Van Gerwen thrashes Wright to top Premier League table
Michael van Gerwen moved to the top of the 2021 Premier League Darts table after comfortably beating Peter Wright on night two.
In a game that will not go down as a classic, MvG reeled off five straight legs against an out of sorts Snakebite, winning 7-2 to move to the summit on leg difference.
Elsewhere, night two of the Premier League Darts saw:
- Dimitri van den Bergh come through a tough test against Nathan Aspinall
- Rob Cross continued his resurgence against James Wade
- Gary Anderson hit six 180’s to defeat Jose De Sousa
- Jonny Clayton continued to inflict misery on defending champion Glen Durrant
Van Gerwen defeats Wright in scrappy game
After all the talk heading into the contest, particularly after Wright said MvG would not win a TV tournament this year, the darting world was looking forward to world number two and three facing off against each other. However, the pair delivered a flat and drab affair, with averages of 91 and 86 respectively.
Wright got the first break of throw in the opening leg, before van Gerwen responded instantly to level. Two holds of throw saw the match level at 2-2.
In the fifth leg, Snakebite missed two darts to break once more, as The Green Machine cleaned up 56 to lead 3-2. From there, 2020 World Champion Wright only got one more shot at a double, as his scoring fell away too often during legs. 61 darts later, Van Gerwen found double 16, to reel off five straight legs and win the contest 7-2.
It’s the third time that Wright has averaged under 90 while playing MvG in the Premier League.
Van den Bergh fights back to defeat Aspinall
Dimitri Van den Bergh came through a topsy turvy tussle to defeat Nathan Aspinall 7-5.
The match got off to a slow start, with both players missing plenty of darts at doubles in the first four legs. After three holds of throw, it was The Dream Maker who got the first break, hitting double 16 to go 3-1 in front.
In the next leg though, Van den Bergh squandered two darts at double 16, and The Asp pounced. A spectacular 144 finish saw him break back immediately, and 42 darts later, he led 5-3 thanks to a double eight outshot.
The Dream Maker has yet to lose a game in the Premier League, and fought back hard to keep it that way. After holding, he levelled the match with a 13 dart break of throw, after Aspinall himself missed double 16 to guarantee a point.
This gave Van den Bergh the confidence he needed heading into the final two legs. After holding in 11 darts, he produced an 87 finish on the bullseye in the 12th leg, to get his first win as a Premier League Darts player with Aspinall sat on 52 to try and earn a point.
Cross beats Wade to remain unbeaten in Premier League
Rob Cross beat birthday boy James Wade 7-3, as the former World Champion continues to look somewhere near his best.
Voltage took advantage of missed darts from Wade in the first leg, hitting double six for a 21 dart break. It was a lead that he would not relinquish, winning the next two legs to take a 3-0 lead.
Wade finally got on the board after Cross missed four for leg four, pinging his favourite double 10 to get on the board. It did little to stem the Voltage flow however, as 31 darts later, the world number five was 5-1 in front.
A 101 checkout from The Machine saw him cut the deficit to 5-2, but he could not find the pressure on the Cross throw. Two holds later, and after missing a dart for the match in the previous leg, Cross hit double eight for a 14 darter and the victory.
It’s Cross’ first win in the Premier League since night two of last year, when he beat Nathan Aspinall in Nottingham.
Missed darts for draw sees Anderson beat De Sousa
Two time Premier League champion Gary Anderson beat debutant Jose De Sousa 7-5, surviving three darts for a draw and hitting six 180s on the way.
After both players held in the opening two legs, it was The Flying Scotsman who took advantage. Hitting a 145 checkout to hold, he then found a 14 dart break of throw on tops to get the early break and lead 3-1. A 90 checkout on double five, with De Sousa on 57, saw him go three legs clear.
De Sousa fought back into the contest, however. After holding in 13 darts, he took advantage of a missed dart from Anderson at tops, taking out 66 to get the break back. A 14 dart hold saw him level the match back up at 4-4.
Each player held once more, meaning the match was all square 5-5 heading into the final two legs. After a comfortable 13 dart hold for Anderson in the 11th leg, a dramatic 12th and final leg followed. The Flying Scotsman missed double 11 for a 142 outshot, hitting single eight to leave 14. De Sousa had three clear darts to secure a point, but squandered all three, allowing Anderson three himself to take the victory. With his last dart in hand, he found double seven to get his opening win on the board, ending a classic contest.
Clayton cruises to victory against Durrant
Jonny Clayton continued his excellent form by beating last year’s winner Glen Durrant 7-3.
The Ferret was in control from the start, holding in 17 darts, before finding double six for a 15 dart break of throw. The Welshman continued his dominance, taking just 41 darts to win the next three legs and go 5-0 ahead.
Duzza finally got a shot at a double after Clayton had missed the big number looking for an 81 checkout. The Teesider hit double eight to check out 52, and prevent the 12th whitewash in the history of the competition.
Clayton did not let that deter him though, as a 14 darter saw him secure a point and lead 6-1. Despite missing three match darts, and Durrant winning two straight legs for a mini revival, the Masters champion eventually got the job done, hitting double nine to secure his first win in the event.
Premier League Darts 2021 Night Two Results
Gary Anderson 7-5 Jose De Sousa
Jonny Clayton 7-3 Glen Durrant
Dimitri van den Bergh 7-5 Nathan Aspinall
Michael van Gerwen 7-2 Peter Wright
Rob Cross 7-3 James Wade
Premier League Darts 2021 Night Three Fixtures
Wednesday 7 April (19.00 BST)
Rob Cross v Michael van Gerwen
Glen Durrant v Dimitri van den Bergh
Peter Wright v Gary Anderson
Nathan Aspinall v James Wade
Jose De Sousa v Jonny Clayton
How can I follow the 2021 Premier League Darts?
The Premier League will be live on Sky Sports in the UK. You can also watch it outside the UK via the PDC’s broadcast partners, such as RTL or DAZN.
You can also live stream the event. Find out more here.
We’ll have you covered here at Online Darts, with reaction to every game from Milton Keynes. Head over to our YouTube channel and hit subscribe so you don’t miss a video.
We’ll have a live blog for you every session of the tournament, so you don’t miss a moment even if you can’t watch live.
We’ll also produce the Premier League Daily . This round up show will feature reaction, news and debate from every day of the event. It will be available across all good podcast channels the morning after each day’s play.
Plus, we give regular updates on:
Follow all the drama of the Premier League with us here at Online Darts.