Darts results: Dimitri Van den Bergh rescues point but will now face Jonny Clayton for a place in the Premier League Play-Offs
Dimitri Van den Bergh and Jonny Clayton will battle it out for the last spot in the Unibet Premier League Darts Play-Offs as Nathan Aspinall and Jose De Sousa joined Michael van Gerwen in the final four.
The Ferret's hopes of vying for the title on his tournament debut were put in jeopardy after suffering an 8-5 defeat to Peter Wright in the opening match of the night - a result which subsequently ensured Aspinall and De Sousa would qualify for the season's climax on Friday night.
Clayton was made to pay for his 14 missed double attempts as Snakebite hit eight of his 19, including the bullseye for a stunning 161 checkout but his victory was in vain in terms of his qualification hopes.
Fifth-placed Dimitri Van den Bergh then had the opportunity to take pole position in the race for the remaining berth with victory over James Wade but he could only salvage a 7-7 draw and although he's now level on points with Clayton, he is one place lower on legs difference and therefore must beat the Welshman in their last regular season match on Thursday.
The draw with Wade also ended Wright's faint hopes of pulling off an incredible late charge into the play-offs because he's now two points behind the pair with one game remaining.
Coming into the game on the back of a three-match losing run, Van den Bergh had to battle back from 6-3 down to take a share of the spoils against Wade.
After Wade took out 121 to go 7-6 up, Van den Bergh rallied and checked out 130 on the bullseye for a 15-darter under pressure to maintain his hopes of a Play-Off berth in his maiden Premier League campaign.
"This result means a lot to me, it gives me a fighting chance heading into tomorrow," said Van den Bergh.
"I've been playing really well and losing recently, but you have to expect that when you are playing against the best of the best, night after night.
"I always take the positives, I keep fighting and believing in myself. I have to thank the crowd for this result because they definitely helped me secure that point.
"It's all to play for tomorrow night, I will need the support of the crowd to make my dream come true."
Last year's runner-up Aspinall, who was tipped up by our darts expert Chris Hammer at 22/1 pre-tournament, earned a scrappy draw with Gary Anderson in the third match which kept alive his hopes of winning the league leaders' bonus of £25,000 - but he's two points behind Michael van Gerwen after the five-time champion beat de Sousa 8-6.
An even contest saw both players land two ton-plus checkouts each, before Aspinall rescued a point with a 14-dart final leg to book his place in Friday's Play-Offs.
"I'm really disappointed," Aspinall admitted. "I've got a lot of time for Gary, he was my idol growing up but tonight showed me that I've got to put that to one side when I play him.
"Normally i play really well against him but what I take away from this game is that I've got to put that to one side when I'm on stage and play my game; I felt very flat throughout the game.
"I'm not going to be too hard on myself tonight because it's a point and I've qualified for the Play-Offs, but tonight it's a lesson learned."
Van Gerwen's clinical 62% checkout accuracy proved to be the difference in his 8-6 win over De sousa, with the five-time champion now on the verge of finishing top for the eighth time in nine seasons.
However, De Sousa will also return for Friday's Play-Offs despite seeing his six-match unbeaten run come to an end.
"I could have done a little bit better in this game but overall I can't really complain," said Van Gerwen. "When it mattered, I did the job and that's the only thing that matters in a game that's this important.
"There's still more progression but overall I can't really complain. You want to be in this position - I didn't play my best but my will to win is there.
"I'm here to win the title, and I won't be satisfied with anything else."
2021 Premier League Darts Table
- Michael van Gerwen P 15 W 9 D 3 L 3 LegD +22 Pts 21
- Nathan Aspinall P 15 W 7 D 5 L 3 LegD +20 Pts 19
- Jose de Sousa P 15 W 7 D 4 L 4 LegD +15 Pts 18
- Jonny Clayton P 15 W 7 D 2 L 6 LegD +5 Pts 16
- Dimitri Van den Bergh P 15 W 6 D 4 L 5 LegD +2 Pts 16
- Peter Wright P 15 W 6 D 3 L 6 LegD -6 Pts 15
- James Wade P 15 W 4 D 5 L 6 LegD -5 Pts 13
- Gary Anderson P 15 W 5 D 3 L 7 LegD -11 Pts 13
- Rob Cross P 9 W 3 D 1 L 5 LegD -3 Pts 7 (ELIMINATED)
- Glen Durrant P 9 W 0 D 0 L 9 LegD -39 Pts 0 (ELIMINATED)
- The top four after 16 games qualify for the end of season play-offs, where the title will be decided
- Players earn two points for a win, and one for a draw.
- When players are tied on points, leg difference is used first as a tie-breaker, after that legs won against throw and then tournament average.
Premier League Darts 2021: Wednesday results and remaining schedule
Night 15, May 26
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
TV Channel: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
- Jonny Clayton 5-8 Peter Wright
- James Wade 7-7 Dimitri Van den Bergh
- Gary Anderson 7-7 Nathan Aspinall
- Jose de Sousa 6-8 Michael van Gerwen
Night 16, May 27
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
TV Channel: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
- Gary Anderson v James Wade
- Nathan Aspinall v Jose de Sousa
- Peter Wright v Michael van Gerwen
- Dimitri Van den Bergh v Jonny Clayton
Play-Offs Night, May 28
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
TV Channel: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
Semi-Finals (Best of 19 legs)
Finals (Best of 21 legs)