Leg-by-leg recap of the Premier League Darts Play-Offs, as Michael van Gerwen defeated Rob Cross in the final to win the title for a fifth time.
๐Please refresh for live updates
Play-Off Semi-Finals (Best of 19 legs)
Final (best of 21 legs)
Scroll down for leg-by leg reports and stats from all the games plus match highlights.
We'll leave you fittingly with Michael van Gerwen giving his reaction to winning the Premier League for a fifth time and collecting another huge cheque of ยฃ250,000.
"I love being interviewed first!" ๐
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) May 23, 2019
Michael van Gerwen reflects on winning his 5โฃth Premier League trophy! ๐
Follow live reaction here: https://t.co/ZNr2uSzApq pic.twitter.com/AoInUK2c0c
A familiar sight in the world of darts. Michael van Gerwen lifting a trophy.
YOUR WINNER | Taking home title number five, it's Michael Van Gerwen! ๐๐๐๐๐ pic.twitter.com/NSILzE67iq
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
Rob Cross didn't play badly in that final whatsoever and it could have been a different story had he not missed those three darts at his favourite double for 5-5. He deserves so much credit for bouncing back from a difficult 2018 to reassert himself as one of the best players in the world.
YOUR RUNNER UP | Put your hands together for 'Voltage' Rob Cross! ๐๐ป#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/GBIPIKD2PJ
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
Incredible performance from Michael van Gerwen as he wins his fifth Premier League Darts title and for the fourth time in succession, which equals a record set by six-time champion Phil Taylor.
A week after topping the regular season table for a seventh year in a row, he reached his seventh successive final with a battling performance against Daryl Gurney before turning on the style when it really mattered against Rob Cross.
What a talent.
MATCH STATS
Averages
180s
Doubles
Highest Checkouts
Stunning way to win the Premier League title.
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) May 23, 2019
Tops the table seven times in a row, reaches the final seven times in a row, and wins it for a fifth time.
The man is brilliant, even when you think he might be vulnerable.pic.twitter.com/wlCes0W6YN
MvG IS NOW ONE AWAY FROM A FIFTH PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE #Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/JT3XEJYnme
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
MID-MATCH INTERVAL: MVG 6-4 Cross
Odds: MVG is favourite at 1/7 to win this match while Rob Cross can be backed at 4/1! Click here now for all the Sky Bet live darts markets including most 180s & highest checkout.
Averages
180s
Doubles
Highest Checkouts
SNEAKY SNEAKY ๐ MvG manages to stop the Cross onslaught sneaking in double top to make it 6-4! ๐ฏ#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/vsCic4zztq
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
He's well and truly on his comeback! That's three on the spin! ๐ฏ#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/00vQjEypbH
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
CROSS IS ON A COMEBACK | He's made it 5-3 #Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/Ny2dxtvy7Z
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
That double 18 again ๐
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
Is this the start of Cross's comeback? #Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/wQPCEDCGHZ
DART PERFECT | Micahel van Gerwen takes out a fantastic 112 to lead 5-1 ๐ฏ#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/vm0gAmnePV
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
BREAK | MvG lands the D18 after an unfortunate bounce out.
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
Just look at that reaction! #Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/LKj2ioAY8A
WORLD NUMBER 1 AGAINST WORLD NUMBER 2 | Michael van Gerwen is looking to make it 4 straight Premier League Titles
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
Who will be crowned champion? ๐#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/W7qRg7wnE8
WALKING OUT TO HIS FIRST PREMIER LEAGUE FINAL | It's the 2018 World Champion ๐, 'Voltage' Rob Cross! #Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/mVegqDPCRk
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
2110: Michael van Gerwen is 3/10 with Sky Bet to win the title for a fifth time - and fourth in succession - but you've got to say Rob Cross is worth a bet at 9/4 considering how well he played against James Wade.
That said he'll have had less rest than MVG and he does have that poor recent record against the Dutchman, losing all four of their encounters in 2019. As well as those two heavy losses in the Premier League he also lost a close European Tour final 8-6 and a semi-final 7-1.
However, Voltage told Sporting Life Darts yesterday: "I've got to at my own pace and play my own game. It sounds simple but I've been roped in the last few times, gone too fast and tried to fight fire with fire. And it hasn't gone well!
"When Michael plays Michael Smith, the averages are usually huge because of their styles. I need to go my own speed, like I did against him in the World Championship semi-finals.
"I've got the semi-final first and if I get through that and come up against Michael, there's ยฃ250k up for grabs so I'll be giving it my all!"
๐ฏLet that moment sink in. It really did happen...pic.twitter.com/RJvcNvR05C
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) December 31, 2017
2100: Right, let's quickly try and go through some head-to-head records and stats ahead of this final...
PREMIER LEAGUE 2019 REGULAR SEASON STATS (MVG first)
Finishing Position: 1st (23 points) - 2nd (22 points)
Tournament Average: 101.94 - 99.69
Best Average: 110.85 - 104.71
Tournament 180s: 41 - 54
Checkout %: 49.08% (107/218) - 44.16% (102/231)
High Checkout: 132 - 164
PREMIER LEAGUE CAREER RECORD
Seasons: 7 (2013-2019) - 2 (2018-2019)
Highest League Position: 1st (x7) - 2nd
Premier League Winner: 5 - 0
Play-Off Semi-Final record: P7 W7 - P2 W1
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
Head-to-head: 15-3
Meetings since start of 2018: 7-1
PL Meetings in 2019: 2-0 (7-2 & 8-2)
Other Meetings: 1-0 (8-6 & 7-1 - both on European Tour)
PDC TITLES
Career Titles: 126-7
Televised Titles: 47-2
Titles Since Start of 2018: 24-2
PDC Titles in 2019: 7-0
Rob Cross will take on Michael van Gerwen in tonight's Premier League Darts final after overpowering James Wade with a pretty ruthless performance.
Obviously Voltage knows how to beat MVG having so famously done so in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Championship but since then he's lost seven of their last eight meetings including all five Premier League encounters.
MATCH STATS
Averages
180s
Doubles
Highest Checkouts
ROB CROSS WILL PLAY MICHAEL VAN GERWEN IN THE 2019 PREMIER LEAGUE FINAL ๐ | He checks out a stunning 128 to defeat James Wade 10-5 in a dominant display. #Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/0XfNE3AHtF
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
WHAT A STEAL | James Wade goes D19, D20 to take the leg off of Cross. ๐ฏ#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/rmFWlzPhjx
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
ONE LEG AWAY | A nervy leg for Cross but he's now one away from a place in tonight's final! #Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/5b9S4heCDJ
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
ANOTHER TON-PLUS CHECKOUT FOR CROSS | He takes out 103 with a D16#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/Ih2H4PucqW
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
MID-MATCH INTERVAL: Cross 6-4 Wade
Odds: Rob Cross is favourite at 1/7 to win this match while James Wade can be backed at 4/1! Click here now for all the Sky Bet live darts markets including most 180s & highest checkout.
Averages
180s
Doubles
Highest Checkouts
Almost the Big Fish on the Big Stage! Regardless Cross wins the leg to go two ahead into the break 6-4. #Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/0SekhgVdXp
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
Get someone who looks at you the same way Rob Cross looks at double 18 ๐#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/IFJOd5YJ3q
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
Cross gets the break back and draws level at 3-3 โก๏ธ#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/6ghUY0HLRQ
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
Wade punishes Cross after throwing inside D16. 'The Machine' leads it 2-1#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/ZmaNUdoc2h
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
The 2018 World Champion ๐ made it to last yearโs Play-Offs, but can he make it to the final? Itโs โVoltageโ Rob Cross โก๏ธ#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/7FicTZTkWZ
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
SEMI FINAL NUMBER TWO | He won it in 2009 ๐, can he do it again tonight? Itโs โThe Machineโ James Wade#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/4lZ7gZE2jD
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
2000: Next up it's Rob Cross up against James Wade. If you want to check out all the stats and head-to-head records for this one, either scroll down or click here for the betting tips.
It wasn't a classic by any means, but Michael van Gerwen really won't care if he's lifting that trophy at the end of the night.
He advances to his seventh Premier League final, where he'll meet either Rob Cross or James Wade, but can he make it title number five and four in a row? On that evidence, possibly not!
MATCH STATS
Averages
180s
Doubles
Highest Checkouts
MvG THROUGH TO THE FINAL | Daryl Gurney doesn't make it three out of three as he is beaten 10-7.
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
He faces either James Wade or Rob Cross in tonight's final! ๐ฏ#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/TOE1KtHC8X
A disastrous leg for Gurney but three on the bounce for MvG! He now leads 8-6 ๐ฏ#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/sOnq1lBoGk
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
Mighty Mike is back in the lead! ๐๐ปโโ๏ธ#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/R5suGoouWt
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
Superchin takes the lead for the first time in this game! Can he keep this lead? ๐#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/kaRXBDGFZC
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
MID-MATCH INTERVAL: MVG 5-5 Gurney
Odds: Michael van Gerwen is favourite at 1/4 to win this match while Daryl Gurney can be backed at 5/2! Click here now for all the Sky Bet live darts markets including most 180s & highest checkout.
Averages
180s
Doubles
Highest Checkouts
It's 5โฃ-5โฃ between Michael van Gerwen and Daryl Gurney in a breathless Premier League semi-final! ๐
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) May 23, 2019
After Gurney levelled the match, MvG wasn't happy about something...๐ค
Watch more live on Sky Sports Action now: https://t.co/TFdeFbXzzZ pic.twitter.com/dJ9OF4TtRX
Gurney has two chances to break but van Gerwen comes back and makes it 5-4 ๐ฏ#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/IugqyYVUGK
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
Gurney pulls it back to 2-2! ๐ฏ#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/qxC2VGd60a
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
A special guest in the crowd ๐#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/dJ9PrAwDCA
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
The first leg goes to MvG! ๐#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/b46gsyHWv5
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
Heโs looking to equal Phil Taylorโs record of four successive Premier League titles.
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
Welcome to the stage โMightyโ Michael van Gerwen ๐ช๐ป๐ pic.twitter.com/8hP7QPNyek
Can he make it three out of three in beating Michael van Gerwen and take his place in the final?
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2019
Making his O2 Debut, itโs โSuperchinโ Daryl Gurney! ๐ฏ#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/fIxp35bRhG
๐ฏ๐บ๐ FIRST UP ๐ฏ๐บ๐
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) May 23, 2019
One man chasing title number five, another making his Play Offs debut
๐ @MvG180 v @Superchin180 ๐ฆธโโ๏ธ
๐บ @SkySports Action & Main Event, Now pic.twitter.com/Dhwlisx40o
1910: The players will be making their way to the stage shortly so if you're late to the blog, just scroll down for all the head-to-head records and tournament stats - if you're interested in them that is!
1905: We've already touched on Daryl Gurney becoming only the second man to do the Premier League regular season double over Michael van Gerwen (Peter Wright being the other in 2018) but here's another reminder of why SuperChin can do a number on the world number one on this big stage.
๐ฏ INCREDIBLE SCENES! ๐
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) November 25, 2018
๐ช๐ Daryl Gurney hits the bullseye to beat Michael van Gerwen and win the Players Championship Finals!
๐ That's how to become a crowd favourite! What drama! @Superchin180 pic.twitter.com/vd6goWbfdC
1900: Rob Cross also spoke to us yesterday about how he's learned from a tough 2018, why he's missed plenty of floor events to stay fresh for the Premier League and how he'll be taking a leaf out of Daryl Gurney's book if he faces Michael van Gerwen in the final. Click here to read the full interview.
1855: Factoring in all those facts and stats below, I went with James Wade in my betting preview to edge this one but it could easily go down to the wire. The Machine, who beat Cross last Thursday to deny Voltage top spot, has turned into a serial winner again thanks to those TV titles in the European Championship and World Series of Darts Finals late last year and he's already bagged three floor tournaments in 2019 to maintain his momentum. He's complimenting his trademark timing with higher scoring than usual and I just think his experience could prove to be the difference.
That said, he did say in an interview yesterday: "I'll have no psychological advantage from last Thursday because that wasn't a knockout game. He'll be fresh, approach this game differently and be ready for me. Last week wasn't much on the line although I did effectively rob him of a lot of money! I'm still waiting for that brown envelope from Michael though!"
1850: Many expect Rob Cross v James Wade to be a much closer semi-final and apart from the volume of career achievements and titles, there isn't really much between the pair when it comes to the stats...
PREMIER LEAGUE 2019 STATS (Cross first)
Finishing Position: 2nd (22 points) - 3rd (20 points)
Tournament Average: 99.69 - 97.87
Best Average: 104.71 - 109.59
Tournament 180s: 54 - 44
Checkout %: 44.16% (102/231) - 43.70% (104/238)
High Checkout: 164 - 161
PREMIER LEAGUE CAREER RECORD
Seasons: 2 (2018-2019) - 10 (2008-'13, '15-'17, 2019)
Highest League Position: 2nd - 2nd (x2)
Premier League Winner: 0 - 1 (2009)
Play-Off Semi-Final record: P1 W0 - P5 W3
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
Head-to-head: 6-6
Meetings since start of 2018: 5-2
PL Meetings in 2019: 1-1 (7-4 & 6-8)
Other Meetings in 2019: N/A
PDC TITLES
Career Titles: 7-33
Televised Titles: 2-9
Titles Since Start of 2018: 2-5
PDC Titles in 2019: 0-3
1840: Before looking at the second semi-final, I'll just point you to a quick interview we did with Daryl Gurney yesterday in which he talks about being one of the most negative thinkers in darts. Now if he can reach world number three with that mindset, imagine how good he could be if he believed in himself a bit more! That said, he could just be proving that motivational mottos and sports psychology are just nonsense!
And here's the moment Daryl Gurney found out he qualified for the Play-Offs for the first time in his career...while talking to me of all people!
๐ฏ๐ When you find out you've qualified for the Premier League Darts play-offs for the first time...mid interview!
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) May 16, 2019
๐ Congratulations Daryl Gurney! @Superchin180 pic.twitter.com/KPuUFRYOlJ
1830: The statistics in the previous update below may indeed point you towards one winner but I genuinely think there could be a shock on the cards as Daryl Gurney bids to become the first man ever to beat MVG three times in one Premier League season.
I won't repeat my betting preview (which you can read by clicking here) but the Northern Irishman has learned how to beat MVG thanks to that incredible triumph at the Players Championship Finals and it's as simple as "playing at my own pace". Achieving the Premier League double over him means he's beaten him three times in a row on TV and that does give the world champion plenty of food for thought. He may well go and get revenge in emphatic fashion but stranger things have happened.
1820: OK, enough of the memories, let's now take a closer look at the first semi-final between Michael van Gerwen and Daryl Gurney with stats and head-to-head records.
PREMIER LEAGUE 2019 STATS (MVG first)
Finishing Position: 1st (23 points) - 4th (19 points)
Tournament Average: 101.94 - 96.72
Best Average: 110.85 - 104.05
Tournament 180s: 41 - 45
Checkout %: 49.08% (107/218) - 40.26% (93/231)
High Checkout: 132 - 140
PREMIER LEAGUE CAREER RECORD
Seasons: 7 (2013-2019) - 2 (2018-2019)
Highest League Position: 1st (x7) - 4th
Premier League Winner: 5 - 0
Play-Off Semi-Final record: P7 W7 - NA
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
Head-to-head: 19-5 (1 draw)
Meetings since start of 2018: 9-3 ( 1 draw)
PL Meetings in 2019: 0-2 (5-7 & 5-8)
Other Meetings: 1-0 (7-3 in Austrian Darts Open)
PDC TITLES
Career Titles: 126-4
Televised Titles: 47-2
Titles Since Start of 2018: 24-2
PDC Titles in 2019: 7-1
1800: We've got plenty of time before the action gets under way, so I'm going to pick out 10 of my personal highlights and controversial moments for you to enjoy from the season...
Number One (in particular order!): John Henderson
Who needs trophies when you're this popular.
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) March 7, 2019
John Henderson has helped create one of the greatest darts atmospheres ever known! The scenes when he hits tops!pic.twitter.com/AhN2U3Ccr2
The rest are in no particular order...
2. Raymond van Barneveld's comeback to get a draw against the pantomime villain
When the ultimate fan favourite comes back from the brink against a pantomime villain. Incredible atmosphere, great comeback and sportsmanship at the end.pic.twitter.com/RhaeQdBmWk
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) February 14, 2019
3. Michael Smith's unquestionable sportsmanship
Great sportsmanship from Michael Smith once again to try and keep the crowd jeers down as Daryl Gurney prepared for his match dart. pic.twitter.com/zraEcaoi3n
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) February 21, 2019
4. Raymond van Barneveld's 170 checkout in Berlin
๐ It's Raymond van Barneveld's Premier League farewell tour... and he's just bagged the big fish to mark the occasion
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) March 21, 2019
๐ Enjoy the fluid, fabulous arm of one of the all-time greats while you still canpic.twitter.com/S4NKtPQhYp
5. Mensur Suljovic's stunning comeback against Rob Cross
Mensur Suljovic was 4-0 and 5-1 down to Rob Cross, but gets it back to 5-5. After watching Cross miss seven darts at doubles, he then lands this 136 checkout before another from 120 sealed a 7-5 win!
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) March 27, 2019
Darts never ceases to surprise.pic.twitter.com/mt6NxZYK5k
6. Raymond van Barneveld says goodbye to the Rotterdam crowd
Raymond van Barneveld - forever the People's Champion.pic.twitter.com/nfMH3tVKLK
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) March 28, 2019
7. Michael van Gerwen thwarts Gerwyn Price
DRAW!
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) April 4, 2019
What an incredible game that was... Michael van Gerwen digs himself out of deep trouble against Gerwyn Price to snatch a draw!
The wait for a win over MvG for Price goes on!#Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/LOA3WnIciC
8. The leg of the season
This leg though.pic.twitter.com/v0DNAGIx8S
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) April 18, 2019
9. The match of the season
Who else gave that match a standing ovation in their living room?
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) April 25, 2019
MVG: 107 average, two 100+ checkouts and 7/10 on doubles.
Wade: 104 average, hit two 121 checkouts and 7/11 on doubles.
Fantastic entertainment and a fittingly fair 7-7 draw.pic.twitter.com/URb8XV6T1l
10. Gurney does the double over MVG
Daryl Gurney becomes just the second player ever to do the Premier League double over MVG (Peter Wright being the first last year) and it's also three wins on the spin against him!
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) May 2, 2019
Who was the last player to do that?pic.twitter.com/X1x1TtMVR1
11. No handshakes at dawn
Gerwyn Price refuses James Wade's handshake after his 8-4 defeat.pic.twitter.com/hEOFDvBeiB
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) May 2, 2019
12. Price and Gurney get heated at the oche
Wow.
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) May 9, 2019
As close as you can get to a fight on the oche between Daryl Gurney and, of course, Gerwyn Price! pic.twitter.com/wCoEUsqZXJ
1745: There's probably enough time for you to listen to all the Sporting Life Darts Podcast with yours truly, Paul Higham and Ben Coley but you might just want to fast forward to the interviews with Daryl Gurney and Rob Cross plus the predictions for the semi-finals. The rest of it is us reviewing the season while being chased around the office by Henry the Hoover.
1730: Good evening and welcome to our live blog from the climax of the Premier League Darts season, as just four players remain in contention to lift the prestigious trophy and the top prize of ยฃ250,000.
It all started back on February 7 without an injured Gary Anderson and since then we've witnessed 73 matches across 16 nights for 15 weeks, 428 180s, three 170s checkouts, shock wins, amazing comebacks, a rate whitewash, a retirement, a retirement U-turn and nine 'Contenders' bringing the crowd to their feet, especially Big John Henderson.
But after all of the regular season drama, it all boils down to Finals Night.
Michael van Gerwen, who topped the regular season for a seventh year in a row, is bidding to win the title for the fifth time overall and fourth in succession but in order to reach the final he'll need to beat a man who did the Premier League double over him - Daryl Gurney.
The winner of that will meet either Rob Cross or 2009 champion James Wade, who is competing in the Play-Offs for the first time since 2013.
In the next hour or so I'll be looking closer at both match ups with head-to-heads record, tournament stats, player quotes and looking back at some highlights - but for now take a second to vote in our poll below for the sheer hell of it.
๐๐ฏ Who do you think will win the Premier League Darts title tonight?
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) May 23, 2019
๐ Michael van Gerwen (1/2)
โก๏ธ Rob Cross (4/1)
๐ค James Wade (6/1)
๐ช Daryl Gurney (10/1)
๐ณ๏ธ VOTE ๐