The 2008 Whyte & Mackay

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

was a darts tournament organised by the

Professional Darts Corporation The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) is a professional darts organisation in the United Kingdom, established in 1992 when a group of leading players split from the British Darts Organisation (BDO) to form what was initially called the World ...

. The prize money was increased by £75,000 compared to 2007. The overall fund was £340,000 with the eventual winner taking home £100,000. Phil Taylor continued his dominance of this tournament by taking the title for the fourth year in a row despite losing for the first time in 44 matches, losing the opening game 8–6 to newcomer

James Wade James Martin Wade (born 6 April 1983) is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He became the youngest player to win a major PDC title, when he won the 2007 World Matchplay at the ...

and going on to lose twice more in his first four matches. Taylor beat Wade 16–8 in the final.

Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...

secured television coverage of the event until 2010, and Whyte & Mackay sponsored the tournament for the same duration – taking over from

Holsten Holsten Brewery (Holsten-Brauerei AG) is a brewing company founded in 1879 in what is now Hamburg's Altona-Nord quarter. The group now has seven breweries in Germany. Its nationally distributed premium brand is the pale lager ''Holsten Pilsen ...

who sponsored the event in 2006 and 2007.Whyte & Mackay sign three year sponsorship deal
planetdarts.tv

Qualifiers

The World Grand Prix in October 2007 was the cut-off point for automatic qualification for the event. The top six players in the

World Rankings A ranking is a relationship between a set of items such that, for any two items, the first is either "ranked higher than", "ranked lower than" or "ranked equal to" the second. In mathematics, this is known as a weak order or total preorder of o ...

after the tournament received an automatic place in the Premier League. The qualifiers were thus: * Phil Taylor *

Raymond van Barneveld Raymond van Barneveld (born 20 April 1967) is a Dutch professional darts player. Nicknamed Barney, although originally known as The Man, he is one of the most successful darts players in history. Van Barneveld is a five-time World Darts Champ ...

Terry Jenkins Terry Jenkins (born 26 September 1963) is an English former professional darts player who was nicknamed The Bull, having previously used the name "Tucker" for his matches. He reached number three in the world rankings and was a runner-up in nin ...

* Peter Manley * Adrian Lewis * John Part (PDC wildcard) * Wayne Mardle (Sky Sports wildcard)

Venues

Fifteen venues were used for the 2008 Premier League, including a first trip to

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

for a night in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

Prize money

The prize fund increases for 2008 – with the top prize of £100,000 matching the amount that the 2008 PDC World Champion received. The guaranteed prize for reaching the Premier League is now £20,000.

Results

League stage

31 January – week 1

SECC,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

7 February – week 2

Plymouth Pavilions,

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

14 February – week 3

MEN Arena Manchester Arena, currently referred to as the AO Arena for sponsorship reasons, is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, immediately north of the Manchester city centre, city centre and partly above Manchester Victoria station in air rights s ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

21 February – Week 4

Ricoh Arena,

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

28 February – Week 5

Bournemouth International Centre The Bournemouth International Centre (commonly known as the BIC ) in Bournemouth, Dorset, was opened in September 1984. It is one of the largest venues for conferences, exhibitions, entertainment and events in southern England. Additionally, it ...

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

6 March – Week 6

Trent FM Arena Motorpoint Arena (originally the Nottingham Arena) is a multi-use indoor arena joined with the National Ice Centre in the Lace Market district of Nottingham, England. The National Ice Centre and Nottingham Arena were opened by Olympic gold me ...

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

13 March – Week 7

Sheffield Arena Sheffield Arena, known for sponsorship purposes as Utilita Arena Sheffield, is a multi-purpose arena located in Sheffield, England. It is situated near Meadowhall and lies between Sheffield city centre and Rotherham town centre. Opened in 1991 ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

20 March – Week 8

Brighton Centre Brighton Centre is a conference and exhibition centre located in Brighton, England. It is the largest of its kind in southern England, and is regularly used for conferences of the British political parties and other bodies of national importa ...

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

27 March – Week 9

National Indoor Arena Arena Birmingham (known for sponsorship reasons as Utilita Arena Birmingham, and previously as The Barclaycard Arena and originally as the National Indoor Arena) is an indoor arena and sporting venue in central Birmingham, United Kingdom. It ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

† = ''Terry Jenkins replaced Adrian Lewis on 27 March show against Phil Taylor because Lewis was too ill to play. The next week, Lewis played his match against Taylor and James Wade, giving Jenkins the night off''.

3 April – week 10

AECC,

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

10 April – week 11

Echo Arena Liverpool Arena, known for sponsorship reasons as the M&S Bank Arena, and previously Echo Arena, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the city centre of Liverpool, England. The venue hosts live music, comedy performances and sporting events, and ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

17 April – week 12

Wembley Arena Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-sea ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

24 April – week 13

Odyssey Arena,

1 May – week 14

Metro Radio Arena,

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

Play-offs – 26 May

Cardiff International Arena,

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

Table and Streaks

Table

NB: LWAT = Legs Won Against Throw. Players separated by +/- leg difference if tied.

Streaks

NB: W = Won D = Drawn L = Lost N/A = Did Not Play

Player statistics

The following statistics are for the league stage only. Playoffs are not included.

Phil Taylor

* Longest unbeaten run: 10 * Most consecutive wins: 5 * Most consecutive draws: 1 * Most consecutive losses: 2 * Longest without a win: 2 * Biggest victory: 8-0 (''v.'' Wayne Mardle) * Biggest defeat: 3-8 (''v.'' Peter Manley)

James Wade

* Longest unbeaten run: 4 * Most consecutive wins: 4 * Most consecutive draws: 1 * Most consecutive losses: 1 * Longest without a win: 2 * Biggest victory: 8-1 (''v.'' Adrian Lewis) * Biggest defeat: 4-8 (''v.'' Phil Taylor)

Raymond van Barneveld

* Longest unbeaten run: 3 * Most consecutive wins: 3 * Most consecutive draws: 0 * Most consecutive losses: 2 * Longest without a win: 2 * Biggest victory: 8-1 (''v.''

) * Biggest defeat: 2-8 (''v.'' Phil Taylor)

Adrian Lewis

* Longest unbeaten run: 3 * Most consecutive wins: 1 * Most consecutive draws: 2 * Most consecutive losses: 2 * Longest without a win: 3 * Biggest victory: 8-2 (''v.'' John Part) * Biggest defeat: 1-8 (''v.''

)

Wayne Mardle

* Longest unbeaten run: 5 * Most consecutive wins: 4 * Most consecutive draws: 1 * Most consecutive losses: 3 * Longest without a win: 6 * Biggest victory: 8-5 (''v.''

, ''v.''

, ''v.'' Peter Manley and ''v.'' John Part) * Biggest defeat: 0-8 (''v.'' Phil Taylor)

Peter Manley

* Longest unbeaten run: 3 * Most consecutive wins: 2 * Most consecutive draws: 2 * Most consecutive losses: 3 * Longest without a win: 5 * Biggest victory: 8-3 (''v.'' Phil Taylor) * Biggest defeat: 1-8 (''v.'' Phil Taylor)

Terry Jenkins

* Longest unbeaten run: 4 * Most consecutive wins: 3 * Most consecutive draws: 1 * Most consecutive losses: 3 * Longest without a win: 9 * Biggest victory: 8-2 (''v.'' John Part) * Biggest defeat: 1-8 (''v.''

)

John Part

* Longest unbeaten run: 1 * Most consecutive wins: 1 * Most consecutive draws: 1 * Most consecutive losses: 4 * Longest without a win: 4 * Biggest victory: 8-5 (''v.'' Peter Manley and ''v.''

) * Biggest defeat: 2-8 (''v.''

and ''v.'' Adrian Lewis)

References

External links

PDC confirm 2008 – 2010 Premier League

planetdarts {{2008 in PDC darts Premier League Darts Premier League Darts Premier League Darts