A VALE of Clwyd darts ace will have to contend with The Machine on his Premier League debut.
Denbigh destroyer Mark Webster will tackle last year’s runner-up James Wade when the £400,000 2011 PDC Premier League Darts season gets underway at The O2 in London on Thursday, February 10.
That first night also features a clash between current world champion Adrian Lewis and Phil Taylor, while Gary Anderson meets Simon Whitlock in another intriguing clash.
The other opening night match pairs Terry Jenkins with five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld.
This is the first of 14 league nights to be held around the UK and screened live on Sky Sports HD.
The second week of the Premier League Darts, to be held at the Trent FM Arena in Nottingham on February 17, will begin when Whitlock plays van Barneveld, while Taylor and Webster clash in a repeat of their recent Ladbrokes.com World Championship quarter-final, which the Welsh left-hander won.
Webster’s tough run of fixtures continues in the third week of the competition, at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast on Thursday, February 24 when he tackles 2011 world championship runner-up Gary Anderson, and then takes on new world champion ‘Jackpot’ Adrian Lewis during week four, which will be played at Exeter’s Westpoint Arena on March 3.
Mark is generally seen as a 12/1 shot to claim the Premier League title, while defending champion Phil Taylor is the favourite.
The winner will claim a cool £125,000, with £65,000 going to the runner-up, while the eighth-placed league finisher will win £25,000.
2011 PDC Premier League Darts Fixtures
Week One: The O2, London (February 10): Mark Webster v James Wade
Week Two: Trent FM Arena, Nottingham (February 17): Phil Taylor v Mark Webster
Week Three: Odyssey Arena, Belfast (February 24): Gary Anderson v Mark Webster
Week Four: Westpoint Arena, Exeter (March 3): Mark Webster v Adrian Lewis
Week Five: M.E.N. Arena, Manchester (March 10): Terry Jenkins v Mark Webster
Week Six: S.E.E.C., Glasgow (March 17): Raymond van Barneveld v Mark Webster
Week Seven: The Brighton Centre (March 24): Mark Webster v Simon Whitlock
Week Eight: C.I.A., Cardiff (March 31): Adrian Lewis v Mark Webster
Week Nine: A.E.C.C., Aberdeen (April 7): Mark Webster v Phil Taylor
Week 10: Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield (April 14): Mark Webster v Gary Anderson
Week 11: N.I.A., Birmingham (April 21): James Wade v Mark Webster
Week 12: Liverpool Echo Arena (April 28): Mark Webster v Terry Jenkins
Week 13: B.I.C., Bournemouth (May 5): Simon Whitlock v Mark Webster
Week 14: Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle (May 12): Mark Webster v Raymond van Barneveld
Play-Offs: Wembley Arena, London (May 19)