Premier League Darts: Phil Taylor sees off Wes Newton in Cardiff to end losing run

hil Taylor got his McCoy's Premier League Darts campaign back on track with a convincing 7-2 victory over Wes Newton in Cardiff.

The 16-time world champion had lost two matches in succession heading into the contest but was back to somewhere near his best form in week seven of the competition.

Taylor took out finishes of 126 and 111 as he thrashed Newton, who is now two points adrift at the bottom of the table with just a fortnight to go until the bottom two are eliminated.

'The Warrior' was on the back foot from the off, slipping 2-0 behind, and did not come close to mounting a comeback as Taylor completed the win with an average of 101.7.

"There was a lot of pressure on me tonight. It's the toughest Premier League there's ever been and I've been worried that I might not even qualify for the top eight in a couple of weeks," Taylor said.

"But Wes let me off a little bit and he didn't play as well as he can, and he's a lot better than he showed tonight."

Raymond van Barneveld lost his place at the top of the table after he was held to a 6-6 draw by James Wade.

The five-time world champion went 3-1 up but thereafter there was never more than one leg between the two players.

In the final leg van Barneveld opted against a shot at the bull despite his opponent being on a 140 finish but escaped when Wade missed his attempt at hitting double top twice.

Van Barneveld is level on points with fellow Dutchman Michael van Gerwen, who has the superior leg difference, while Taylor and Wade round out the top four.