Simon Whitlock and James Wade both earned victories on night five of the McCoy’s Premier League at the Brighton Centre.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

Whitlock hit eight 180’s in an 8-4 win over Adrian Lewis, while James Wade claimed his second successive victory with an 8-6 triumph over Raymond van Barneveld.

Whitlock climbed to fourth in the table, with five points, after beating the reigning world champion in a high-scoring affair. Lewis, who hit seven maximums himself, had kept up with the Australian’s heavy scoring in the first few legs but ‘The Wizard’ won six of the last eight to move into the play-off positions.

“It felt really good tonight, I was aggressive and I enjoyed it,” said Whitlock. “I don’t get too many wins over Adrian but I took my chances, so it’s a fantastic win.”

World number three Wade made it back to back wins when he eventually saw off the challenge from ‘Barney’. The 2009 champion had led 6-1 before the Dutchman forced a deciding leg, which ‘The Machine’ won to record an 8-6 victory.

“I did a good job on Raymond early doors but I shut off so I’m not happy with that,” said Wade, who hit finishes of 110 and 154. “I’ve got to keep my foot on the gas but I got the win and it’s another step in the right direction.”

In the night’s other matches, Kevin Painter came from behind to beat Andy Hamilton while Phil Taylor remains unbeaten after an 8-1 success over Gary Anderson.

Whitlock faces Anderson next week in Glasgow, where Wade will take on Lewis. Van Barneveld is up against Painter.

By Chris Murphy

Latest League Table

SIMON WHITLOCK 8 – 4 Adrian Lewis

Simon Whitlock hit eight 180’s on his way to an 8-4 victory over reigning world champion Adrian Lewis in Brighton, to end a run of back to back defeats.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

‘The Wizard’ produced a fantastic performance on night five of the McCoy’s Premier League at the Brighton Centre, as he moved back into the playoff positions. Whitlock had dropped out of the top four after suffering defeat last week, thanks to a record breaking average from Phil Taylor.

He said: “To get a win tonight is fantastic for me. The crowd were behind me, which was great and I was pleased to win that. This is the greatest Premier League ever. I played well against Phil Taylor last week but you can’t beat him when he’s in that form so it was nice to get back to winning ways tonight. I’m pleased to be back in the playoff places because I hate being in that bottom four.”

Whitlock responded to early pressure from the world champion by taking out a brilliant 118 finish to hold his throw. ‘The Wizard’ hit his first maximum in the second leg but was unable to break his opponent. Whitlock hit double top to go back in front but back to back 180’s in the fourth leg were not enough to prevent Lewis holding again. The Australian held his throw once more before grabbing the first break of throw in the match to take a 4-2 lead.

‘Jackpot’ broke back immediately despite Whitlock hitting his fourth maximum, but ‘The Wizard’ restored his advantage when he took out 68 to win another leg against the throw. The world number five hit his fifth maximum in the ninth leg before hitting double top to open up a 6-3 lead. Another 180 followed for ‘The Wizard’ as he broke Lewis’ throw again to ensure he would take at least a point from the match.

Whitlock hit his seventh maximum in the next leg but Lewis responded in kind, hitting a seventh of his own on his way to grabbing a break of throw. ‘The Wizard’ went back in front on the maximum count before hitting double sixteen to seal the win and move up to fourth in the table.

By Chris Murphy