Premier League Darts round-up: Wright averages 119.5

Snakebite's average at the Westpoint Arena in Exeter was the second highest in televised darts history - behind the 123.40 managed by Michael van Gerwen in his win over Michael Smith in the 2016 Premier League.

Wright hit five 180s and hit seven of his 10 attempts at doubles as he claimed an important victory against a stunned Lewis which moves him level on points with leader Taylor.

Jackpot averaged a superb 109.15 himself and hit five 180s but only had four darts at a double in the match, such was Wright's incredible display.

Earlier, Taylor trailed 6-4 in a high-quality clash in which both players averaged well over 100 but held his nerve to break Anderson's throw before nailing double 16 to stay unbeaten after five games.

The six-time champion's third draw from his five games means he now tops the table on seven points ahead of Wright on leg difference while van Gerwen, who was forced to miss the action due to a back injury, is a point further back.

Dave Chisnall also enjoyed a superb night as he moved from bottom of the table up to fifth after achieving two wins out of two in Exeter. 

Chizzy opened up with a 7-2 victory over Raymond van Barneveld. while he rounded off the night against MVG's previously scheduled opponent James Wade with a hard-fought 7-5 triumph.

Kim Huybrechts is still winless but he showed superb fighting spirit to come back from 6-3 down to earn a precious point against Jelle Klaasen.

Below is a full statistical breakdown of each match while we also rank the players' performances at the bottom of this article as well as provide the updated Premier League table.  

Dave Chisnall 7-2 Raymond van Barneveld

Dave Chisnall moved off the bottom of the Premier League Darts table with a 7-2 victory over Raymond van Barneveld on Thursday night.

Chizzy was playing his first of two games at the Westpoint Arena in Exeter due to Michael van Gerwen's withdrawal due to injury - with a clash against James Wade to follow at the end of the night.

He headed into week five at the bottom of the table after three defeats from his opening four games but he produced his best darts of the season to claim an impressive triumph.

Chizzy hit six 180s as he finished with an average of 101.13 while his superb checkout percentage of 64% also saw him take full advantage of a poor performance from Barney, who failed to hit 12 of his 14 attemps at doubles.

Three-dart averages
Chisnall:  101.13
van Barneveld:  96.83 

SCORING:
100+ thrown
Chisnall: 6
Van Barneveld: 7
140+ thrown
Chisnall: 3
Van Barneveld: 8
180+ thrown
Chisnall: 6
Van Barneveld: 3

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Chisnall: NA
Van Barneveld: NA

Checkout percentage
Chisnall: 63.64% (7/11)
Van Barneveld: 14.29% (2/14)   

Jelle Klaasen 6-6 Kim Huybrechts

Kim Huybrechts showed superb fighting spirit to come back from 6-3 down to earn a precious point against Jelle Klaasen.

The Belgian still remains without a win on his return to the Premier League but his three draws from five games means he narrowly stays above the bottom-placed Dutchman on leg difference.

Klaasen missed four consecutive darts at double seven for the match when leading 6-4 and he didn't get another chance as Huybrechts bagged back-to-back finishes from 64 and 81 to deny his opponent a second win of the season.

Three-dart averages
Klaasen:  87.57
Huybrechts:  93.96 

SCORING:
100+ thrown
Klaasen: 12
Huybrechts: 7
140+ thrown
Klaasen: 9
Huybrechts: 9
180+ thrown
Klaasen: 1
Huybrechts: 5

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Klaasen: NA
Huybrechts: NA 

Checkout percentage
Klaasen:  30% (6/20)    
Huybrechts:  26.09% (6/23)   

Gary Anderson 6-6 Phil Taylor

Phil Taylor moved to the top of the Betway Premier League Darts table after a battling 6-6 draw with Gary Anderson in Exeter.

Both players averaged well over 100 in a high-quality showdown which thrilled the Westpoint Arena crowd and Taylor took great delight in winning the final two legs to salvage a point.

The lead had changed hands four times in the opening eight legs as Taylor led 1-0 and 3-2 and the Scot took advantages of 2-1 and 5-3, with Anderson also hitting five 180s in as many legs as well as key finishes of 86 and 76.

Anderson also took out 83 to move 6-4 up and secure a point, but missed tops for a 116 finish as Taylor scrambled home double five to force a deciding leg before following his rival's 180 with a 177 to set up double 16 as he snatched the draw. 

It was Taylor's best performance of the season so far despite hitting no 180s or a 100+ checkout while Anderson was also in fine form, averaging 105.31 and nailing eight maximums.

The six-time champion's third draw from five games means he stays unbeaten and moves to the summit on seven points ahead of Peter Wright on leg difference while Michael van Gerwen, who was forced to miss the action due to a back injury, is a point further back.

"I loved every minute of the game and I'm pleased with the draw, but in the back of my mind I think I should have won," said Taylor. "Gary hit the right shots at the right time, the 180s and the finishes.

"At 6-4 down I relaxed and wanted to enjoy it, and I'm happy. It's another point and I'm a little bit closer to getting into the Play-Offs."

Anderson admitted: "The point's good and it's definitely better than nothing. That was typical of Phil to hit the 177 to leave 32 at the end, and if you give him a chance he'll pop it out."

Three-dart averages
Anderson:  105.31
Taylor:  103.98

SCORING:
100+ thrown
Anderson: 15
Taylor: 15
140+ thrown
Anderson: 5
Taylor: 16
180+ thrown
Anderson: 8
Taylor: 0

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Anderson: NA
Taylor: NA 

Checkout percentage
Anderson:  35.29% (6/17)    
Taylor: 31.58% (6/19)   

Adrian Lewis 2-7 Peter Wright

Peter Wright produced the second highest televised three-dart average in history as he claimed a 7-2 victory over Adrian Lewis in Exeter on Thursday.

Snakebite's average of 119.5 is second only to the 123.40 managed by Michael van Gerwen during his triumph over Michael Smith in the 2016 Premier League.

The Scotsman hit five 180s and hit seven of his 10 attempts at doubles in a ruthless display which sees him leap up to second in the table behind Phil Taylor on leg difference.

Lewis, who started the match with back-to-back 180s, was left stunned and only managed four darts at a double despite averaging a superb 109.15 himself.

"I'm so happy just to get the two points but to play so well is brilliant," said Wright. "Adrian's fantastic and he played brilliantly last week against Michael van Gerwen and hit a nine-darter at the weekend so I knew it would be tough.

"Adrian started off brilliantly with the two 180s and I just felt like following him, and they were going in.

"That first leg set the pace and I got control of the match, but it felt like a magnet was pulling the darts into the treble!

"I saw my average at 117 on the big screen and I wanted to get it higher but I think there's loads of improvement to come. Michael van Gerwen's the man to beat, he's immense and it's an honour to be chasing him at the moment."

Three-dart averages
Lewis:  109.15
Wright:  119.5

SCORING:
100+ thrown
Lewis: 10
Wright: 9
140+ thrown
Lewis: 5
Wright: 10
180+ thrown
Lewis: 5
Wright: 5

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Lewis: NA
Wright: 125 

Checkout percentage
Lewis:  50% (2/4)    
Wright: 70% (7/10)   

James Wade 5-7 Dave Chisnall

Dave Chisnall made it two wins out of two in Exeter on Thursday night as he followed up his fine win over Raymond van Barneveld with a 7-5 triumph over James Wade.

It was the Machine's first defeat of the season as the left-hander missed tops for a 160 finish in the deciding leg to grab a draw.

Wade, who opened with a 96 finish, had hit back from 3-1 down to level at four-all and then led 5-4, only to be punished for missed doubles as Chisnall took the next three to complete a memorable night's work.

"It's nice to get two wins and it's special," said Chisnall. "Playing two games in a night is always going to be hard, but when I got told on Wednesday I made sure I got ready for it, and I'm happy to get the four points.

"In the first game I played well but maybe I was a little bit lucky in the last game, James missed a lot of doubles but I got the win."

Three-dart averages
Wade: 89.35
Chisnall:  92.58

SCORING:
100+ thrown
Wade: 17
Chisnall: 14

140+ thrown
Wade: 10
Chisnall: 7
180+ thrown
Wade: 2
Chisnall: 4

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Wade: NA
Chisnall: NA

Checkout percentage
Wade: 23.81% (5/21)
Chisnall: 35% (7/20)

Premier League Darts Table: Week Five

Phil Taylor P 5 W 2 D 3 L 0 LegDiff +7 Pts 7
Peter Wright P 5 W 3 D 1 L 1 LegDiff +6 Pts 7
Michael van Gerwen P 4 W 2 D 2 L 0 LegDiff +7 Pts 6
James Wade P 5 W 2 D 2 L 1 LegDiff +3 Pts 6
Dave Chisnall P 6 W 3 D 0 L 3 LegDiff -3 Pts 6
Gary Anderson P 5 W 1 D 3 L 1 LegDiff +2 Pts 5
Raymond van Barneveld P 5 W 1 D 2 L 2 LegDiff -6 Pts 4
Adrian Lewis P 5 W 1 D 1 L 3 LegDiff -5 Pts 3
Kim Huybrechts P 5 W 0 D 3 L 2 LegDiff -5 Pts 3
Jelle Klaasen P 5 W 1 D 1 L 3 LegDiff -6 Pts 3 

MVG has played one game less as he withdrew from week five due to injury, with Chisnall playing twice that night.

Premier League Darts Week Five: Statistics

Three-dart averages
Peter Wright:  119.5
Adrian Lewis:  109.15
Gary Anderson: 105.31
Phil Taylor: 103.98
Dave Chisnall (v Barney): 101.13
Raymond van Barneveld: 96.83
Kim Huybrechts:  93.96
Dave Chisnall (v Wade): 92.58  
James Wade: 89.35
Jelle Klaasen:  87.57

180s Thrown
Gary Anderson: 8
Dave Chisnall (v Barney): 6
Peter Wright: 5
Adrian Lewis: 5
Kim Huybrechts: 5
Dave Chisnall (v Wade): 4
Raymond van Barneveld: 3
James Wade: 2
Jelle Klaasen: 1
Phil Taylor: 0

Checkouts over 100
Peter Wright: 125

Checkout percentages
Peter Wright: 70% (7/10)
Dave Chisnall (v Barney): 63.64% (7/11)
Adrian Lewis: 50% (2/4)
Gary Anderson:  35.29% (6/17) 
Dave Chisnall (v Wade): 35% (7/20)
Phil Taylor: 31.58% (6/19) 
Jelle Klaasen: 30% (6/20)
Kim Huybrechts: 26.09% (6/23)
James Wade: 23.81% (5/21)
Raymond van Barneveld: 14.29% (2/14)

Premier League: Next week's fixtures

Night Six, Thursday March 9
The SSE Hydro, Glasgow
TV Coverage: Sky Sports 1 (1900 GMT)
Adrian Lewis v Phil Taylor
James Wade v Peter Wright
Kim Huybrechts v Michael van Gerwen
Jelle Klaasen v Raymond van Barneveld
Dave Chisnall v Gary Anderson
Tickets: 0844 395 4000 or via www.thessehydro.com   

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