The 2012 McCoy's Premier League Darts was a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation; the eighth edition of the tournament. The event began at the Manchester Arena in Manchester on 9 February, and ended at The O2 Arena in London on 17 May.

The format was a double round robin tournament with the top 4 finishers moving on to the play-offs. Each league match was played best of 14 legs. If a player won his eighth leg before the 14th leg, no further legs were played after this point. Two points were awarded for a win and one point awarded for a draw.

Phil Taylor won his sixth and final Premier League title by defeating Simon Whitlock 10–7 in the final. The two men who contested the final were also the players to throw nine-dart finishes during the tournament. Taylor's came in week 2 against Kevin Painter and Whitlock threw his during his semi-final win against Andy Hamilton.

The 2012 Premier League final between Phil Taylor and Simon Whitlock, which took place on 17 May 2012, was the last darts match that Sid Waddell commentated on before his death of bowel cancer on 11 August 2012.

Qualification The PDC's top four players following the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship on 3 January qualified by right to compete in the Premier League Darts 2012, and were joined by four wild card selections. Two being chosen by the PDC and two being chosen by broadcasters Sky Sports. The line-up was confirmed on 3 January 2012. Andy Hamilton and Kevin Painter made their debut Premier League appearances as wildcard entries.

PlayerAppearance inPremier LeagueConsecutiveStreakPrevious best performanceOrder of MeritRanking Phil Taylor 8th 8 Winner (2005–08, 2010) 1 Adrian Lewis 5th 3 Runner-up (2011) 2 James Wade 5th 5 Winner (2009) 3 Gary Anderson 2nd 2 Winner (2011) 4 Simon Whitlock WC 3rd 3 Semi-finals (2010) 5 Raymond van Barneveld WC 7th 7 Semi-finals (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011) 9 Andy Hamilton WC 1st 1 Debut 7 Kevin Painter WC 1st 1 Debut 10 WC = Wild Card

Venues Fifteen venues were used for the 2012 Premier League, with the only change being Dublin becoming the first venue from outside the United Kingdom to host a night of the Premier League.

Manchester Aberdeen Belfast Exeter Brighton Manchester Arena9 February AECC16 February Odyssey Arena23 February Westpoint Arena1 March Brighton Centre8 March Glasgow Dublin Cardiff Nottingham Sheffield SECC15 March The O222 March Motorpoint Arena29 March Capital FM Arena5 April Motorpoint Arena12 April Bournemouth Liverpool Birmingham Newcastle upon Tyne London Bournemouth International Centre19 April Echo Arena26 April National Indoor Arena3 May Metro Radio Arena10 May The O2 Arena17 May

Prize money The prize money was increased to £450,000 from £410,000 in 2011, but the highest checkout bonus was withdrawn, and the third place play-off was removed as well.

Stage Prize money Winner £150,000 Runner-up £70,000 Semi-finalists (x2) £50,000 5th place £40,000 6th place £35,000 7th place £30,000 8th place £25,000 Total £450,000

Results League stage The fixtures were announced on 16 January 2012.

9 February – week 1 MEN Arena, Manchester PlayerLegsPlayer Andy Hamilton 98.90 8 – 5 James Wade 91.20 Simon Whitlock 95.80 7 – 7 Raymond van Barneveld 102.58 Kevin Painter 82.67 8 – 6 Gary Anderson 80.84 Adrian Lewis 104.05 7 – 7 Phil Taylor 112.79 High Checkout: Adrian Lewis 138

16 February – week 2 AECC, Aberdeen PlayerLegsPlayer Adrian Lewis 99.32 7 – 7 Raymond van Barneveld 94.70 Gary Anderson 84.98 8 – 2 Andy Hamilton 84.28 Phil Taylor 108.27 8 – 5 Kevin Painter 97.00 Simon Whitlock 96.27 8 – 4 James Wade 96.08 High Checkout: Phil Taylor 147

23 February – week 3 Odyssey Arena, Belfast PlayerLegsPlayer Kevin Painter 92.03 8 – 3 Simon Whitlock 91.63 Andy Hamilton 94.53 7 – 7 Adrian Lewis 92.29 Gary Anderson 102.20 8 – 5 James Wade 95.29 Raymond van Barneveld 105.93 4 – 8 Phil Taylor 112.91 High Checkout: Raymond van Barneveld 145

1 March – Week 4 Westpoint Arena, Exeter PlayerLegsPlayer Kevin Painter 91.11 6 – 8 James Wade 89.47 Raymond van Barneveld 98.30 8 – 6 Andy Hamilton 91.25 Simon Whitlock 105.44 4 – 8 Phil Taylor 117.35 Gary Anderson 93.47 8 – 1 Adrian Lewis 86.23 High Checkout: Kevin Painter & James Wade 118

8 March – Week 5 Brighton Centre, Brighton PlayerLegsPlayer Kevin Painter 93.00 8 – 5 Andy Hamilton 93.64 Phil Taylor 99.89 8 – 1 Gary Anderson 95.02 James Wade 96.71 8 – 6 Raymond van Barneveld 97.87 Simon Whitlock 96.05 8 – 4 Adrian Lewis 92.35 High Checkout: James Wade 154

15 March – Week 6 SECC, Glasgow PlayerLegsPlayer James Wade 96.70 8 – 5 Adrian Lewis 98.59 Gary Anderson 90.83 6 – 8 Simon Whitlock 97.49 Phil Taylor 106.05 8 – 3 Andy Hamilton 96.39 Raymond van Barneveld 95.37 8 – 5 Kevin Painter 92.45 High Checkout: Simon Whitlock 164

22 March – Week 7 The O2, Dublin PlayerLegsPlayer Andy Hamilton 97.10 7 – 7 Simon Whitlock 96.74 Adrian Lewis 94.11 8 – 3 Kevin Painter 88.25 Raymond van Barneveld 107.22 8 – 5 Gary Anderson 105.40 Phil Taylor 107.25 8 – 2 James Wade 102.07 High Checkout: Simon Whitlock 152

29 March – Week 8 Cardiff International Arena, CardiffGary Anderson did not compete because he was attending the funeral of his father. Adrian Lewis played twice this week. PlayerLegsPlayer Adrian Lewis 98.03 4 – 8 Andy Hamilton 95.33 James Wade 96.97 8 – 0 Simon Whitlock 80.79 Kevin Painter 92.33 2 – 8 Phil Taylor 113.30 Raymond van Barneveld 92.98 2 – 8 Adrian Lewis 99.98 High Checkout: Adrian Lewis 160

5 April – Week 9 Capital FM Arena, Nottingham PlayerLegsPlayer Kevin Painter 100.08 6 – 8 Raymond van Barneveld 112.28 Adrian Lewis 104.70 8 – 5 James Wade 89.04 Andy Hamilton 97.43 6 – 8 Phil Taylor 103.68 Simon Whitlock 101.09 8 – 2 Gary Anderson 94.42 High Checkout: Gary Anderson 143

12 April – week 10 Motorpoint Arena, SheffieldGary Anderson competed twice this week because of his absence in week 8. Adrian Lewis did not play this week. PlayerLegsPlayer James Wade 101.02 8 – 3 Gary Anderson 95.40 Simon Whitlock 103.43 8 – 5 Kevin Painter 94.22 Phil Taylor 105.02 8 – 3 Raymond van Barneveld 100.53 Gary Anderson 95.94 7 – 7 Andy Hamilton 92.36 High Checkout: Phil Taylor & Andy Hamilton 124

19 April – week 11 Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth PlayerLegsPlayer Raymond van Barneveld 88.77 4 – 8 Simon Whitlock 89.75 Gary Anderson 85.01 4 – 8 Kevin Painter 90.65 James Wade 99.30 7 – 7 Andy Hamilton 100.41 Phil Taylor 98.85 5 – 8 Adrian Lewis 101.90 High Checkout: Adrian Lewis 160

26 April – week 12 Echo Arena, Liverpool PlayerLegsPlayer James Wade 97.07 7 – 7 Kevin Painter 99.14 Phil Taylor 104.41 8 – 3 Simon Whitlock 100.23 Andy Hamilton 95.71 7 – 7 Raymond van Barneveld 95.71 Adrian Lewis 98.15 7 – 7 Gary Anderson 99.26 High Checkout: Adrian Lewis 170

3 May – week 13 National Indoor Arena, Birmingham PlayerLegsPlayer Simon Whitlock 97.46 4 – 8 Andy Hamilton 95.43 Gary Anderson 98.40 7 – 7 Raymond van Barneveld 96.35 Kevin Painter 96.04 8 – 3 Adrian Lewis 96.47 James Wade 93.55 1 – 8 Phil Taylor 116.10 High Checkout: Raymond van Barneveld 170

10 May – week 14 Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne PlayerLegsPlayer Andy Hamilton 90.86 8 – 1 Kevin Painter 89.51 Gary Anderson 96.08 7 – 7 Phil Taylor 105.41 Raymond van Barneveld 94.86 7 – 7 James Wade 96.99 Adrian Lewis 94.70 6 – 8 Simon Whitlock 96.19 High Checkout: Raymond van Barneveld & Gary Anderson 161

Play-offs – 17 May The O2 Arena, London Score Semi-finals (best of 15 legs) Phil Taylor 99.32 8 – 6 James Wade 97.23 Simon Whitlock 96.59 8 – 6 Andy Hamilton 95.62 Final (best of 19 legs) Phil Taylor 97.08 10 – 7 Simon Whitlock 95.32 High Checkout: Phil Taylor 149 (Semi-final)

Table and streaks Table

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! style="width:20px;" abbr="Position"|Pos !width=200 |Name ! style="width:20px;" abbr="Played"|Pld ! style="width:20px;" abbr="Won"|W ! style="width:20px;" abbr="Drawn"|D ! style="width:20px;" abbr="Lost"|L ! style="width:20px;" abbr="Points"|Pts ! style="width:20px;" abbr="Legs For"|LF ! style="width:20px;" abbr="Legs Against"|LA ! style="width:20px;" abbr="Leg Difference"|+/- ! style="width:20px;" abbr="Legs Won Against Throw"|LWAT ! style="width:20px;" abbr="Tons"|100+ ! style="width:20px;" abbr="Ton Plus"|140+ ! style="width:20px;" abbr="Maximums"|180s ! style="width:20px;" abbr="Average"|A ! style="width:20px;" abbr="High Checkout"|HC |- bgcolor=#ccffcc !1 |align=left| || 14 || 11 || 2 || 1 ||24|| 107 || 56 || +51 || || || || || || 147 |- bgcolor=#ccffcc !2 |align=left| RU|| 14 || 7 || 2 || 5 ||16|| 84 || 85 || –1 || || || || || || 164 |- bgcolor=#ccffcc !3 |align=left| || 14 || 4 || 5 || 5 ||13|| 89 || 89 || 0 || || || || || || 152 |- style="border-bottom:3px solid green;" bgcolor=#ccffcc !4 |align=left| || 14 || 5 || 3 || 6 ||13|| 83 || 89 || –6 || || || || || || 154 |- bgcolor=#ffcccc !5 |align=left| || 14 || 4 || 5 || 5 ||13|| 86 || 97 || −11 || || || || || || 170 |- bgcolor=#ffcccc !6 |align=left| || 14 || 4 || 4 || 6 ||12|| 83 || 91 || –8 || || || || || || 170 |- bgcolor=#ffcccc !7 |align=left| || 14 || 5 || 1 || 8 ||11|| 80 || 92 || –12 || || || || || || 157 |- bgcolor=#ffcccc !8 |align=left| || 14 || 3 || 4 || 7 ||10|| 79 || 92 || –13 || || || || || || 161

Top four qualified for the Play-offs after Week 14. NB: LWAT = Legs Won Against Throw. A = Average HC = High checkout. Players separated by +/- leg difference if tied. If leg difference is equal the table is sorted by the player's LWAT.

Streaks

Player League Stage Play-offs 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 SF F colspan=2 colspan=2 colspan=2 colspan=2 colspan=2 colspan=2 colspan=1 rowspan=2 colspan=2 colspan=2 colspan=2 colspan=2 colspan=2 rowspan=4 style="width:15px;" style="width:15px;" colspan=2 colspan=2 colspan=2 colspan=2 style="width:15px;" style="width:15px;"

Legend: Win Draw Loss 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: 9 Most consecutive draws: 1 Most consecutive losses: 1 Longest without a win: 1 Biggest victory: 8–1 (v. Gary Anderson and v. James Wade) Biggest defeat: 5–8 (v. Adrian Lewis)

Simon Whitlock Longest unbeaten run: 3 Most consecutive wins: 3 Most consecutive draws: 1 Most consecutive losses: 2 Longest without a win: 2 Biggest victory: 8–2 (v. Gary Anderson) Biggest defeat: 0–8 (v. James Wade)

Andy Hamilton Longest unbeaten run: 5 Most consecutive wins: 2 Most consecutive draws: 3 Most consecutive losses: 3 Longest without a win: 6 Biggest victory: 8–1 (v. Kevin Painter) Biggest defeat: 2–8 (v. Gary Anderson)

James Wade Longest unbeaten run: 3 Most consecutive wins: 3 Most consecutive draws: 2 Most consecutive losses: 3 Longest without a win: 4 Biggest victory: 8–0 (v. Simon Whitlock) Biggest defeat: 1–8 (v. Phil Taylor)

Raymond van Barneveld Longest unbeaten run: 3 Most consecutive wins: 2 Most consecutive draws: 3 Most consecutive losses: 2 Longest without a win: 5 Biggest victory: 8–5 (v. Gary Anderson and v. Kevin Painter) Biggest defeat: 2–8 (v. Adrian Lewis)

Adrian Lewis Longest unbeaten run: 4 Most consecutive wins: 3 Most consecutive draws: 3 Most consecutive losses: 3 Longest without a win: 6 Biggest victory: 8–2 (v. Raymond van Barneveld) Biggest defeat: 1–8 (v. Gary Anderson)

Kevin Painter Longest unbeaten run: 3 Most consecutive wins: 1 Most consecutive draws: 1 Most consecutive losses: 5 Longest without a win: 5 Biggest victory: 8–3 (v. Simon Whitlock and v. Adrian Lewis) Biggest defeat: 1–8 (v. Andy Hamilton)

Gary Anderson Longest unbeaten run: 3 Most consecutive wins: 3 Most consecutive draws: 3 Most consecutive losses: 5 Longest without a win: 10 Biggest victory: 8–1 (v. Adrian Lewis) Biggest defeat: 1–8 (v. Phil Taylor)

Charity single