14/01/10
Phil Taylor and Simon Whitlock will meet on the opening night of the 2010 Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts at The O2 on Thursday February 11.
The duo clash in a repeat of their recent meeting in the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship final in the first of 14 weekly rounds in the Premier League Darts.
Whitlock's appearance will mark his debut in the tournament, having been included as one of the two Sky Sports Wildcards following his sensational display in the World Championship.
He eventually lost 7-3 to Taylor in the final, with the Stoke legend bidding to regain the Premier League Darts title this spring after missing out on a fifth successive crown with a semi-final loss to Mervyn King last May.
Reigning champion James Wade meets world number two Raymond van Barneveld in another huge clash on the opening night, while Ronnie Baxter celebrates his return to Premier League Darts against Terry Jenkins and King, the 2009 runner-up, takes on Sky Sports Wildcard Adrian Lewis.
The second week, at the BIC in Bournemouth, sees van Barneveld take on Lewis at the scene of the Dutchman's nine-dart finish in the 2006 Premier League Darts, when he hit a perfect leg against Peter Manley.
Wade will meet King in Bournemouth in a repeat of last year's final, while Taylor takes on Baxter and Jenkins faces Whitlock.
The visit to Belfast in week three sees Taylor meet Wade, who took victory over the world number one at the Odyssey Arena in 2009, while Whitlock takes on van Barneveld.
The clashes between the players ranked one and two in the world, Taylor and van Barneveld, will take place on week four in Exeter and week eight in Cardiff.
Each league night will be played from 7pm-10pm and screened live on Sky Sports in High Definition.
League games are the best of 14 legs, with two points awarded for a win (first player to eight legs) or one point awarded for a 7-7 draw.
VIEW THE DRAW IN FULL AT THE PREMIER LEAGUE NETZONE