Premier League Darts night six sees Van den Bergh top table
Dimitri Van den Bergh defeated Jonny Clayton 7-3 to top the 2021 Premier League Darts table after night six.
In a match that had 11 180s, the Dream Maker punished The Ferret for missing 13 darts at a double.
He tops the table on legs won against the throw, after Nathan Aspinall and Michael van Gerwen joined him on 8 points with a +9 leg difference. Aspinall beat Peter Wright and Van Gerwen beat bottom player Glen Durrant by the same scoreline. Durrant himself is all but eliminated with three nights until Judgement Night.
Elsewhere, night six of the 2021 Premier League Darts saw Jose De Sousa and Gary Anderson survive last leg deciders tog get huge wins. They beat James Wade and Rob Cross 7-5 respectively.
Van den Bergh comes through quality game
Both Van den Bergh and Clayton averaged 102 in a high quality affair, but poor doubling cost The Ferret a chance to remain top of the table.
After both held in the opening two legs, both missed two darts for the third, before Van den Bergh found double eight to get the first break. The Belgian then squandered two darts to go two legs clear, and Clayton hit double eight to break straight back.
The fifth leg saw Van den Bergh hitting a fantastic 168 to leave 16, and he eventually found double four to break once more and go 3-2 ahead. However, The Ferret responded immediately again, hitting an astonishing 121 shot on the bull with his opponent on 65, to level once more at 3-3.
Masters Champion Clayton then missed two double 12 to go back in front, and Van den Bergh punished, hitting a fantastic 121 of his own to go in front once more. A 104 checkout in the next leg saw him go 5-3 ahead, before both missed darts to win the ninth.
Clayton however was punished for missing four darts to take the leg, as the World Matchplay Champion eventually hit double 18 to guarantee himself a point. A magnificent 145 from Van den Bergh left him on 41 for the match, and when Clayton missed two yet again to extend the contest, the Belgian found double 16 to take the two points.
Aspinall produces huge average to beat Wright
Nathan Aspinall won four legs on the spin to comeback and beat Peter Wright 7-3.
It was Snakebite who took the early lead, taking advantage of four missed darts at a double from The Asp in the first leg to go 1-0 up, and held to go 2-0 ahead. A 14 darter from the Premier League runner up, before a fantastic 84 checkout on the bull, got Aspinall level at 2-2.
A 13 darter gave Aspinall the lead for the first time in the match, before a magical 120 outshot got Wright level. However, that would be the last chance he got a double until the final leg, as The Asp went beserk.
15,14 and 13 darts legs secured him the point, before missing tops in the 10th leg to get a 15 darter. However, once Wright missed double five to extend the match, Aspinall came back and did not miss this time. Double 20 for a 17 darter break secured him the win, and moves him second in the table.
Van Gerwen gets back on track against Durrant
After drawing 6-6 with Nathan Aspinall on night five, Michael van Gerwen moved level on points at the top of the table, defeating Glen Durrant 7-3. He’s only third on legs won against the throw.
Durrant held on double 16 for the first leg, before missing a dart at tops to go 2-0 in front. MvG, who’d missed two to level the previous visit, eventually found double 10 to hold and square the match at 1-1.
Van Gerwen found a 128 to leave double 10 in the next leg, and when Durrant could not hit a 91 outshot, he hit double five to get the first break in the match. Despite missing five for the fourth leg, he hit double five once more to convert the break into a hold and go 3-1 in front.
Both missed darts to win the fifth leg, before The Green Machine found double eight to move a double break clear. A similar story happened in the sixth leg, with both missing multiple darts to take it. In the end, Duzza found double two to go just the one break of throw behind, trailing 4-2.
The 2020 Premier League winner took out a 76 shot to cut the gap to one, before MvG produced a 15 darter to restore the two leg cushion. In the ninth leg, a lovely 96 shot from the five time winner of this event secured him a point, before winning the contest with a 14 darter. It means that if Durrant does not get a point tomorrow night against Jose De Sousa, he will be eliminated.
De Sousa moves out of elimination zone at Wade’s expense
Jose De Sousa got his second win of the Premier League, beating James Wade 7-5 in a match which saw The Machine average 104.
After both held in the opening two legs, Wade missed a dart at tops to break in the third. De Sousa cleaned up a 52 shot to keep hold of his throw, with two further holds seeing the Portuguese player go 3-2 ahead.
The first break finally came in the sixth leg. A 140 and 180 saw De Sousa on 85, and he went 19,16 bullseye to go 4-2 in front. Wade responded by hitting tops for a 13 darter to break back immediately, but could not hit double 12 for a 104 shot in the next leg. A 180 had left De Sousa on 63, which he hit on double six to restore the break and go 5-3 up.
An 11 dart hold secured The Special One a point, before Wade held in 14 darts to make it 6-4. De Sousa then missed double seven to secure the two points, allowing the former Premier League Darts winner to find double eight and send the match into a 12th and final leg. Grand Slam winner De Sousa then produced a magical leg to leave 81 after nine, before hitting double 12 to secure a vital win, sending Wade into the elimination zone.
Anderson gets huge win against Cross
Gary Anderson returned to Premier League Darts action in Milton Keynes by winning a dramatic game against Rob Cross.
Both held twice which saw the match score at 2-2, before The Flying Scotsman took charge. A 128, followed by 177 and 180, left him on 16 after nine darts. When Voltage could not hit an 86, Anderson found double eight for a 12 darter for the first break of the throw of the contest.
The sixth leg saw Anderson miss tops for a 151, and three more for the leg. Cross however could not take out a double double checkout to square the match, allowing the two time Premier League champion to find double 10 and go 4-2 ahead.
The former World Champion Cross missed two more in the seventh leg to cut the gap to one leg, and Anderson once more found a 70 checkout on tops to get the double break and go 5-2 in front. Roles reversed in the next leg though, as Anderson could not find the bullseye to guarantee a point. Cross then took out a 58 shot to go just one break behind.
A 13 dart hold for Voltage cut the gap to 5-4, before an excellent 101 checkout from Anderson saw him go 6-4 ahead, getting a point in the process. A second 13 dart hold in a row for Cross forced a 12th and final leg. There, two missed darts from Voltage to secure a point allowed Anderson to hit a 52 outshot, claiming a huge win to move clear of the elimination spots.
Premier League Darts Night Six Results
Gary Anderson 7-5 Rob Cross
Jose De Sousa 7-5 James Wade
Dimitri van den Bergh 7-3 Jonny Clayton
Michael van Gerwen 7-3 Glen Durrant
Nathan Aspinall 7-3 Peter Wright
Premier League Darts Night Seven Fixtures
Tuesday 20 April (1900 BST)
Glen Durrant v Jose De Sousa
Rob Cross v Dimitri Van den Bergh
Nathan Aspinall v Jonny Clayton
Peter Wright v James Wade
Michael van Gerwen v James Anderson
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