Group A
Phil Taylor got his campaign off to a flying start with
a 5-0 win over Stuart Kellett in Group A, the power
continued the impressive form that had seen him
secure the Coral Masters title only a week before
as he whitewashed Kellett to put pressure on the
others in the group.
In the other opening round match Paul Nicholson
took a big step towards the last 16 as he defeated
Kevin Painter 5-2 to move into second place in the
group.
On the second day of action Taylor dropped his
first leg of the tournament, not that it phased ‘The
Power’ as he produced another fine display to defeat
Paul Nicholson 5-1, in the process ensuring that he
would reach the last sixteen of the event for the
seventh consecutive time.
Stuart Kellett came from 4-2 down to defeat Kevin
Painter 5-4, eliminating Painter and setting up a
winner takes all encounter with Paul Nicholson in
their final group game on the Tuesday night.
Photo: PDC/Lawrence Lustig
Phil Taylor produced another fine display of darts
in the final round of group matches, whitewashing
Kevin Painter to seal top spot in the group and
progress safely through to the second round.
Meanwhile Paul Nicholson won the winner takes all
encounter with Stuart Kellett 5-2, despite dogged
resistance from the Cheshire-based thrower.
“I did a good
job tonight and
it means a huge
amount to me to
qualify”
“I did a good job tonight and it means a huge amount
to me to qualify,” said Nicholson.
“I’ve done the right things over the last two or three
months, I’ve focused on my darts and on my life
away from the game. I think I’ve found a place now
where I feel settled and I want to keep improving on
that to achieve what I believe I can do.”
Paul Nicholson
Group A Results
Phil Taylor 5-0 Stuart Kellett
Paul Nicholson 5-2 Kevin Painter
Phil Taylor 5-1 Paul Nicholson
Stuart Kellett 5-4 Kevin Painter
Phil Taylor 5-0 Kevin Painter
Paul Nicholson 5-2 Stuart Kellett
P
Phil Taylor
Paul Nicholson
Stuart Kellett
Kevin Painter
W
L
+/- Pts
3
3
3
3
3
2
1
0
0
1
2
3
+14
+2
-7
-9
6
4
2
0