A REDEMPTION GAME STRAIGHT OUT OF THE GATE FOR GEZZY!
Reigning Premier League champion and current league leader Michael van Gerwen faces Gerwyn Price in the first Quarter Final on Night 5 at the Westpoint Arena in Exeter, with the pair meeting in last week’s Grand Final in Dublin, as the rampant Dutchman claimed his first win of the competition.
Both players have won one night so far this year, with the World Number 4 beating MVG on route to winning Night 2 in his hometown of Cardiff. Mighty Mike averaged 14 points higher than his opponent in the Semi Finals but fell to a 6-5 defeat, with the Iceman being roared on from the support of over 8000 people at the Cardiff International Arena.
Van Gerwen sits top of the Premier League table with 10 points after winning in Dublin, beating Chris Dobey and Jonny Clayton by 6-3 scorelines to reach his second Final of the league. Reigning World Champion Michael Smith sits one point behind the six-time champion in the table, having beat Dimitri van den Bergh to pick up a win on Night 3 in Glasgow.
Peter Wright is still on the hunt for his first win of the 2023 darting roadshow going into Night 5, with the Scotsman most recently reaching the Third Round of the Baltic Sea Darts Open.
Snakebite returned to winning ways last weekend in Kiel, beating 2009 Premier League champion James Wade 6-3 including a 96.60 average, 2 180s and a 42.86% checkout rate.
The World Number 2 faces a tough test in last year’s table topper Jonny Clayton, with the Ferret beating the likes of Stephen Bunting and Steve Beaton to reach the Semi Finals of the first Euro Tour of the year last weekend in Germany.
Clayton has started the PDC darting year well, reaching a Semi Final on both the Pro Tour and the Euro Tour. The Welshman won four Premier League nights last year, and has picked up points in his last two weeks of Premier League competition.
Clayton brought to an end Nathan Aspinall’s perfect Quarter Final record on Night 4 in Dublin after beating the Asp 6-4, whilst claiming his first win in the competition against Chris Dobey, as he beat the Night 1 winner 6-1 with an average of 101.56 in Glasgow.
Premier League Night 5 starts live on Sky Sports from 7pm on Thursday, with top of the table Michael van Gerwen facing 3rd in the league Gerwyn Price for a place in the Semi Finals at the Westpoint Arena in Exeter.
By Harry Masterson
Premier League Night 5: Order of Play
Quarter Finals:
Michael van Gerwen v Gerwyn Price
Nathan Aspinall v Michael Smith
Dimitri van den Bergh v Chris Dobey
Jonny Clayton v Peter Wright
Semi Finals:
Van Gerwen/ Price v Aspinall/ Smith
Van den Bergh/ Dobey v Clayton/ Wright
Final:
Winner of SF1 v Winner of SF2.