Darts results: Peter Wright throws nine-dart finish in thrilling Premier League clash with Daryl Gurney
A review of Saturday's action in Unibet Premier League Darts, as Peter Wright hit a nine-dart finish in a defeat to Daryl Gurney while Michael van Gerwen lost again..
Perfect leg but defeat for Snakebite
World champion Peter Wright hit his first ever televised nine-dart finish in a thrilling 8-6 defeat to Daryl Gurney in the Premier League.
Wright's perfect leg came against the throw after Gurney had moved 6-4 ahead with a stunning 141 checkout of his own, as the green-haired Scotsman followed up back-to-back 180s by pinning double 12 for the required 141 finish.
Having then taken the next leg to draw level, Wright will have no doubt been left disappointed not to go on and win, two missed darts at double top proving costly as Gurney edged back into the lead at 7-6.
Wright, who averaged 104.22 compared to Gurney's 95 and threw eight more 180s with nine, missed another vital dart at tops in the following leg as the Northern Irishman wrapped up a victory which defied the statistics and reflected his ability to hit the right shots at the right time.
The world champion did that himself in leg 11, a fabulous nine-dart finish representing another milestone in his career, one which reached new heights courtesy of that emotional success at Alexandra Palace in January.
Any frustration he did feel at the end of the match may well be intensified by the fact that this was the 10th nine-dart finish in Premier League history - and the only one which came from a player who went on to lose.
"It's another achievement for me and it's pretty special," said Wright, who came agonisingly close to a perfect leg against Gurney earlier in the week. "I missed the double 12 the other day by miles but this time I hit it, and I'm proud.
"I'm gutted about the result but I missed too many doubles in the last two legs and Daryl was outstanding. It was a really good match."
Gurney said: "It's a very important win for me. It's always amazing to see a nine-dart leg - but not when it's a tight game!
"It was a great moment and fair play to Peter, but thankfully I got the win at the end. I'm practising really well and for some reason I'm not taking my A-game onto stage just now, but I'm practising hard and trying my best."
Another defeat for MVG
Michael van Gerwen suffered his third defeat in five Premier League outings so far this week as Gerwyn Price won their encounter 8-4.
Price put on an exhibition of clinical finishing to expose van Gerwen's profligacy, throwing three big finishes and hitting tops with his first match dart to climb to sixth in the table.
Van Gerwen, now down to fifth, threw just one maximum - but it was the 13 missed darts at double, combined with Price's lightning start, which shaped the outcome.
Price took the first leg after van Gerwen had missed two darts for it before the pair exchanged 13-dart legs.
Then came a brace of 12-dart legs from the Welshman, finishes in 116 and 76, and he was 5-1 up after more poor finishing from his opponent in the sixth leg.
Finishes of 100 and 122 saw Price move to the magic seven legs and just as van Gerwen threatened a fightback, Price slammed the door shut with a nerveless dart at tops to seal just his third ever triumph over his rival.
"It's never easy against Michael, getting over that line - I've only ever beaten him once (on TV)," said Price, who also defeated him in last year's Grand Slam of Darts semi-finals. "Everybody keeps looking, but I'm just taking every game as it comes.
"It is probably the best eight players in the world left in. It's difficult week in, week out, and to pick up two points against Michael, I can't be any happier. I kept myself composed, I played a little bit better - especially the first five or six legs.
"He's a champion, he battles on."
Anderson squanders big lead
Gary Anderson had to settle for a point in a 7-7 draw with table-topping Glen Durrant, having appeared set to cruise to victory when leading 7-3.
Durrant's 116 checkout to reduce the deficit by a single leg ought not to have mattered, as Anderson sailed clear in the next before missing six darts at double, allowing the Middlesbrough man to extend the match again.
Still able to throw for the match, Anderson missed one more time - double 16 on this occasion - as Durrant closed to within a single leg, before a regulation hold of throw ensured the match somehow ended in a draw.
The three-time Lakeside champion, who averaged 97.01 to Anderson's 95.8 and hit a total of three 100+ checkouts including a match high 138, remains four points top of the standings ahead of Sunday's clash with Gurney.
"It's my biggest point of the week because the better player ended up not winning this match," said Durrant. "I was resigned to losing at 7-3 and I dodged a bullet tonight.
"That was pure luck and some days you need that. Gary was much better than me - I was missing doubles and Gary took over.
"It could be a massive point for me. I'm very proud to be top of this league because it's tremendous."
Asp escapes unpunished
Nathan Aspinall got away with 25 missed darts at double as he registered an 8-6 victory over Michael Smith.
A 121 checkout from Smith in the very first leg offered the promise of fireworks but there was more fizzle than bang thereafter, as both struggled to find their absolute best form.
It was an entertaining and relatively heavy-scoring affair nonetheless, one in which leg 13 proved decisive as Smith missed two darts at tops before Aspinall hit double 16 with his third attempt.
That gave him the lead for the fourth and final time as a measured 15-dart leg completed the job and saw Aspinall leapfrog Smith in the standings at a vital stage in the campaign.
The Stockport man averaged 96.46 compared to Smith's 93.74 and hit three of the match's 10 180s.
"They're always exciting games with Michael but he's been missing doubles against me recently and it's down to me to take advantage, which I did tonight," said Aspinall.
"I've dug deep and I'm delighted because it was so important for me to bounce back from last night and I played some brilliant darts at times. I've still got to improve my doubles though.
"It's so close in the table and that's a testament to the eight players involved. I was third before last night, I dropped to sixth and then with this win I've gone up to second at the moment - it's crazy."
Table, Night 11 results & Sunday's fixtures
- Durrant P 11 W 7 D 3 L 1 LegD +22 Pts 17
- Aspinall P 11 W 6 D 1 L 4 LegD +5 Pts 13
- Anderson P 11 W 5 D 3 L 3 LegD +3 Pts 13
- Wright P 11 W 5 D 2 L 4 LegD +5 Pts 12
- Van Gerwen P 11 W 6 D 0 L 5 LegD +4 Pts 12
- Price P 11 W 4 D 3 L 4 LegD +10 Pts 11
- Smith P 11 W 5 D 1 L 5 LegD +5 Pts 11
- Gurney P 11 W 3 D 2 L 6 LegD -11 Pts 8
- Cross P 9 W 1 D 3 L 5 LegD -14 Pts 5* ELIMINATED AT JUDGEMENT NIGHT
Night 11, Saturday August 29
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
TV Channel: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
- Daryl Gurney 8-6 Peter Wright
- Michael Smith 6-8 Nathan Aspinall
- Gary Anderson 7-7 Glen Durrant
- Michael van Gerwen 4-8 Gerwyn Price
Night 12, Sunday August 30
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
TV Channel: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
- Nathan Aspinall v Gary Anderson
- Peter Wright v Gerwyn Price
- Michael van Gerwen v Michael Smith
- Glen Durrant v Daryl Gurney