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Simon Whitlock tightened his grip on a McCoy’s Premier League play-off place after claiming his third successive victory, with an 8-4 triumph over Raymond van Barneveld, while James Wade remains firmly in the hunt for a semi-final spot after sharing the spoils with Andy Hamilton in Bournemouth.

Photo: Lawerence Lustig/PDC

Whitlock moved onto 14 points after getting the better of ‘Barney’, who won back to back tournaments at the weekend.

‘The Wizard’, who produced two fabulous ton-plus checkouts on his way to victory, said: “The 155 was lovely, as was the 116, and they changed the match. I’m not satisfied with being on 14 points; I want at least another two or four points to make sure I’m in the Play-Offs.”

Whitlock sits in second place, three points ahead of James Wade, who earned a hard fought point against Hamilton.

‘The Machine’ hit four 180’s and took out finishes of 116 and 114, but was matched all the way by ‘The Hammer’.

Adrian Lewis joined Wade on eleven points and moved into the top four, after inflicting Phil Taylor’s first defeat of the season, while Kevin Painter kept his semi-final hopes alive, with a win over Gary Anderson.

Van Barneveld’s defeat against Whitlock meant the Dutchman dropped out of the play-off places, but he is still in strong contention and just a point behind Lewis and Wade.

‘Barney’ will be aiming to make a return to the top half when he faces Hamilton in Liverpool next Thursday. Wade takes on Painter at the Echo Arena, while Whitlock, who faces ‘The Power’, could officially seal qualification.

By Chris Murphy

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