THE WELSH SQUAD RETURN HOME - PL Night 2
The 2023 Premier League returns for Night 2 as the darting roadshow heads for Cardiff, with former World Champion Gerwyn Price taking on league leader Chris Dobey in the Quarter Finals.
The Iceman returns to face his home fans and will want to impress in the Welsh capital with a record-breaking sell-out crowd.
Price knows exactly what is takes to claim a Night win in the new format, having picked up victories in the Northern Irish capital and Sheffield in 2022.
Price will face a difficult opponent in Dobey, who is coming into Cardiff after winning the Masters at the end of January, before beating Michael van Gerwen 6-5 in the Final last week, having won against Nathan Aspinall and Peter Wright earlier on in the night.
Jonny Clayton opens in front of the Welsh faithful, as he takes on World Number 1 Michael Smith in the first Quarter Final. Both players enter the Cardiff International Arena on the back of defeats last week, with the Ferret falling to a loss at the hands of Dimitri van den Bergh.
The Ferret reached the Final in his homeland on opening night twelve months ago, losing to another Red Dragon player in Peter Wright 6-1, with the former 2-time World Champion averaging 113.02 on the oche.
The Pontyberem player topped the league phase last year having claimed four victories in the competition, winning in Liverpool, Birmingham, Aberdeen, and Glasgow.
Reigning World Champion Smith lost a repeat of the recent World Championship Final to Van Gerwen in Belfast, with MVG prevailing 6-3 with an average off 102.36.
World Number 2 Peter Wright will look to bounce back on Night 2 having won in the Welsh capital last year, as he faces Nathan Aspinall in the second match.
The Red Dragon player lost to debutant Chris Dobey on opening night but has got off to a winning start on the World Series stage. The Scotsman beat Gerwyn Price to win the Nordic Darts Masters in Copenhagen last month, beating the remainder of the PDC Top 4 to prevail in Denmark.
Michael van Gerwen sits second in the league table, beating Michael Smith and Dimitri van den Bergh to reach the opening night Final. The reigning Premier League champion will face the Dream Maker again in the last Quarter Final, with the Dutchman also defeating the Belgian in a 6-0 Semi Final defeat in the recent World Championship.
Van den Bergh is into his second Premier League campaign having reached the Last 4 of the World’s and the Matchplay in 2022, whilst claiming two titles on the World Series stage in Denmark and Holland.
Night 2 starts from 7pm live on Sky Sports, with Jonny Clayton facing Michael Smith for a spot in the first Semi Final in Cardiff, as the darting roadshow makes its return to the Welsh capital.
By Harry Masterson
Premier League Night 2: Order of Play
Quarter Finals:
Michael Smith v Jonny Clayton
Nathan Aspinall v Peter Wright
Gerwyn Price v Chris Dobey
Michael van Gerwen v Dimitri van den Bergh
Semi Finals:
Smith/ Clayton v Aspinall/ Wright
Price/ Dobey v Van Gerwen/ Van den Bergh
Final:
Winner of SF1 v Winner of SF2.