Nathan Aspinall powered to the top of the Premier League Darts table thanks to an 8-3 victory over previous leader Michael van Gerwen as fans returned to the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.
Not since last season's sixth round of fixtures on March 12, 2020 has the Premier League been electrified by a live crowd and Aspinall responded to the occasion with a fired-up display to catch MVG cold.
Neither player produced their best from a scoring perspective, with the 2020 runner-up hitting three of the four maximums and averaging a fairly mediocre 96.9 compared to his opponent's 96.68, but he was far more ruthless on his finishing.
The Asp, who was tipped up for the title pre-season at 22/1 by our expert Chris Hammer, nailed a pair of 120 checkouts - in the first and fifth legs - on his way to a commanding 5-1 lead and although van Gerwen pulled a couple back with finishes from 122 and 110, he responded with three on the trot to seal a valuable two points.
The Dutchman's performance, which featured seven missed darts at doubles from 10 attempts, maintained his trend of inconsistency this season and now faces a fight like everyone else to finish in the top four.
๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฌ!!
โ PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 24, 2021
Nathan Aspinall is FIRED UP! ๐ฅ
A second Shanghai finish from 'The Asp' as he opens up a 4-1 lead! pic.twitter.com/vGu9ydVXfs
"It's a massive two points and it was a great buzz tonight," said Aspinall. "I was really nervous coming into the game because we've missed the fans, and win or lose I wanted to enjoy it tonight.
"This is what darts is all about, and I loved every minute of it. I think we were both trying too hard to play well but the crowd were got me through.
"I finished really well and when I get a bit of a lead I felt more comfortable. It wasn't my best performance, but the two 120 finishes won me the game and it's a very good two points."
Jonny Clayton boosted his Play-Off hopes with a thumping 8-1 victory over Gary Anderson, who was made to pay for missing seven of his eight darts to win legs in a high scoring match.
The Ferret pinned eight of his 14 but his average of 101.24 was considerably less than Anderson's 104.48 and the Flying Scotsman will feel the scoreline was extremely harsh.
Of his seven misses, four were at the bullseye to complete checkouts of 81, 121 (x2) and 124 while another was at tops when trying to take out 70 and Clayton took full advantage.
"It was absolutely brilliant," said Clayton. "It's a massive buzz because the crowd makes darts, so it was amazing to get them back and the atmosphere was fantastic.
๐๐จ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐
โ PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 24, 2021
Jonny Clayton pins the bullseye for a huge 124 finish as he extends his lead to 7-1!
Both players are averaging almost 105!! ๐ฅ pic.twitter.com/5kafXcpc6G
"I had a few people cheering for me and there were a couple of Welsh flags, in, so it's a proud moment.
"I was so nervous before I went on but I relaxed and my darts kept going. I took my chances and I've done my job - I'm chasing a dream and I'll keep turning up over the next three days and working hard."
Jose de Sousa moved above Clayton into third and pushed fellow debutant Dimitri Van den Bergh down to fifth with a huge 8-6 victory over the Belgian that stretched his unbeaten run to five matches.
The 2020 Grand Slam of Darts champion opened up a 4-1 lead and continued to keep Van den Bergh at arm's reach when landing a superb 11-darter to go 7-4 up.
De Sousa, who averaged 100.14, missed a bullseye to wrap up an 8-5 victory as his opponent pulled two legs back but his third 180 of the match in the decider paved the way for victory.
"๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐ฒ!"
โ PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 24, 2021
Jose de Sousa chuckles as someone in the crowd provides a helping hand with the maths on that 70 finish! ๐คฃ
He breaks throw and leads 3-1! pic.twitter.com/VR7hPfqPxc
"It's a wonderful feeling," said De Sousa. "I didn't feel the pressure and it's nice to see the crowd behind us again. The fans know the player and the person that I am and I got a lot of respect from them.
"I know this is a big win for me. Every game in the Premier League is very difficult and every point is important.
"It was a difficult game for both of us because Dimitri is a great player and I think he can maybe be World Champion in the next few years, so I'm very happy to get this win."
Peter Wright claimed a morale-boosting 8-4 victory over James Wade in the final match of the night but the result means neither player can now qualify for the play-offs.
With three games to play the most points either man can get reach is 17 and that won't mathematically be enough in light of how the remaining fixtures pan out.
Even so, this was much more improved display from Snakebite who averaged 98.68, fired in five 180s and pinned eight of his 13 attempts at doubles while Wade never really got going.
"The crowd make such a difference, it was amazing," admitted Wright. "They inspired me and I feel so alive - it was so nice being nervous backstage!
"All the crowd played their part because I've missed them. Last year I won my last four games to make the Play-Offs so if I'm playing well then everyone else has got to watch out."
2021 Premier League Darts Table
- Nathan Aspinall P 13 W 7 D 3 L 3 LegD +20 Pts 17
- Michael van Gerwen P 13 W 7 D 3 L 3 LegD +16 Pts 17
- Jose de Sousa P 13 W 6 D 4 L 3 LegD +14 Pts 16
- Jonny Clayton P 13 W 7 D 2 L 4 LegD +11 Pts 16
- Dimitri Van den Bergh P 13 W 6 D 3 L 4 LegD +5 Pts 15
- Gary Anderson P 13 W 5 D 2 L 6 LegD -7 Pts 12
- James Wade P 13 W 4 D 3 L 6 LegD -5 Pts 11
- Peter Wright P 13 W 4 D 3 L 6 LegD -12 Pts 11
- 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: Monday results and remaining schedule
Night 13, May 24
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
TV Channel: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
- Jonny Clayton 8-1 Gary Anderson
- Jose de Sousa 8-6 Dimitri Van den Bergh
- Nathan Aspinall 8-3 Michael van Gerwen
- James Wade 4-8 Peter Wright
Night 14, May 25
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
TV Channel: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
- James Wade v Nathan Aspinall
- Jonny Clayton v Jose de Sousa
- Gary Anderson v Michael van Gerwen
- Peter Wright v Dimitri Van den Bergh
Night 15, May 26
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
TV Channel: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
- Jonny Clayton v Peter Wright
- James Wade v Dimitri Van den Bergh
- Gary Anderson v Nathan Aspinall
- Jose de Sousa v 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)
