Premier League Darts: Peter Wright beats Michael van Gerwen as Simon Whitlock thrashes Rob Cross 7-1
Peter Wright shocked Michael van Gerwen 7-5 in the Premier League while Rob Cross continued to struggle with the burden of being world champion as he suffered a 7-1 thrashing at the hands of Simon Whitlock.
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(Email us at feedback@sportinglife.com if you have any darting questions for John Part in next week's Sporting Life Darts Podcast!)
MVG stunned by Wright
Peter Wright claimed his first Premier League victory over Michael van Gerwen as he defeated the world number one 7-5 in a thrilling clash in Cardiff on Thursday night.
It was also the first time Snakebite has got the better of MVG on the televised stage in the UK and helps repair some of the head-to-head mental wounds inflicted by missing six match darts against him in last year's Premier League final.
Wright, who only managed a disappointing draw with Gerwyn Price last week, headed into the clash as a big 6/1 underdog but a shock was on the cards as early as the fourth leg when he moved into a 3-1 lead with both players below their best.
MVG upped his levels to level the match but Wright punished him for three missed darts at a double by taking out 116 to edge ahead once more.
Snakebite moved to within one leg of guaranteeing himself a point and looked set to seal it when leaving 41 after a timely 180 - only for MVG to land a stunning 170 checkout.
Unfazed, Wright started the next leg with his third maximum of the match en route to a 12-darter and although van Gerwen pulled one back, the Scotsman finished it off when nailing tops for a 13-darter.
Whitlock casts spell on Cross
Rob Cross suffered a second successive heavy defeat in his debut Premier League season as underdog Simon Whitlock battered him 7-1 in Cardiff.
A week after MVG gained a measure of revenge for his epic World Championship semi-final loss at the hands of Voltage by running out a 7-2 winner on opening night, Cross' severe slump in form since lifting the most prestigious trophy in darts continued.
The 27-year-old has now lost his last six matches, including all three of his encounters across the weekend's UK Open Qualifying events, while his only win of the campaign came in the Masters first round against Ian White.
Despite his poor form, Voltage was a clear odds-on favourite to bounce back with a win but the Wizard, who produced the performance of the week in Dublin with a breathtaking display of finishing against Mensur Suljovic, continued to silence the doubters with another win.
The Aussie was regarded as a surprise inclusion in the Premier League line-up by many but he's more than justified his place so far with back-to-back victories.
However, it summed up how badly Cross played that Whitlock was able to claim such an emphatic triumph with an average of 93.14, no 180s and a checkout percentage of 38.89%.
Cross managed one maximum in an average of 87.74 while he missed eight darts at doubles and managed a high finish of 72 compared to Whitlock's 106.
Flying Scotsman too quick for Welshman
Gary Anderson comfortably won his grudge match against home favourite Gerwyn Price.
The pair don't get on and after Scotsman beat him at the Masters earlier this season, he jibed "If you can’t beat a man with a bad back, you better go back to the practice board".
A pumped up Price had the Cardiff crowd on his side but his scoring let him down as Anderson produced his best performance of the season to run out a 7-3 winner.
The Welshman averaged just 92.71 and was only afforded eight darts at a double by Anderson, who posted a mark of 99.22 which was helped by a night high of five 180s.
Barney holds off unlucky Suljovic
Raymond van Barneveld picked up his first win of the season with a high-quality yet hard-fought 7-5 victory over Mensur Suljovic.
Both players averaged over 100 but it was the veteran Dutchman who edged it in the deciding leg as he pinned double eight after Suljovic failed to take out 100.
The pivotal moment of the match came in the fourth leg when Suljovic set himself up for a 10-darter only to miss his next three attempts at a double and watched in horror as Barney nailed a stunning 167 checkout to move 3-1 up.
That lead became 4-1 when van Barneveld hit the bull to take out 71, before Suljovic repeated the trick for an 86 finish.
The next four legs were shared but Barney spurned his first three darts to win the match as Suljovic broke the throw to force a 12th leg.
The Austrian was favourite to steal a draw but the Dutchman used his fourth 180 of the night to deny his opponent with a 13-darter.
It's the second successive week the Gentle has lost with an average of over 100.
Smith bullies Gurney
Michael Smith continued his dream start to the Premier League season as he made it two wins out of two with a 7-4 victory over Daryl Gurney in a match which also gave our columnist John Part 7/4 and 6/1 winners.
Three-time world champion 'Darth Maple' had tipped up Smith to win at 7/4 as well as in the match treble market at 6/1 (most 180s and high checkout) in his Sporting Life column and in our weekly Darts Podcast.
It looked like the bets would sail home as Bully Boy, who produced a stunning comeback from 5-1 down to defeat his mentor Gary Anderson last week in Dublin, stormed into a 3-0 lead, with the help of a 124 checkout.
But the World Grand Prix champion sandwiched a 13-darter inbetween two 14-darters to level the scores before the next two legs were shared.
Smith's fourth 180 of the match set up a 13-darter to edge back ahead 5-4 and then he took advantage of four missed attempts at a double from Gurney to go 6-4 up.
The St Helens thrower then sealed the two points when taking out 64.
Results & Statistics
Week 2, February 8 Cardiff
- Michael Smith 7-4 Daryl Gurney
- Rob Cross 1-7 Simon Whitlock
- Michael van Gerwen 5-7 Peter Wright
- Gerwyn Price 3-7 Gary Anderson
- Raymond van Barneveld 7-5 Mensur Suljovic
HIGHEST AVERAGES
Suljovic 102.55
Gurney 101.96
MVG 101.12
Wright 101.04
Barney 100.39
Anderson 99.22
Smith 99.15
Whitlock 93.14
Price 92.71
Cross 87.74
MOST 180s
Anderson 5
Smith 4
Barney 4
Suljovic 3
Gurney 3
Wright 3
MVG 3
Price 2
Cross 1
Whitlock 0
HIGHEST CHECKOUTS
MVG 170
Barney 167
Smith 124
Wright 116
Whitlock 106
Anderson 104
Suljovic 86
Cross 72
Price 68
Gurney 58
CHECKOUT PERCENTAGES
Wright 58.33%
Anderson 46.67%
Barney 46.67%
Smith 43.75%
Whitlock 38.89%
Suljovic 38.46%
Price 37.5%
MVG 35.71%
Gurney 28.57%
Cross 11.11%
2018 Premier League Darts Table
- Whitlock P 2 W 2 D 0 L 0 LegD +8 Pts 4
- Smith P 2 W 2 D 0 L 0 LegD +5 Pts 4
- Barney P 2 W 1 D 1 L 0 LegD +2 Pts 3
- Wright P 2 W 1 D 1 L 0 LegD +2 Pts 3
- MVG P 2 W 1 D 0 L 1 LegD +3 Pts 2
- Anderson P 2 W 1 D 0 L 1 LegD +2 Pts 2
- Gurney P 2 W 0 D 1 L 1 LegD -3 Pts 1
- Price P 2 W 0 D 1 L 1 LegD -4 Pts 1
- Suljovic P 2 W 0 D 0 L 2 LegD -4 Pts 0
- Cross P 2 W 0 D 0 L 2 LegD -11 Pts 0
CLICK HERE FOR FULL SEASON FIXTURES, RESULTS & TABLE