MvG Admits he Played "Phenomenal" to Land Fourth PL Title
Mighty Michael van Gerwen admits he played a “phenomenal game” to beat Michael Smith and land his fourth Unibet Premier League title in six years.
Van Gerwen beat Bully Boy 11-4 and delivered an incredible 112.37 average, the highest in this year’s tournament and the second highest ever in a televised final.
The World No 1 beat Rob Cross 10-6 in his semi-final earlier in the evening to reach a sixth consecutive Premier League final, before clinching the £250,000 first prize.
A jubilant MVG said afterwards: “I think I played a phenomenal game, one of my best ever.
“I know I had a big job to do to win the game but I was focused on doing something extra – I wanted to break the record average but I fell just short.
“There was a lot of pressure on me to perform but I think I coped with it well and ran out a deserved winner.
“I had to be at my best to beat Michael, he is one of the big boys now.
“It means a lot to me to win this tournament, I had to work hard for this over the last 16 weeks and to win it again is amazing.”
Van Gerwen wrapped up his third successive Premier League with a devastatingly clinical display, hitting 11 checkouts from 16 attempts, and averaged around 120 for most of the final.
Meanwhile, Smith battled hard to keep himself in the tie, producing magnificent finishes of 125 and 104, along with six maximums.
Smith added: “I want to thank the fans and everyone who supported me.
“Michael was just too good tonight, I tried my best but it just wasn’t enough on the night.
“Even at 8-2 down I was battling to win legs, which I might not have done before this year when I might’ve thrown the towel in.
“I will be back next year, determined to go one better and lift the title.”
Van Gerwen roared into a 3-0 lead with two 12 and one 11-dart leg to leave Bully Boy well and truly on the back foot.
But despite Smith pulling one leg back, MVG was relentless and was soon 8-1 and front and just three from the title.
Bully Boy, to his credit, kept fighting and the dynamic Dutchman put him out of his misery with a brilliant 112 finish.
Earlier in the evening, Van Gerwen became the first man through to the final with a comfortable 10-6 win over Cross.
Voltage admitted: “I feel like I might’ve tried a bit too hard early on in the match.
“My first dart wasn’t going right all night, which allowed Michael to run riot and do what he does best.
“The Premier League has been a massive learning curve for me and I’m confident that I will do even better in the tournament next year if I’m selected.
“This is still just the beginning for me, I’ve got so much more to give and I know that I will be back playing my best darts in the near future.”
Smith claimed the biggest win of his career with an impressive 10-6 triumph over his close friend and mentor Anderson to reach his first senior televised PDC final.
Ando admitted that he was off the pace. He said: “Michael played a good game tonight and he deserved to win.
“The way I’ve played this year it was a bonus for me to reach the semi-finals.
“I’ve had some good games and some bad games, but overall I think I did alright in this year’s Premier League.”
By Phil Lanning (@lannomedia)
Van Gerwen wrapped up his third successive Premier League with a devastatingly clinical display, hitting 11 checkouts from 16 attempts, and averaged around 120 for most of the final.
Meanwhile, Smith battled hard to keep himself in the tie, producing magnificent finishes of 125 and 104, along with six maximums.
Smith added: “I want to thank the fans and everyone who supported me.
“Michael was just too good tonight, I tried my best but it just wasn’t enough on the night.
“Even at 8-2 down I was battling to win legs, which I might not have done before this year when I might’ve thrown the towel in.
“I will be back next year, determined to go one better and lift the title.”
Van Gerwen roared into a 3-0 lead with two 12 and one 11-dart leg to leave Bully Boy well and truly on the back foot.
But despite Smith pulling one leg back, MVG was relentless and was soon 8-1 and front and just three from the title.
Bully Boy, to his credit, kept fighting and the dynamic Dutchman put him out of his misery with a brilliant 112 finish.
Earlier in the evening, Van Gerwen became the first man through to the final with a comfortable 10-6 win over Cross.
Voltage admitted: “I feel like I might’ve tried a bit too hard early on in the match.
“My first dart wasn’t going right all night, which allowed Michael to run riot and do what he does best.
“The Premier League has been a massive learning curve for me and I’m confident that I will do even better in the tournament next year if I’m selected.
“This is still just the beginning for me, I’ve got so much more to give and I know that I will be back playing my best darts in the near future.”
Smith claimed the biggest win of his career with an impressive 10-6 triumph over his close friend and mentor Anderson to reach his first senior televised PDC final.
Ando admitted that he was off the pace. He said: “Michael played a good game tonight and he deserved to win.
“The way I’ve played this year it was a bonus for me to reach the semi-finals.
“I’ve had some good games and some bad games, but overall I think I did alright in this year’s Premier League.”
By Phil Lanning (@lannomedia)