Michael van Gerwen lifts the Premier League Darts title for a fifth time

Premier League Darts results: Michael van Gerwen wins the title for a fifth time after beating Rob Cross in the final

By Chris Hammer

Darts

Thu May 24, 2019 · 6y ago

Michael van Gerwen won the Premier League Darts title for the fifth time - and fourth in succession - after defeating Rob Cross 11-5 in the final at the O2.

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A week on from collecting a £25,000 bonus for topping the regular season for the seventh year in a row, the world champion first had to battle past Daryl Gurney 10-7 to maintain his perfect record in Premier League semi-finals before adding a further £250,000 to his riches thanks to a stunning performance against Voltage, which he completed in style with a 130 checkout.

Van Gerwen has now equalled Phil Taylor's record of winning four successive Premier League crowns (2005-2008) and although the Power has won more title overall with six, it surely won't be too many years before that total is surpassed.

The Dutchman, who averaged 103.36, threw five 180s and hit almost 50% of his doubles, said: "This feeling of winning the Premier League never changes, it means a lot to me. This year has been an amazing tournament, and at times a difficult tournament for myself, but in the end I came through and that's all that matters.

"It's really tough because you have to perform week-in week-out for 17 nights, travelling every week and keep preparing yourself for the next game. The last few months have been hard for me but to lift this trophy at the end of it makes it all worthwhile.

"Rob is a gentleman and a top player who pushed me all the way. He's been chasing me all year but it wasn't quite enough for him this time but he is a strong rival for the future."

Having been left disappointed with a below-par performance against Gurney, MVG blasted out of the blocks in the final and stormed into a 5-1 lead with the help of a classy 12-darter that included a bounce out and a checkout from 112.

Voltage was struggling to live with the Dutchman, who had beaten him in seven of their previous eight matches dating back to 'that' 2018 World Championship semi-final including all five of their Premier League meetings, but suddenly the tide began to turn.

Cross cranked up his scoring and was lethal on his finishing as he took the next three legs in 13, 12 and 14 darts, while his 87 checkout in the eighth leg got the O2 crowd off their feet as they sensed a dramatic comeback.

However, the Hastings man then spurned a golden opportunity to level the match when missing three darts from 36 after a splendid 134 had set him up for his favourite double.

It would prove costly as MVG punished him to stop the rot and take a slender lead into the interval, even though Cross was now slightly ahead on the averages with 102 compared to his opponent's 100.

Van Gerwen found another gear after the mini break, and he followed up a 72 checkout with a superb 11-darter to open up a three-leg lead.

Cross pulled one back but MVG quickly rattled off the next three and finished the job with a 130 checkout to complete a title-sealing 12-darter.

The runner-up, who had earlier got revenge on James Wade for last week's defeat that cost him top spot in the regular season, wasn't too downhearted after averaging 101 in an entertaining clash but accepted his 11 missed darts at doubles were costly.

He said: "The Premier League this year has been brilliant for me, I've loved performing in front of amazing crowds every week. I didn't play too badly in the final, but I still believe I can play a lot better and there's so much more to come from me.

"Michael is a phenomenal player and he deserves to win this title, but one day I will get him. I had so much adrenaline pumping through me and it probably cost me the game at 5-4 when I missed those crucial doubles.

"I'm going to keep moving forward for the rest of the year and I believe I can win things."

Scroll down for stats and semi-final round-up

MATCH STATS

Averages

MVG: 103.36
Cross: 100.98

180s

MVG: 5
Cross: 2

Doubles

MVG: 11/24
Cross: 5/16

Highest Checkouts

MVG: 130
Cross: 87

CLICK HERE FOR A FULL RECAP OF WHAT HAPPENED ON FINALS NIGHT, INCLUDING BOTH SEMI-FINALS

Semi-Final Round-Up

Rob Cross cruised into his maiden Premier League Darts final as he claimed a comfortable 10-5 victory over a lacklustre James Wade.

A week on from suffering a top-spot costing 8-6 defeat to the Machine in the final week of the regular season, Voltage got his revenge with a commanding performance, averaging almost nine points more than his opponent with 100.31 and throwing four more 180s with five.

Despite winning the opening leg, Cross fell 3-1 down early on but he stormed back to win five of the next six legs to take a 6-4 lead into the interval.

Such was Voltage's dominance after the break, Wade managed just one more leg and that was only down to some uncharacteristic errors from Cross, who missed two intended big numbers in one visit as he tried to finish 39.

The 2009 champion's miserable first Play-Offs since 2013 was soon over when the Hastings star took out 128 to seal his place in the final.

Cross will now face Michael van Gerwen after the Dutchman edged past Daryl Gurney 10-7 in a scrappy contest.

MVG was hot favourite to make it seven Premier League semi-final wins out of seven despite suffering three televised defeats to Gurney in a row, including both of their regular season contests.

It looked like another upset was on the cards when the Northern Irishman won the 10th leg to go into the interval level at 5-5 before breaking MVG's throw straight after it with a superb 13-darter.

But this only served to spark van Gerwen into life as he won five of the next six legs to book his place in a seventh Premier League final.

Gurney said: "I feel like I've missed an opportunity - Michael was there for the taking and I've let him off. It wasn't a classic but it was entertaining because we were both trying so hard. I was hanging in there but the way I played was the way I was practising.

"My aim this year was to improve on what I did last year and I've done that."

SEMI-FINALS: MATCH STATS

CROSS 10-5 WADE

Averages