Cazoo Premier League darts, Belfast. 2 Feb 2023 Semi Final 1: Dimitri Van den Bergh vs Michael van Gerwen. Picture: Michael Cooper
Premier League leader Michael van Gerwen will be on the hunt for his first Night win since Liverpool on Night 6, as the darting roadshow makes its annual return to the Rotterdam Ahoy Arena.
Gerwyn Price cut the 6-time Champion’s lead at the top of the table to just 2pts, with the Iceman the first player in this year’s competition to win 4 separate nights, claiming successes in Cardiff, Nottingham, Newcastle, and Brighton.
MVG averaged 104.11 in beating Dimitri van den Bergh 6-2 before falling to defeat against the World Number 4 in the Semi’s, moving onto 29pts in the table. The player from Vlijmen takes on 5th placed Nathan Aspinall, with the Asp losing his last two Quarter Finals in the competition to Jonny Clayton and Peter Wright.
2021 World Champion Price will be looking to become the first player since the format changed, to win 5 separate nights in 1 campaign. Only himself and compatriot Clayton have won 4 nights since the structure of the competition changed, at the start of 2022 along with the Winmau Blade 6 dartboard.
The Iceman takes on World Number 1 Michael Smith in the 2nd Quarter Final of the night, with the pair meeting in the Final on Night 11 last Thursday. The Welshman produced a stunning display to move onto 27pts in the league table, averaging 115.97 in his Quarter Final victory over Chris Dobey and 108.08 against league leader Van Gerwen in the Semi’s, a match which included 14 180s.
Price is in fantastic form and looks in very good shape to qualify for Finals Night for the first time in his career, with 12pts separating him from 5th placed Nathan Aspinall.
Jonny Clayton occupies 4th place in the table and will hope to add to his tally in Rotterdam, as he looks to continue his 100% record of qualifying for every Premier League Finals Night. The Ferret sits 2pts clear of Nathan Aspinall, with 2-night wins in Berlin and Birmingham kickstarting a late surge from the 2021 Champion.
Clayton will face Chris Dobey in the opening match at the Ahoy Arena, with Hollywood not registering a win in the competition since Night 8 in his hometown of Newcastle.
The leagues bottom 2 players collide in the Night’s other match, with Peter Wright taking on Dimitri van den Bergh. Snakebite sits just 2pts of the Dream Maker in the table, with the Scotsman reaching the Final on Night 10 in Birmingham and the Semi Finals last week.
The World Number 2 included 6 180s and an average of 100.71 in beating Nathan Aspinall 6-5 in Brighton and will hope to continue his late revival in the darting roadshow.
Just 5 Nights remain now in the league format before we find out which 4 players will head to the O2 Arena for Finals Night. Defending champion Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price look in very good shape, but both know there is still work to do to guarantee their qualification.
Night 12 starts from 7pm live on Sky Sports with 2022 table topper Jonny Clayton opening the action at the Rotterdam Ahoy Arena, against Chris Dobey in the Quarter Finals.
By Harry Masterson
Premier League: Night 12 Order of Play
Quarter Finals:
Chris Dobey v Jonny Clayton
Michael Smith v Gerwyn Price
Dimitri van den Bergh v Peter Wright
Michael van Gerwen v Nathan Aspinall
Semi Finals:
Dobey/ Clayton v Smith/ Price
Van den Bergh/ Wright v Van Gerwen/ Aspinall
Final:
Winner of SF1 v Winner of SF2
2023 Premier League Table:
- Michael van Gerwen: 29pts
- Gerwyn Price: 27pts
- Michael Smith: 18pts
- Jonny Clayton: 17pts
- Nathan Aspinall: 15pts
- Chris Dobey: 10pts
- Dimitri van den Bergh: 9pts
- Peter Wright: 7pts
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