BOURNEMOUTH’S lengthy wait for a nine-dart finish goes on despite a thrilling night of Premier League action at the BIC.

Dutch star Raymond van Barneveld achieved the perfect leg against Peter Manley in 2006 but there was no repeat this time.

In front of a packed crowd which included former England star Paul Gascoigne, none of the throwers came close to a nine-darter, although there were a number of ton-plus finishes.

Michael van Gerwen swept aside Peter Wright 7-2 in game one. The former world champion eased to the first leg before capitalising on two missed doubles to break throw.

‘Snakebite’ hit straight back, only for van Gerwen to take out 86 on 16s and then go 4-1 in front.

Wright held throw but then let off his opponent, failing to take the seventh stanza.

And van Gerwen made the most of his fortune as he wrapped up the eighth leg before closing out the triumph.

A relaxed van Barneveld was not seriously tested in his 7-4 victory over Adrian Lewis. The first three legs went with throw and after van Barneveld fluffed his chance to break, Lewis pounced.

‘Barney’ inched 3-2 ahead before nailing a neat 141, the five-time world champion then going 5-2 in front.

Lewis got out of jail in leg eight but van Barneveld then finished off 110. Stoke thrower Lewis stayed alive on 78 but it proved only a stay of execution.

James Wade came from three legs down to earn a 6-6 draw with Gary Anderson. Anderson went 2-1 ahead but after he missed a 130 out, ex-World Matchplay champion Wade mopped up 64.

An absorbing contest shifted to 4-3 in Anderson’s favour and when Wade faltered on double 12 for a 141, the former took out tops.

The Scot pressed home his advantage by picking out double six, before Wade made it 6-5. And in a finale in which both stuttered, Wade notched double five.

Sixteen-time world champion Phil Taylor thrashed struggler Robert Thornton 7-2 to secure his play-off spot. Despite an underwhelming average, Taylor raced into a 3-0 lead.

‘The Thorn’ took out tops to hit back but Taylor barely had to be out of third gear to win the fifth.

The next two were shared and Taylor then rattled off two further legs, closing on 78.

In his second win of the night, van Gerwen sunk Lewis 7-5.

The Dutchman went 2-0 up thanks to a 124 finish on the bull and after the match moved to 3-1, van Gerwen hammered in two double tops to go 4-1 up.

But Lewis reeled off three consecutive legs which included a sensational 142 on double 11.

The 2011 Premier League finalist had chances to hit the front but faltered and van Gerwen duly pounced.

The 26-year-old guaranteed himself a draw with a 65 checkout on tops but Lewis hung in there.

However, van Gerwen’s double 16 won it.