Michael van Gerwen (Picture: Kais Bodensieck/PDC Europe)

Darts results: Michael van Gerwen wins Players Championship title as Gerwyn Price misses out on world number one spot

By Sporting Life

Darts

Sun March 27, 2022 · 3y ago

Michael van Gerwen won his first Players Championship title of the season as Gerwyn Price missed out on a swift return to the world number one spot.

The Dutchman, who recently returned to form with victory on the European Tour as well as his impressive Premier League exploits, stormed to glory in Niedernhausen with an 8-4 triumph over first-time finalist Martin Schindler.

Van Gerwen averaged 102.42 compared to the German's 98.60 to cap off a superb day which had also seen him beat the likes of Luke Humphries 7-5, Brendan Dolan 6-4 and recent UK Open champion Danny Noppert 6-3.

MVG dropped just two legs in wins over Radek Szaganski and Jim Moston to open the day, before seeing off Geert De Vos and Noppert by a three-leg margin to reach the quarter-finals.

There, he posted a third 101 average of the day to overcome Dolan 6-4, and was a 7-5 semi-final winner in a tight contest with Humphries.

Van Gerwen dominated the early stages of the final with Schindler, opening up leads of 3-0, 5-1 and 6-2 before legs of 14 and 11 darts saw the German cut the gap to just two legs.

Van Gerwen, though, restored breathing space with a superb 126 checkout for a 12-darter before wrapping up victory in 13 darts in the next leg.

"I think I did the right things at the right moments and that makes you win finals like this," said Van Gerwen. "I didn't play phenomenal but I think I did okay today.

"You want to keep pushing and keep performing well and that takes a lot of energy out of you, but I'm not here to play a few rounds, I want to win these tournaments. It gives you more confidence and more energy.

"The only medicine for getting back on track is winning games and winning tournaments. That's the only thing you can do.

"I was hanging in there and I never gave up, and I think today my focus was there and absolute will to win was there, and that's the only thing that matters."

Schindler's run to his maiden ProTour final started with a comfortable win over Steve Beaton (6-2) and ended with two terrific victories against Daryl Gurney (6-2) and Adrian Lewis (7-2).

MVG said: "Martin is a good player, especially for the German market, and he's doing a good job for himself.

"He's a really good dart player and you need to make sure you keep your focus going and put him under pressure, because he can play really well and you don't want to give him the confidence."

Meanwhile, Price knew a second title in as many days would see him return to the top of the PDC rankings having relinquished his position to Peter Wright after the UK Open at the start of March.

The Welshman, who defeated Madars Razma to claim his 25th PDC title on Saturday, looked in formidable mood when averaging 110.95 in his first-round match with Lukas Wenig but then crashed out to Jamie Hughes 6-4 with a disappointing average of 90.

Van Gerwen then claimed it would be he who returns to top spot sooner than later.

More to follow...