ENGLAND'S Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis began their bid to win the bwin World Cup of Darts title for a third successive year with a 5-0 whitewash of Thailand on Friday night, as Holland, Australia and Belgium joined them in the second round in Hamburg.

RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD looks ahead to the bwin World Cup of Darts and back on his success in previous years of the event.

PETER WRIGHT is hoping to follow his success in reaching the Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters final by helping Scotland to glory in the bwin World Cup of Darts.

ADRIAN LEWIS is hoping to inspire his football counterparts when he partners Phil Taylor in their bid to secure a hat-trick of bwin World Cup of Darts victories this weekend.

THE entries for the European Darts Open in Dusseldorf have been confirmed, ahead of the European Tour event at the Maritim Hotel from July 11-13.

THE entries for the next Players Championship double-header have been confirmed.

THE 2014 Sydney Darts Masters will be held from August 28-30 at the Hordern Pavilion in Moore Park, with tickets now on sale for the World Series of Darts event.

THE Netherlands are the 11/10 sponsors' favourites to win the bwin World Cup of Darts for a second time in Germany this weekend, with England the 7/4 second favourites.

THE schedule of play for the bwin World Cup of Darts has been confirmed ahead of the fourth staging of the event.

ALAN TABERN and Jay Foreman were the winners in Sunday's PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour double-header on Sunday.