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James Wade, Simon Whitlock and Raymond van Barneveld all claimed excellent victories on night five of the McCoy’s Premier League.

Wade produced a brilliant performance to see off Thornton with a 7-1 triumph, averaging over 105 and taking out two 121 finishes along the way.

“I felt really good up there and it showed in my performance,” said ‘The Machine’, who upped his points tally to seven.

“I keep saying it but the practise is really making all the difference and I feel that there’s more to come.

“In fact I know there is. I’m working harder than ever on my game and I’m delighted with the start I’ve made.”

Whitlock had to fight back from 4-1 down to take a 7-5 triumph against Wes Newton and was delighted to claim his second win of the season.

He said: “That could be a very important win.

“I have been playing well for the last few weeks but not getting the results so I’m thrilled to win tonight.

“Every game is so competitive that you’ve got to be happy with every good result.”

van Barneveld went top of the table with his 7-5 success against Andy Hamilton, as six 180s and an average of over 100 gave the Dutchman his fourth win of the season.

“Every opponent is tough in the league so I’m really delighted to have got four wins already,” said ‘Barney’ who faces Thornton next Thursday.

“I’m a confident person now and maybe that’s what got me through in the last leg. I was relaxed and I believed in myself.

“That’s so important in this game and I will have to do it all over again next week against Robert, who has been amazing in his first season.”

Michael van Gerwen suffered defeat at the hands of a rejuvenated Adrian Lewis, while Gary Anderson beat Phil Taylor in the evening’s other matches.

By Chris Murphy