. He lost the match and thought to himself, I have

:25:33. > :25:39.to recover. I am in the semifinals. I have to push on. James Wade has

:25:40. > :25:43.been the advocate of going under the radar a lot over the last few years.

:25:44. > :25:49.He has played Phil so many times this will not faze him. Especially

:25:50. > :25:52.when he is playing like this. Phil Taylor has taken so many titles from

:25:53. > :25:56.James Wade in the last years that may be James Wade will be ready to

:25:57. > :26:01.say, the pressure is on you now because of the way you're playing.

:26:02. > :26:06.Let's look at the updated group table. After three matches in the

:26:07. > :26:12.Champions League, this is what it means. Phil Taylor tops the group,

:26:13. > :26:15.ideas through to the semifinals. He will meet James Wade, who beat

:26:16. > :26:23.Michael Smith to secure his place in the last four. Next, we have Peter

:26:24. > :26:27.Wright taking on Michael van Gerwen. That will be a straight shoot out

:26:28. > :26:32.for a place in the semifinal. Phil has made his way to the studio. Nice

:26:33. > :26:38.to have you back. Is there room for me. Many people contacted me on

:26:39. > :26:45.Twitter. I slept very well, thank you. Someone was snoring. Was it

:26:46. > :26:49.you? I was at home. Many people have contacted me saying that they are

:26:50. > :26:58.loving these interviews. Are they? Are you mad. Well played. You are

:26:59. > :27:02.through to the semifinal. Let's do the business stuff first. Are you

:27:03. > :27:10.feeling? It has been great, it is a big crowd for a Sunday afternoon. I

:27:11. > :27:13.thought it may be quiet and busy tonight. It has been very good.

:27:14. > :27:17.Three victories out of three. Yes, I am over the moon. Robert is a tough

:27:18. > :27:23.cookie. We have something to show you on the screen. What happened?

:27:24. > :27:29.The cameraman caught using, it just slipped. Did it? Yes, your honour. I

:27:30. > :27:34.believe you. I know what Eric Bristow would say to me. I get the

:27:35. > :27:38.feeling it might not be the only chance you get at the nine darter

:27:39. > :27:43.today. You can look at the angle of the dart, that is the proof that it

:27:44. > :27:55.slept. I do not know what happened. It did not release properly. It

:27:56. > :28:00.slept. -- slipped. It is good to see you smiling. I cannot swear, but it

:28:01. > :28:04.was a rubbish dart. Can we speak about Robert. A little bit of

:28:05. > :28:11.sympathy for Robert? He is already out of the tournament. He is a gutsy

:28:12. > :28:15.player. He does not give in. He is a battler. He is one of those players

:28:16. > :28:21.you have got to go and beat. He does not give up, even when you are 9-2

:28:22. > :28:27.up. He is still battling, he still thinks, you have got to get to ten.

:28:28. > :28:34.I like that about Robert. Lots of players at 9-2 down would give up.

:28:35. > :28:38.Robert is a proper battler. Speaking of that, we have had James Wade in

:28:39. > :28:42.the studio as well. He is through. You're playing him in the

:28:43. > :28:48.semifinals. How is your luck against him? I do not know. Is it 50-50? I

:28:49. > :28:54.think your record is very good against James Wade. You have had

:28:55. > :28:59.some great battles. He is very good. Some of the best game on television

:29:00. > :29:03.have been against James Wade. He is a good player. They are all good.

:29:04. > :29:09.You cannot say it is easy because it is not. It is tough. If I do not

:29:10. > :29:17.play like I can play, I will be commentating next year. He is a

:29:18. > :29:21.great player. If you were out there, you would be a great player. You

:29:22. > :29:28.have not seen me playing down my local pub. We have done the head to

:29:29. > :29:35.head, 49 victories to James Wade's 12. That is the career head-to-head.

:29:36. > :29:41.That is not bad. Are you talking about recent times? You are only as

:29:42. > :29:44.good as your last game. In the last game, I think James Wade beat me. It

:29:45. > :29:55.might have been in the World Matchplay. James Wade has won the

:29:56. > :30:00.last two. That was a dramatic pause. Are you all right? Do you pay

:30:01. > :30:06.attention to statistics? I do not pay attention to him. To the

:30:07. > :30:10.statistics? You said to me as a left the studio, can you get me a ticket

:30:11. > :30:16.for Wales against England in the six Nations? You have got to keep the

:30:17. > :30:21.onside. I want to ask you about a conversation you had with Caroline

:30:22. > :30:25.Barker. You hinted at retirement. You would miss nights like this? Of

:30:26. > :30:31.course I will. I have been doing this from going on 30 years. But my

:30:32. > :30:38.day has got to come. I will bow out gracefully. I will just fade away. I

:30:39. > :30:44.am not going to retire. I will work. I will probably be a painter

:30:45. > :30:50.decorator. I'll not going to sit on my backside and do nothing. Can you

:30:51. > :30:54.imagine going through the Yellow Pages and thinking, this guy looks

:30:55. > :31:09.quite cheap. You open the door, and he turns up. Ten grand a day.

:31:10. > :31:16.I am enjoying it and not putting myself under pressure. The BBC has

:31:17. > :31:25.come along, it is a great opportunity to show how we play. Now

:31:26. > :31:34.we are on the BBC, it is get up there and enjoy yourself. It is like

:31:35. > :31:39.a big exhibition, I am enjoying it. Cardiff is a bit like being in my

:31:40. > :31:44.hometown, they come out to enjoy themselves and I'm enjoying what I

:31:45. > :31:49.am doing full top eye and not playing to win the title or lose the

:31:50. > :31:55.title, I am just enjoying it. We have mentioned that a number of

:31:56. > :32:01.times. Even when you are slipping, smiles go a long way. I almost

:32:02. > :32:12.cried, I will be honest with you! LAUGHTER

:32:13. > :32:21.I think there will be another time for a nine-darter. My doubles have

:32:22. > :32:29.been good, but James is a different kettle of fish. Would you go back to

:32:30. > :32:35.practice? No, I am on first. I will send Karen across the room and get

:32:36. > :32:41.some food, some nice salad, a boiled egg and I will watch this game. I am

:32:42. > :32:48.interested in this, I think Michael is vulnerable. His head is in the

:32:49. > :32:56.shed. You have done this before, you have beautifully set up the next

:32:57. > :33:02.item. I am good, aren't I? I tell you something seriously. You don't

:33:03. > :33:08.need to be serious. I interview people who have played the game, I

:33:09. > :33:13.am fighting back here, there are not many characters who come into TV

:33:14. > :33:25.studios and liven up an interview room like you do. It is so

:33:26. > :33:28.refreshing. Cheers, John. Thank you. He was my favourite sportsman for

:33:29. > :33:34.about 20 seconds for the top he viewed a free set up our next item.

:33:35. > :33:47.End of Day one, your reflections heading into day two. Phil Taylor

:33:48. > :33:56.was on fire. Played some fantastic darts against Michael. I thought it

:33:57. > :34:03.went OK, yes. Happy to be in second place. It is gut the changing your

:34:04. > :34:14.dark close to such a big tournament? -- it is brave changing your darts.

:34:15. > :34:18.Well, I would change it in the club or in the kitchen, you need to be

:34:19. > :34:29.playing the best players on the world on TV. They have done all

:34:30. > :34:33.right for you. Is it one of those things where you are trying to

:34:34. > :34:44.change something, to try to change rhythm, the way you play? I want to

:34:45. > :34:52.improve on the scoreboard. Thinner darts, thinner stems. Hopefully I

:34:53. > :35:00.will score enough against them to beat them. Are you one for stats?

:35:01. > :35:05.No, every day is different, it does not matter. You would not be playing

:35:06. > :35:10.this game if you did not think you could be the best in the world. Does

:35:11. > :35:17.it encourage you when you see how Phil Taylor played against Tim,

:35:18. > :35:25.Robert Thomson? It can unsettle him. -- Thornton? Yes, it does, but I

:35:26. > :35:31.need to get on the practice board early and make sure I hit the ball.

:35:32. > :35:36.Is it about feeding off the crowd we have seen in Cardiff? They have

:35:37. > :35:43.swung as they always do, one side to the other. A few fans singing my

:35:44. > :35:48.song, I appreciate that. It is nice when the whole crowd joins in, that

:35:49. > :35:55.would be great, when they all get behind you, it makes you feel

:35:56. > :36:00.special. Thank you, guys. Look at Michael van Gerwen, what will be the

:36:01. > :36:05.areas that you attack, do you even look at that? No, it is just on the

:36:06. > :36:10.day, if I wake up and I am ready, got my head in the game, then that

:36:11. > :36:18.is it full is top beat him, can you go all the way? I can beat him and

:36:19. > :36:22.go all the way. You want a confidence Peter Wright going into a

:36:23. > :36:27.game like this. I cannot remember a time when he was not confident. I

:36:28. > :36:32.like Peter Wright and I liked everything he has done in the past

:36:33. > :36:38.few years. The constant chopping and changing of equipment may be too

:36:39. > :36:43.much. He is looking for perfection. There may be a time when he finds a

:36:44. > :36:48.set of darts that he will stick with for a period of years. Maybe it is

:36:49. > :37:04.his wife's responsibility to say it with it. We have just had fill right

:37:05. > :37:12.in. -- Phil Taylor in. Michael will be determined, he has only lost one

:37:13. > :37:16.game. It is not going to be certain that he will be ready tonight. He

:37:17. > :37:20.will get every advantage you can and I do not blame him for doing that. I

:37:21. > :37:25.think Michael van Gerwen is everything put in the shed full is

:37:26. > :37:31.top over the course of time, he has had 55 wins over the course of a few

:37:32. > :37:36.months, he has built up a confidence level that no one else in the world

:37:37. > :37:41.has yet. He had a dodgy day yesterday, but he is tired, he slept

:37:42. > :37:48.a long time last night. He was not up at 10am this morning, he wanted

:37:49. > :37:52.to get a good rest. Peter Wright against Michael van Gerwen and the

:37:53. > :38:02.Dutchman needs to win it to get a place in the last four. My name is

:38:03. > :38:11.Michael van Gerwen. I have played darts for 16 years, my first ever

:38:12. > :38:20.dart board was in the living room. I did not throw until I was 16. At

:38:21. > :38:25.college I got permission for a dart board. After that I had a more

:38:26. > :38:30.difficult period and I went back to work for two days a week and after a

:38:31. > :38:37.few years I was playing darts better again. I tend into a full-time

:38:38. > :38:46.professional. I do not get nervous any more. I know my strengths.

:38:47. > :38:51.Sometimes I get a bit of a heartbeat, but not nervous so I am

:38:52. > :38:59.shaking. I love darts and I love playing. I really like what I do. I

:39:00. > :39:09.would like to win more and more titles, but this field is not easy.

:39:10. > :39:21.I know a soul by R Kelly called the world's greatest, but what is the

:39:22. > :39:27.world's greatest? -- a song. He is doing all right. When he was 17 the

:39:28. > :39:32.pressure was piled on him and when he was 15 and 16 he was playing in

:39:33. > :39:42.exhibitions against Phil Taylor and these guys were saying this is the

:39:43. > :39:47.great -- greatest player we have ever seen. For me, he is the best

:39:48. > :39:54.player I have ever seen. He needs to win this match against Peter to book

:39:55. > :39:59.his place in the last four, but he is backstage listening and watching

:40:00. > :40:10.what is happening when Phil Taylor is on the oche. Every player wants

:40:11. > :40:17.to beat him. He will step up tonight and I expect him to win this game. I

:40:18. > :40:23.expect him to win it. I do not think Peter will give it all to him. He

:40:24. > :40:26.will cause problems. When you put a question next to Michael van

:40:27. > :40:30.Gerwen's name, he wants to get the razor out and say what question? He

:40:31. > :40:43.is comfortable being the world number one. -- the eraser out. He

:40:44. > :40:51.has two pull the pressure on early on. -- he has to put the pressure on

:40:52. > :40:55.early on. You have to get in front and stay there, if you let Michael

:40:56. > :41:02.van Gerwen get ahead of you, it is all over you. The head-to-head 's do

:41:03. > :41:10.not look for people -- do not look good for Peter Wright. He is very

:41:11. > :41:14.headstrong, he will not look at them. He will think he can beat him.

:41:15. > :41:19.We saw what he was like when he won a game, how annoyed he was, Madge

:41:20. > :41:33.managing how annoyed he will be when he lost. The players asked ending

:41:34. > :41:39.by. -- imagine how annoyed he was. Here we go, welcome back to the

:41:40. > :41:46.Champions League of darts. Ladies and gentlemen, time to meet our

:41:47. > :41:58.players and it is never too late to get this party started. Snakebite!

:41:59. > :43:04.MUSIC: "Don't Stop The Party" by Pitbull

:43:05. > :43:13.And now, ladies and gentlemen, the reigning world number one and the

:43:14. > :43:32.champion of the world... My tea! --MUSIC: "Seven Nation Army"

:43:33. > :44:40.by The White Stripes COMMENTATOR: OK, everyone, this is

:44:41. > :44:53.what it is all about, the winner stays on. 19 titles in 2016. In the

:44:54. > :44:58.past week alone he has it two nine-darters. Not even once has he

:44:59. > :45:24.lost his first match in 37. Another win and Peter Wright is

:45:25. > :45:36.grew. On the oche here in Cardiff. Here we go. This is a repeat of the

:45:37. > :45:42.2014 World Championship. He has won 13 straight matches against

:45:43. > :45:49.Snakebite will stop he is certainly due one.

:45:50. > :45:53.Peter Wright has had some good performances against Michael. He has

:45:54. > :46:01.just not manage to get over the line. This is another opportunity.

:46:02. > :46:05.It is the last group game of this year's Champions League. I wonder

:46:06. > :46:13.who he is supporting? Only at the darts does that look normal. Here we

:46:14. > :46:17.go, van Gerwen, straight in. It is effectively down to a knockout

:46:18. > :46:22.despite being the last group game. Whoever loses is going home. Whoever

:46:23. > :46:28.wins will be playing the current world champion, Gary Anderson, later

:46:29. > :46:36.this evening. He is in the mood, isn't he? Years in the mid-, nine

:46:37. > :46:48.darts, to 36, at chance of the ten dart leg. That is to break the throw

:46:49. > :46:52.of Peter Wright. He has got to tidy up. He will be disappointed with

:46:53. > :47:03.himself after leaving it after nine darts. He will still be returning.

:47:04. > :47:09.He wants to get himself fired up. He will be winded after last night's

:47:10. > :47:18.defeat to Phil Taylor. If he gets through, to me, he will still be

:47:19. > :47:21.favourite. He is still the favourite, albeit not quite such a

:47:22. > :47:28.hot favourite as he was before losing to Phil Taylor. He is in the

:47:29. > :47:37.mid-. His second maximum in as many legs. Michael van Gerwen. I'd comes

:47:38. > :47:49.Wright. Unlucky. The old William Tell shot. -- out comes Wright. He

:47:50. > :47:54.just took one step backwards, Michael van Gerwen. It has not

:47:55. > :48:08.really helped. That is a good cover shot on 18. He needs to dry and

:48:09. > :48:25.flick it over to the right. This is the soundtrack to Anna MVG game at

:48:26. > :48:32.the darts. CROWD SING. He is certainly very popular. Phil Taylor

:48:33. > :48:38.had the bragging rights at the beating MVG last night. But if he

:48:39. > :48:45.can take out 170, he will have the highest checkout of the tournament

:48:46. > :48:55.so fire. Taylor with 167. That would have got the crowd on their feet,

:48:56. > :48:59.the maximum finish. Taylor missed the double 12 by quite some

:49:00. > :49:07.distance. You can see what it means to van Gerwen. He is determined. At

:49:08. > :49:09.times, Michael van Gerwen, when he is in those made, his intensity is

:49:10. > :49:21.relentless. He has slightly struggled with his

:49:22. > :49:31.doubles, Michael van Gerwen, here in Cardiff. Two and the big matches

:49:32. > :49:39.played. That is 29% so far today. It is 16 out of 42 for the tournament.

:49:40. > :49:43.It is still better than OK. It is not what we normally get from

:49:44. > :49:49.Michael. He is a big score. We have seen that often. He takes out the

:49:50. > :49:55.big finishes. But he is normally around the 40% mark, and higher on

:49:56. > :49:59.lots of occasions. He needs to tidy that up. He wants to fire into this

:50:00. > :50:04.game. He is not thinking of the semifinal. He wants to make sure he

:50:05. > :50:09.plays his normal game, gets it back on track, wins this one, gets into

:50:10. > :50:18.the semifinals, then he will be thinking about the next round. He

:50:19. > :50:33.has left himself 170 again, MVG. Another go. Not this time. He will

:50:34. > :50:42.be happy with that visit. Options on the 19s when he comes back.

:50:43. > :50:57.Yes. How about that, 134? He needed that one, you have to say. They were

:50:58. > :51:03.Michael van Gerwen has been playing. It looked like it could have been

:51:04. > :51:09.3-0. That will boost him and give him confidence for the remainder of

:51:10. > :51:16.this match. No matter how the scoreline turns out. Where do you

:51:17. > :51:21.stand on the Peter Wright which darts to play with the big? I would

:51:22. > :51:25.always say, similar to poll and some of the other players, you cannot

:51:26. > :51:29.keep doing it. It seems to work for Peter Wright. I have that feeling he

:51:30. > :51:34.has got himself to such a good standard he is looking for the next

:51:35. > :51:41.level. He is changing his darts to try and do that. In my view, to get

:51:42. > :51:44.to the next level, he just needs a television victory. Then he will be

:51:45. > :51:50.at the next level and hoping for some more. Changing your darts all

:51:51. > :51:56.the time, when you win, it looks good, when you do not, you will get

:51:57. > :52:05.criticised. For a 3-1 victory. He cannot now finish. He has taken a

:52:06. > :52:13.big chunk out of it. Yes, two bull's-eyes. You cannot beat a bit

:52:14. > :52:30.of belief. This is an opportunity for van Gerwen. -- bit of bully. No.

:52:31. > :52:34.Peter Wright has left a bogey, 163. He is mad with himself for leaving

:52:35. > :52:44.it. He probably did not think he would be back. Another transact

:52:45. > :52:50.double eight.. They did this. He will be mad now. The opportunity has

:52:51. > :52:55.gone. Helix to the skies for installation. He did say, Peter

:52:56. > :53:02.Wright, that he was thinking about using one set of darts for scoring

:53:03. > :53:07.and another to hit his doubles. That would be unique, similar to what

:53:08. > :53:14.they do in Poole. They use a heavier queue and change it. Like a driver

:53:15. > :53:25.and a potter Mac. I do not think it would work. They could prove us

:53:26. > :53:29.wrong. -- and a putter. Because of the angle that the dart magazine, it

:53:30. > :53:45.can block the bed, or leave it open. I would rather just throw four

:53:46. > :53:48.darts. Give myself more chance. You could have won dart for the top half

:53:49. > :54:02.of the board, another for the trebles. The old Icelandic handclap.

:54:03. > :54:09.He is giving himself a good chance to get back to 3-2. Unless van

:54:10. > :54:22.Gerwen fills this end. 140 may not be enough. That certainly is not.

:54:23. > :54:31.He just missed that. I am surprised he did that. Unless he has just lost

:54:32. > :54:35.his concentration, like he did earlier when he left the bogey.

:54:36. > :54:41.Michael van Gerwen was not on a finish. Maybe he is just trying to

:54:42. > :54:45.get himself going. One dart left. He needs to get it. Van Gerwen is

:54:46. > :55:01.hovering on 115. This is for a 4-1 lead. That is an

:55:02. > :55:07.opportunity missed and he knows it. We have not seen too many over the

:55:08. > :55:14.years at double one. Not many chances to win the game on double

:55:15. > :55:20.one. Michael van Gerwen in the first round, twice. There it is. It works

:55:21. > :55:26.against them. We mentioned it at the time, he did not need to go for

:55:27. > :55:31.treble 20, double five. Even if he had missed, he would have had three

:55:32. > :55:39.clear darts at the double. It has cost him in the end. Is that the

:55:40. > :55:44.moment that we can start saying cheerio to Peter Wright? Still time

:55:45. > :55:51.for him to come back. It is the first to ten. You cannot give the

:55:52. > :55:56.world number one opportunities like that. That is what he can do. His

:55:57. > :56:11.average is creeping up. So difficult to get back when you

:56:12. > :56:17.are too many legs behind against a player like this. It is hard because

:56:18. > :56:22.of the standard, but it is hard when you get somebody playing so well,

:56:23. > :56:26.having to win against the throw. That was amazing yesterday against

:56:27. > :56:31.Phil Taylor. He threw seven times, Michael van Gerwen, and he never won

:56:32. > :56:39.a leg on the throw. We will not see that again. It is a 5-1 lead, MVG.

:56:40. > :56:49.Helix deterrent. -- he looks determined. That is mini

:56:50. > :57:10.Snakebite. He looks like he is ready for a big

:57:11. > :57:15.effort. Stand up if you love the darts, basing. I am not sure that

:57:16. > :57:28.Peter Wright is loving his darts at the moment. He is averaging just 87.

:57:29. > :57:32.Only 94 with his first nine darts. I said earlier he needs to get off to

:57:33. > :57:37.a good start. He is normally a slow starter. You cannot do it in the

:57:38. > :57:42.game these days. That was good, though. You cannot give your

:57:43. > :57:54.opponent too big a start. That is his first maxim of the match. Peter

:57:55. > :57:58.Wright needs lots more. He needs to finish better as well. He has

:57:59. > :58:04.missed, despite having a few opportunities. Despite the fantastic

:58:05. > :58:09.134 to get his first leg on the board, he has missed some others. He

:58:10. > :58:23.has put pressure on. Michael van Gerwen. This is must hate. -- must

:58:24. > :58:29.hit. Well done. He enjoyed that one. It will make him feel a lot better.

:58:30. > :58:35.Van Gerwen finding the maximum, but he took out the 82. Van Gerwen, the

:58:36. > :58:46.nonchalant look at the crowd. Bidders another one.

:58:47. > :58:56.-- there is another one. It is great watching Michael van Gerwen's face,

:58:57. > :59:02.so demonstrative. Spitting image would have had a field day. It is a

:59:03. > :59:07.satirical puppet show, for our younger viewers. He gives it

:59:08. > :59:25.everything. 129. A decent finish. He should

:59:26. > :59:33.start on the 19s. If he does leave it, with Peter Wright not being on a

:59:34. > :59:39.finish, does he go for it? He is not happy with that visit, but he knows

:59:40. > :59:49.he is coming back. He just has not got his scoring going at all. It has

:59:50. > :59:53.been the consistency with Peter Wright. He has had his moments, but

:59:54. > :00:02.the consistent part of the match has not been there. There it is. It is a

:00:03. > :00:08.6-2 lead. He is usually Mr consistency, Peter Wright. He has

:00:09. > :00:11.been in the last couple of years. I just feel sometimes that he is so

:00:12. > :00:17.determined to try and win a television tournament that it takes

:00:18. > :00:22.away that small percentage of composure that he has had over the

:00:23. > :00:26.last two years. He has got himself up to world number five. He is in

:00:27. > :00:32.all the television events. He is producing some great darts. It is

:00:33. > :00:37.just that next step that is lacking. He's changing his darts a lot, as we

:00:38. > :00:42.mentioned. I think he needs to ride the storm. The way he is playing is

:00:43. > :00:46.good enough. There are only a certain amount of hours in the day

:00:47. > :00:50.and you have to fit in practice, all the different types of darts he's

:00:51. > :00:56.using. Sometimes I hear he practices for six, seven hours each day. You

:00:57. > :01:11.have got to allow a couple of hours for the artwork on his head.

:01:12. > :01:38.Very colourful. Just need that first TV win. A break after ten legs. It

:01:39. > :01:52.is all going his way at the moment. Van Gerwen is moving in the double

:01:53. > :01:57.16. A bit closer. What does Peter Wright do now, does he believe he

:01:58. > :02:03.can win from here? He will try not to say that, but against anyone when

:02:04. > :02:12.you are 7-2 down, it will be difficult when you are having a race

:02:13. > :02:17.ten. The next two or three legs, let's have a big effort and see if

:02:18. > :02:24.you can get the game on track. It is getting the game on track. All these

:02:25. > :02:30.players can wheel off a few legs when they are playing well, but he

:02:31. > :02:39.is not playing well. How hard is that to change it media game? Very

:02:40. > :02:48.difficult media game. -- in the middle of a game. He will have

:02:49. > :02:52.slight hope, he just needs to get two or three legs of scoring

:02:53. > :03:06.consistency, hitting the doubles when you first get there. This is

:03:07. > :03:17.better. A one, three, four. Tops when he comes back if he comes back.

:03:18. > :03:25.Nine double 8. He won the leg eventually. He has not got himself

:03:26. > :03:35.going. The consistency is not quite there. As we come to the break,

:03:36. > :03:49.Peter Wright trails Michael van Gerwen 7-3.

:03:50. > :03:57.You can completely understand why Peter Wright is not happy in those

:03:58. > :04:03.first view legs. He is close to crashing out.

:04:04. > :04:16.Another interesting stat, yesterday evening Peter Wright hit 480 in his

:04:17. > :04:33.match against Robert Thornton, today it is to compare with Michael van

:04:34. > :04:38.Gerwen's five. -- it is two. Michael van Gerwen has given himself more

:04:39. > :04:49.opportunities. It does not look like the Dutchman's head is in the shed

:04:50. > :04:57.as predicted by Philip. He missed the doubles in leg five and he has

:04:58. > :05:03.not recovered from that. He did get the last leg, something to clutch

:05:04. > :05:08.too. The boy loves trophies, take a look at this sequence we put

:05:09. > :05:12.together, this is what it means, heart on the sleeve staff. This is

:05:13. > :05:17.the real Michael van Gerwen we are watching, someone who is aggressive

:05:18. > :05:23.for top the head in the shed remark, if he did not hear it, someone will

:05:24. > :05:28.have told him full top that is what happens when someone tells him that

:05:29. > :05:32.they have had a pop at him. An aggressive Michael van Gerwen is not

:05:33. > :05:43.one to be cornered backed or ill I had nothing to do with it! --

:05:44. > :05:53.Michael van Gerwen is not one to be cornered. I had nothing to do with

:05:54. > :05:58.it! Today he is really determined and he has one foot in the

:05:59. > :06:07.semifinals. Phil Taylor is probably watching this match. -- Gary is

:06:08. > :06:11.probably watching this match. He is probably asleep right now. He could

:06:12. > :06:18.probably outwit him in the mental side of the game, he will want to

:06:19. > :06:21.bring a better side of the game. From a speed point of view, Michael

:06:22. > :06:33.wants to get this over and done with. He wants to get back in the

:06:34. > :06:39.room, get some rest. He will want to go and get through these legs.

:06:40. > :07:02.COMMENTATOR: Those trousers, did he borrow those from you? Circa 1987.

:07:03. > :07:10.100-1 on for Peter Wright to win it here. Peter Wright has done well to

:07:11. > :07:14.stick with him. It was a bad start that has really been the catalyst of

:07:15. > :07:22.the current scoreline. He has not played badly in the last ten or 15

:07:23. > :07:26.minutes. He was really just trying to G himself up and get himself

:07:27. > :07:32.going. He did win the leg eventually.

:07:33. > :07:38.Just trying to get himself going. That is the only thing missing at

:07:39. > :07:58.the moment, he does not have that extra something. It has got to be

:07:59. > :08:05.lacking adrenaline, isn't it? It is one of those situations where things

:08:06. > :08:10.are going wrong and you were trying to get yourself up, but when you are

:08:11. > :08:17.winning, it comes automatically. If you can get this leg here, as he has

:08:18. > :08:29.done, 7-4. He is within touching distance. A bigger leg coming up.

:08:30. > :08:41.Just when you thought it was safe on the oche. He was 100-1 on, now he is

:08:42. > :09:00.50-1 on. How about that start to the 12 logo? Another one in. -- the 12th

:09:01. > :09:06.leg? A monumental effort at the moment from Peter Wright. Both

:09:07. > :09:14.players hitting the treble with ultimate ease. Both players on one,

:09:15. > :09:22.eight, one after six. Is. This will be a huge break is Peter Wright can

:09:23. > :09:38.pull it off. SVG will have at least two darts.

:09:39. > :09:52.-- MVG. All of a sudden this game has gone up a notch. He must be

:09:53. > :10:02.thinking in the back of his mind, if I had started like this in leg one,

:10:03. > :10:17.I would not be in this position. Those shops did not get him going.

:10:18. > :10:26.He missed four darts. Four legs in a row. It is then hard to catch up,

:10:27. > :10:31.you have to win one against the throw. He has certainly found his

:10:32. > :10:44.range now although full is top another maximum for Peter Wright.

:10:45. > :10:47.-- he has certainly found his range now, another maximum for Peter

:10:48. > :11:05.Wright. Michael van Gerwen just keeping

:11:06. > :11:10.going. He will be thinking of the next leg and he will want to kill

:11:11. > :11:16.this double top as soon as possible and move into the next leg. He knows

:11:17. > :11:21.he is coming back, but he wanted to keep the momentum going. Sometimes

:11:22. > :11:25.when you miss a feud darts at the double, you go back to the original

:11:26. > :11:40.position you were in before you got going. Finally. It is 8-5. Again, we

:11:41. > :11:59.are back to that scenario as we were to legs ago. -- two. A minimum of

:12:00. > :12:08.100 people want. It is OK. If van Gerwen does not win this leg, one

:12:09. > :12:24.leg away, if he can keep it to two, he has a good chance. What can

:12:25. > :12:35.happen though? Two in the corner. Two postage stamp ones in the

:12:36. > :12:44.corner. He is left to finish. You must find the treble. He hasn't.

:12:45. > :12:56.Realistically you would have said he needed two, he did not get one. 72

:12:57. > :13:13.is not a gimme. Just looking for a good setup on staying upstairs, just

:13:14. > :13:19.in case will -- in case will -- in case.

:13:20. > :13:38.Puts one leg away, twice in the semifinals.

:13:39. > :13:50.We have seen the recent phase, since around the mid-break and he has

:13:51. > :13:58.played a lot better. His average has increased, really the damage was

:13:59. > :14:03.done early. It is very difficult to claw it back.

:14:04. > :14:17.You never know, you just never know. But it looks like it will be Taylor,

:14:18. > :14:32.James Wade, Anderson and van Gerwen when we come back this evening. Not

:14:33. > :14:35.a bad line-up at all. A slip there. Not happy with that one, he will be

:14:36. > :14:44.more disappointed with the performance as a whole. Look at

:14:45. > :14:55.that, disappointed with the third dart. Nothing Peter Wright can do

:14:56. > :15:05.here apart from maybe leave something. It is all down to van

:15:06. > :15:16.Gerwen now. 18 for the bull's-eye. A treble leaves double 7. Not quite.

:15:17. > :15:23.He looked at the scoreline just to see what Peter Wright was on. It was

:15:24. > :15:37.not to be. Gone back to the board on 25. A place in the semifinals... A

:15:38. > :15:41.big night, two eights, it is Phil Taylor against James Wade and Gary

:15:42. > :15:46.Anderson will play Michael van Gerwen. He is playing ominously

:15:47. > :16:21.somewhere near his text. -- is best. The world number one, Michael van

:16:22. > :16:24.Gerwen, came to the Motorpoint Arena as the pretournament favourite

:16:25. > :16:28.having won six successive tournaments recently. Yes, he lost

:16:29. > :16:34.to Phil "the Power" Taylor yesterday, but look at that, that is

:16:35. > :16:42.a man who is determined to walk away from Cardiff with the trophy. Look

:16:43. > :16:46.at those stats. It is a devastating performance. It is a much better

:16:47. > :16:52.performance. He will take confidence. It is a sign he is

:16:53. > :16:56.getting better. I believe he will play better tonight even more. He

:16:57. > :16:59.has had dressed over night. He has had some good games, I know he will

:17:00. > :17:02.be ready to strike. CHEERING

:17:03. > :17:08.That big cheer is because Peter Wright is saying goodbye to the

:17:09. > :17:12.auditorium. That is it for Peter. He is out of the Champions League.

:17:13. > :17:17.Michael van Gerwen has done his talking down there. In the studio,

:17:18. > :17:22.Gary Anderson has said, bring me Michael van Gerwen. Phil Taylor has

:17:23. > :17:27.said, I think Michael's head is in the shed. Do you think he has heard

:17:28. > :17:32.those interviews? I think he will have heard one of them, but Michael

:17:33. > :17:37.is used to people poking at him, as if to say, are you ready for me?

:17:38. > :17:42.Phil and Gary have been doing that this afternoon. He is used to being

:17:43. > :17:46.the world number one, the person that people want to beat. This is an

:17:47. > :17:51.inaugural tournament. He wants to win this. Is there anything specific

:17:52. > :17:57.user and Michael's performance today that was not then against Phil last

:17:58. > :18:00.night? The scoring was better, more consistent, and I think more

:18:01. > :18:06.aggression, which is what people need tonight. Michael is with us.

:18:07. > :18:15.Good afternoon, congratulations. Are you much happier? As he walked out,

:18:16. > :18:22.you said to Mark Webster, I got the victory, I should be happy? Are you

:18:23. > :18:26.happy? I feel good. I think I did the damage early in the game. I made

:18:27. > :18:32.sure I finished the game. That is what I did and the plan went well. I

:18:33. > :18:36.am still in the tournament, that is most important. At the start of the

:18:37. > :18:42.game, you got well in front of Peter and did not let him get the jump on

:18:43. > :18:47.you. After that, was it the case of holding your throw? Of course. He

:18:48. > :18:50.knew he was not going to win that game. If he was certain about

:18:51. > :18:57.winning that game, he was not going for the bull's-eye. That is a sign

:18:58. > :19:02.of weakness, simple, in my opinion. Going for the bull's-eye, how did

:19:03. > :19:08.that make you feel? I was laughing. That is the way that your throw is

:19:09. > :19:12.sometimes. When the pressure is not on him, he can throw really well.

:19:13. > :19:18.You need to make sure you are sharp and do not make mistakes. I do not

:19:19. > :19:25.even know what my average was but I think it was OK. It was a shade over

:19:26. > :19:29.100. The scoring average was 110. Better than previous games. Over the

:19:30. > :19:33.last couple of hours, we have seen that a couple of the guys are

:19:34. > :19:40.gunning for you. Gary says he wants to play you. He is going to play you

:19:41. > :19:47.know. I do not want to play him. I do not have a choice. I will play my

:19:48. > :19:54.best tonight. There is no option. The groups are over. I am glad to

:19:55. > :19:59.still be in the tournament. Tonight is most important. I am looking

:20:00. > :20:03.forward to it. Lots of your fans have travelled. There is a man in

:20:04. > :20:09.green who is waving at you. You have got lots of support. He wants away.

:20:10. > :20:14.Gary Anderson was in the studio, he said, bring me Michael van Gerwen.

:20:15. > :20:20.Phil has said that your head is in the shed. Are you aware of those

:20:21. > :20:26.comments? Is that why you have seen a fire. Michael van Gerwen? Sorry.

:20:27. > :20:35.This is you know. I am just tailing Jason that that is pretty normal for

:20:36. > :20:37.you. -- just telling. The more they talk about me, the more they are

:20:38. > :20:43.thinking about me and not themselves. I see it as a weakness.

:20:44. > :20:49.You need to do your own thing. I do not look to someone else. I need to

:20:50. > :20:53.play and perform well myself. If I perform well myself, I do not need

:20:54. > :21:02.to lose to anyone. That is how I look at it. That is a good point.

:21:03. > :21:06.Michael is very singular. He does not call anyone out. Even when Phil

:21:07. > :21:11.Taylor was ranked higher than you. You never called him out. Since you

:21:12. > :21:17.have been world number one, everyone calls you out. That comes with the

:21:18. > :21:24.territory. I do not see it because I want to be the big man. Here are the

:21:25. > :21:31.man, your world number one? I can remember the bad days when I was

:21:32. > :21:36.number 22. You need to be honest. Why would you say things that are

:21:37. > :21:40.not true? In Michael's defence, he is right, when he was in the 30s in

:21:41. > :21:46.the world rankings, he was exactly the same, no different, the same

:21:47. > :21:51.kind of player on the oche, aggressive, vocal. That is why

:21:52. > :21:57.people buy tickets. He is box office. Good luck for tonight, my

:21:58. > :22:02.friend. Thank you, Michael. Let's look at how we are lining up. Phil

:22:03. > :22:08.Taylor tops the group. Michael van Gerwen in second after beating Peter

:22:09. > :22:16.Wright. He is second because he was beaten by Phil. That is how we are

:22:17. > :22:21.looking in Group A. So, we have our last four. It is an all England

:22:22. > :22:28.clash, the first match this evening on BBC Two. And what about that?

:22:29. > :22:32.Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson, the world champion, this afternoon,

:22:33. > :22:37.he said, bring me Michael van Gerwen. I can hardly wait. It is a

:22:38. > :22:42.bit like going to the restaurant and asking for a stake. He has a pretty

:22:43. > :22:47.tough steak. It will be a great game. They have played many times

:22:48. > :22:51.before. Gary has had the better of Michael on several occasions but

:22:52. > :23:00.invariably you find that Michael van Gerwen gets up for Gary as much as

:23:01. > :23:03.Gary gets up for him. Who will be walking away with the title? If

:23:04. > :23:06.you're looking at the tournament so far, on form, you would say Phil

:23:07. > :23:12.Taylor. But anything can happen. Michael is on fire. James Wade has

:23:13. > :23:17.come through the group steadily. He is scoring well, which he does not

:23:18. > :23:23.normally do. He will be up for it. Thanks, I enjoyed your company. I

:23:24. > :23:27.cannot wait for tonight. We shall be back later this evening on BBC Two

:23:28. > :23:30.with more alive darts from the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff,

:23:31. > :23:35.including that very tasty clash between Michael van Gerwen and Gary

:23:36. > :23:39.Anderson. I hope you can join us, 6:30pm tonight. From all of us here,

:23:40. > :24:00.BBC Two, goodbye for now. Unparalleled talent,

:24:01. > :24:03.unprecedented access.