Tag: raymond van barneveld

Michael van Gerwen thrashes Peter Wright 6-1 to capture Players Championship 6 title

By Alex Moss
2 APRIL 2017 • 8:39PM

Michael van Gerwen won his first Players Championship title of the year after beating Peter Wright 6-1 in the final of Players Championship 6 in Milton Keynes today.

The world number one lost out to Wright in the HappyBet German Darts Championship final last weekend, and was also the runner-up in Players Championship 5 yesterday to Adrian Lewis.

However, the world champion went all the way today to scoop the £10,000 top prize, with wins over Mickey Mansell, Andy Jenkins, Ron Meulenkamp and Cristo Reyes moving him into the quarter-finals, where he got the better of Kim Huybrechts 6-2.

The Dutchman then dropped only one leg in a comfortable semi-final victory against Mervyn King, before repeating the scoreline in the final against Wright.

Wright’s only leg of the final came in the fifth leg with a 136 checkout, but the world number three had no answer as van Gerwen powered home finishes of 129 and 153 in the next two legs to wrap up a 6-1 win in the final.

Speaking to PDCTV-HD after winning the final, van Gerwen said: “I was really glad (to win this tournament).

“We didn’t perform fantastic, especially in the beginning of this game, but a win is a win.

“It was a long day today and I made it and I played well today in patches, and I’m happy with my performance.

“You always want to win, it doesn’t matter who it is (against), and I want to perform always 200 per cent.

“I was quite dominant all day today and to be fair Cristo had a small chance, but I had a fantastic 90 finish, 18, double 18, double 18, same as what I did in the final, treble 19, double 18, double 18.

“That’s a strong point for me and I know I can do things at the right moments and I’m really glad.

“It’s also really nice because it’s my mum’s birthday and it’s a nice present for her.”

Wright pocketed £6,000 as runner-up as he continued his impressive start to the year, defeating Terry Roach, Jimmy Hendriks and David Pallett in his early games, before whitewashing Steve Beaton 6-0 in the last 16.

The Scot then overcame both Richard North and Mensur Suljovic with 6-2 wins to book his place in the final, before coming unstuck against van Gerwen in the decider.

Suljovic’s run to the semi-finals was the Austrian’s best performance since he was runner-up in the Unibet European Championship last October, as he knocked out world number two Gary Anderson and in-form Australian Simon Whitlock on the day.

He was joined in the last four by King, a Players Championship runner-up last month, who overcame Raymond van Barneveld, Kevin Painter and Darren Webster on his route to the semi-finals.

Hampshire-born North, a PDC tour card winner at Q-School in January, reached his second successive Players Championship quarter-final to cap a superb weekend, before losing out to Wright.

North was joined in the quarter-finals by Whitlock, van Barneveld and Huybrechts, who returned to competition in Milton Keynes after missing Thursday’s Betway Premier League swansong to be with his mother during her final hours.

Sunday’s tournament also saw Ricky Williams land his first competitive nine darter, although the achievement came during a first round defeat to Jeffrey de Graaf.

The next Players Championship double-header will be held next weekend (April 8-9) at the Barnsley Metrodome, where a further £150,000 in prize money will be on offer across the two days,

Players Championship 6
Sunday April 2, Arena MK, Milton Keynes
First Round
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Mickey Mansell
Andy Jenkins 6-1 Mark Barilli
Robert Thornton 6-2 John Henderson
Ron Meulenkamp 6-2 Jim Brown
Stephen Bunting 6-5 Dennis Smith
Max Hopp 6-4 Shaun Griffiths
Cristo Reyes 6-5 Ryan Palmer
Keegan Brown 6-2 Kirk Shepherd
Ian White 6-1 Aden Kirk
Andy Boulton 6-4 Matthew Dennant
Jan Dekker 6-5 Adrian Lewis
Stephen Burton 6-5 William O’Connor
Kim Huybrechts 6-1 Brian Woods
Ritchie Edhouse 6-4 John Part
Mark Webster 6-3 Chris Dobey
Wes Newton 6-5 Steve Lennon
Ryan Meikle 6-5 Benito van de Pas
Zoran Lerchbacher 6-4 Darren Johnson
Ronny Huybrechts 6-4 Matt Clark
Rowby-John Rodriguez 6-0 Ronnie Baxter
Jelle Klaasen 6-1 Simon Stevenson
Raymond van Barneveld 6-4 Ryan Searle
Daryl Gurney 6-2 Antonio Alcinas
Jamie Lewis 6-3 Darron Brown
Richie Burnett 6-3 Dave Chisnall
Matthew Edgar 6-2 Scott Taylor
Darren Webster 6-1 Simon Preston
Jamie Bain 6-0 Peter Jacques
Peter Hudson 6-4 Michael Smith
Sven Groen 6-2 Ross Twell
Mervyn King 6-2 Vincent Kamphuis
Kevin Painter 6-1 Maik Langendorf
Peter Wright 6-1 Terry Roach
Jimmy Hendriks 6-5 Terry Temple
Josh Payne 6-1 Prakash Jiwa
David Pallett 6-2 Devon Petersen
Joe Cullen 6-5 Paul Nicholson
Steve Hine 6-2 Paul Harvey
Steve Beaton 6-2 Mike de Dekker
John Bowles 6-5 Joe Murnan
Alan Norris 6-4 Andrew Gilding
James Richardson 6-0 Martin Schindler
Christian Kist 6-1 Robert Owen
Richie Corner 6-3 Yordi Meeuwisse
Richard North 6-5 James Wade
Mick McGowan 6-0 Ray Campbell
Mick Todd 6-3 James Wilson
Brendan Dolan 6-1 Berry van Peer
Simon Whitlock 6-4 Harry Robinson
Dimitri van den Bergh 6-2 Lee Bryant
Robbie Green 6-5 Colin Roelofs
Warrick Scheffer 6-0 Jeffrey de Zwaan
Gerwyn Price 6-3 Paul Rowley
Jonny Clayton 6-0 Ricky Evans
Kyle Anderson 6-2 Jamie Caven
Rob Cross 6-5 Jonathan Worsley
Mensur Suljovic 6-2 Dirk van Duijvenbode
John Jnr Norman 6-4 Madars Razma
Andy Hamilton 6-4 Justin Pipe
Jeffrey de Graaf 6-4 Ricky Williams – Ricky Williams hits nine-dart finish
Gary Anderson 6-2 Haruki Muramatsu
Ted Evetts 6-5 Tony Newell
Steve West 6-5 Chris Quantock
Vincent van der Voort 6-1 Adam Hunt

Second Round
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Andy Jenkins
Ron Meulenkamp 6-5 Robert Thornton
Max Hopp 6-4 Stephen Bunting
Cristo Reyes 6-4 Keegan Brown
Ian White 6-3 Andy Boulton
Jan Dekker 6-0 Stephen Burton
Kim Huybrechts 6-1 Ritchie Edhouse
Mark Webter 6-1 Wes Newton
Ryan Meikle 6-5 Zoran Lerchbacher
Rowby-John Rodriguez 6-4 Ronny Huybrechts
Raymond van Barneveld 6-0 Jelle Klaasen
Daryl Gurney 6-2 Jamie Lewis
Richie Burnett 6-5 Matthew Edgar
Darren Webster 6-3 Jamie Bain
Peter Hudson 6-2 Sven Groen
Mervyn King 6-5 Kevin Painter
Peter Wright 6-4 Jimmy Hendriks
David Pallett 6-1 Josh Payne
Steve Hine 6-2 Joe Cullen
Steve Beaton 6-1 John Bowles
James Richardson 6-4 Alan Norris
Christian Kist 6-2 Richie Corner
Richard North 6-3 Mick McGowan
Mick Todd 6-5 Brendan Dolan
Simon Whitlock 6-1 Dimitri van den Bergh
Warrick Scheffer 6-4 Robbie Green
Gerwyn Price 6-4 Jonny Clayton
Rob Cross 6-2 Kyle Anderson
Mensur Suljovic 6-2 John Jnr Norman
Jeffrey de Graaf 6-2 Andy Hamilton
Gary Anderson 6-2 Ted Evetts
Steve West 6-3 Vincent van der Voort

Third Round
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Ron Meulenkamp
Cristo Reyes 6-4 Max Hopp
Jan Dekker 6-4 Ian White
Kim Huybrechts 6-3 Mark Webster
Ryan Meikle 6-2 Rowby-John Rodriguez
Raymond van Barneveld 6-4 Daryl Gurney
Darren Webster 6-1 Richie Burnett
Mervyn King 6-3 Peter Hudson
Peter Wright 6-1 David Pallett
Steve Beaton 6-3 Steve Hine
James Richardson 6-5 Christian Kist
Richard North 6-1 Mick Todd
Simon Whitlock 6-5 Warrick Scheffer
Gerwyn Price 6-3 Rob Cross
Mensur Suljovic 6-1 Jeffrey de Graaf
Gary Anderson 6-5 Steve West

Fourth Round
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Cristo Reyes
Kim Huybrechts 6-2 Jan Dekker
Raymond van Barneveld 6-2 Ryan Meikle
Mervyn King 6-4 Darren Webster
Peter Wright 6-0 Steve Beaton
Richard North 6-5 James Richardson
Simon Whitlock 6-3 Gerwyn Price
Mensur Suljovic 6-4 Gary Anderson

Quarter-Finals
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Kim Huybrechts
Mervyn King 6-2 Raymond van Barneveld
Peter Wright 6-2 Richard North
Mensur Suljovic 6-3 Simon Whitlock

Semi-Finals
Michael van Gerwen 6-1 Mervyn King
Peter Wright 6-2 Mensur Suljovic

Final
Michael van Gerwen 6-1 Peter Wright

Advertisement

Raymond van Barneveld and Adrian Lewis head list of German Darts Masters UK Qualifiers

By Alex Moss
31 MARCH 2017 • 11:06PM

Former PDC world champions Raymond van Barneveld and Adrian Lewis were among the 18 UK Qualifiers for next month’s HappyBet German Darts Masters this evening.

World number four Lewis secured his spot in the European Tour event in Jena by defeating Adrian Gray and Scott Taylor at Arena MK in Milton Keynes.

Five-time world champion van Barneveld overcame Luke Woodhouse and then edged past in-form Darren Johnson 6-5 as he clinched his spot in the £135,000 streamed tournament.

Former European Tour winner Mervyn King dropped just three legs in his victories over Andy Boulton and Mark Barilli, while another former European Tour champion, Robert Thornton, whitewashed Paul Rowley and then saw off former World Youth champion Keegan Brown to progress through the qualifier.

Justin Pipe, the 2012 Austrian Darts Open champion, edged out Richie Burnett and Warrick Scheffer to book his spot in Jena, while Ronnie Baxter battled past former European Tour winner Steve Beaton 6-5 in their decider to win through.

Former BDO world champion Mark Webster qualified at the expense of William O’Connor and Paul Nicholson, Northern Ireland’s Daryl Gurney got the better of Lee Bryant and James Richardson to move into the main event, but his fellow countryman Mickey Mansell was beaten by Australia’s Kyle Anderson in their decider.

Welsh trio Jamie Lewis, Jonny Clayton and Robert Owen joined Webster in qualifying, alongside English throwers Robbie Green, Brian Woods, Andrew Gilding, Joe Murnan, Ricky Evans and Ted Evetts.

The UK Qualifier kicked-off the PDC Pro Tour weekend at Arena MK in Milton Keynes, with Players Championship 5 and 6 being held at the venue on Saturday and Sunday.

Both events will be streamed live with coverage from two boards simultaneously for PDCTV-HD subscribers worldwide via http://www.livepdc.tv, as well as through a series of bookmakers’ websites.

HappyBet German Darts Masters
UK Qualifier
Friday March 31, Arena MK, Milton Keynes
Preliminary Round
Darron Brown 6-2 Michael Barnard
James Richardson 6-3 Matthew Dennant
Brian Woods 6-4 Jim Brown
John Bowles 6-3 Peter Jacques
Mickey Mansell 6-2 Martin Lukeman
Jamie Bain 6-2 Andy Jenkins
Warrick Scheffer 6-5 Simon Preston
Terry Temple 6-5 Stephen Burton
Simon Stevenson 6-3 Ryan Searle
Peter Hudson 6-4 Paul Harvey
Andrew Gilding 6-5 Matt Clark
Darren Johnson 6-2 Adam Hunt
Steve Hine 6-5 Ritchie Edhouse
Jim Walker 6-3 Craig Gilchrist
Paul Nicholson 6-3 Ross Twell
John Part 6-1 Ray Campbell
Devon Petersen 6-5 Chris Quantock
Mick McGowan 6-2 Ricky Williams
Joe Murnan 6-2 Harry Robinson

First Round
Steve Beaton 6-1 Dennis Smith
Ronnie Baxter 6-1 Darron Brown
Daryl Gurney 6-3 Lee Bryant
James Richardson 6-2 Mick Todd
Tony Newell 6-2 Chris Dobey
Brian Woods 6-1 Ryan Palmer
Andy Hamilton 6-3 James Wilson
Robert Owen 6-3 John Bowles
Kyle Anderson 6-2 Steve Lennon
Mickey Mansell 6-3 Richard North
Mervyn King 6-2 Andy Boulton
Mark Barilli 6-5 Jamie Bain
Justin Pipe 6-5 Richie Burnett
Warrick Scheffer 6-4 Brendan Dolan
Robbie Green 6-4 Ryan Meikle
Jonathan Worsley 6-2 Terry Temple
Robert Thornton 6-0 Paul Rowley
Keegan Brown 6-1 Simon Stevenson
Darren Webster 6-0 Wes Newton
Ted Evetts 6-3 Peter Hudson
Josh Payne 6-2 Callum Loose
Andrew Gilding 6-3 David Pallett
Raymond van Barneveld 6-1 Luke Woodhouse
Darren Johnson 6-3 Aden Kirk
Jamie Lewis 6-4 Jamie Caven
Rob Cross 6-4 Steve Hine
John Henderson 6-2 Terry Roach
Ricky Evans 6-1 Jim Walker
Mark Webster 6-3 William O’Connor
Paul Nicholson 6-4 Wayne Jones
Adrian Lewis 6-2 Adrian Grey
Scott Taylor 6-2 John Part
Jonny Clayton 6-3 Kirk Shepherd
Devon Peterson 6-3 John Norman Jnr
Richie Corner 6-5 Kevin Painter
Joe Murnan 6-1 Mick McGowan

Final Round
Ronnie Baxter 6-5 Steve Beaton
Daryl Gurney 6-2 James Richardson
Brian Woods 6-5 Tony Newell
Robert Owen 6-5 Andy Hamilton
Kyle Anderson 6-1 Mickey Mansell
Mervyn King 6-1 Mark Barilli
Justin Pipe 6-3 Warrick Scheffer
Robbie Green 6-1 Jonathan Worsley
Robert Thornton 6-4 Keegan Brown
Ted Evetts 6-4 Darren Webster
Andrew Gilding 6-2 Josh Payne
Raymond van Barneveld 6-5 Darren Johnson
Jamie Lewis 6-3 Rob Cross
Ricky Evans 6-5 John Henderson
Mark Webster 6-3 Paul Nicholson
Adrian Lewis 6-1 Scott Taylor
Jonny Clayton 6-3 Devon Peterson
Joe Murnan 6-1 Richie Corner

OPINION – Players complaining about PDC’s rules on the Premier League should look at the bigger picture

By Alex Moss
31 MARCH 2017 • 1:47PM

The race for the play-offs in this year’s Betway Premier League is shaping up to be the closest in a number of years, and that was clear to see from some of the players in Cardiff last night.

Ahead of last night’s action at the Motorpoint Arena, the evening’s schedule was cut from five matches to four, as Kim Huybrechts withdrew from his fixture with Peter Wright due to family reasons.

With Huybrechts set to be eliminated, along with Jelle Klaasen, from the tournament following last night’s fixtures, Wright was awarded a 7-0 win, in accordance with the PDC’s rules.

It is a rule which certainly irked with a few of the players who did play last night. Could the PDC have waited a few weeks and got Huybrechts to come back to fulfill his final fixture?

That appears to be what those players may have wanted to happen, but, in truth, this is a situation which has never arisen before. A player, who can no longer avoid elimination, withdrawing from the one fixture he had left to play.

Another option would have been for all of the results involving Huybrechts in the tournament to be expunged from the record books. Another suggestion on social media was for Wright to play a challenge match against a player not in the competition and the result to go towards his record instead.

Wright was a big favourite to beat Huybrechts in their scheduled match at Cardiff last night and many would have expected him to pick up two points if the fixture was played.

What the players seem to be annoyed about was the ruling which gave Wright a 7-0 win in the fixture. Given that there has only been half a dozen or so whitewashes in the history of the Premier League, it would have been a big ask for Wright to replicate that one-sided scoreline if the match was played.

The plus seven legs difference Wright accrued from this outcome could be a deciding factor come the end of the season, as places in the play-offs could come down to legs difference.

But has Wright really been given a big advantage? We now enter the second league phase of the Premier League next week and each player still has seven fixtures and 14 points to play for.

The four players who end up finishing in the top four will have all deserved to be there. The Premier League is the longest tournament on the calendar, played over 15 weeks before the finals night at The O2, so players complaining about the PDC’s ruling yesterday should look at the bigger picture.

If the shoe was on the other foot, and one of the players who complained had been awarded the 7-0 win, would they have had the same reaction last night? It is very doubtful.

Love The Darts Dozen – Jelle Klaasen drops to the bottom after the German Darts Championship

By Christopher Kempf
31 MARCH 2017 • 1:12PM

The Love The Darts Dozen estimates and compares the length of the average leg over players’ last 180 stage legs.

Michael van Gerwen’s inconsistency in Hildesheim results in a large decline in scoring form (9.55 darts to a finish from 9.36 last week).

A breakthrough victory for Raymond van Barneveld against van Gerwen was accompanied by superior setup play.

Alan Norris can’t keep pace with his 2016 German Darts Championship form, dropping to 3.08 darts at double per leg won.

Jelle Klaasen falls to last place in the LTD12 for the first time, owing to shaky victories in Germany and Premier League relegation.

LTD12 (after German Darts Championship)
1. Michael van Gerwen 15.454 (0.204)
2. Raymond van Barneveld 16.697 (0.130)
3. Phil Taylor 17.116 (0.094)
4. Daryl Gurney 17.128 (n/c)
5. Mensur Suljovic 17.571 (0.269)
6. Benito van de Pas 17.650 (0.207)
7. Simon Whitlock 18.074 (0.070)
8. Alan Norris 18.094 (0.157)
9. Steve Beaton 18.216 (n/c)
10. Mervyn King 18.409 (0.319)
11. Joe Cullen 18.467 (0.261)
12. Jelle Klaasen 18.715 (0.354)

Premier League fixtures for the rest of the 2017 season are released

By Alex Moss
31 MARCH 2017 • 12:43PM

The fixtures for the remaining six league nights of this year’s Betway Premier League have been confirmed this afternoon.

Following the elimination of Jelle Klaasen and Kim Huybrechts last night, the remaining eight players now set their sights on winning play-off spots.

Next week at the 3Arena in Dublin will see James Wade and Raymond van Barneveld compete twice, as they face each other after earlier taking on Michael van Gerwen and Phil Taylor respectively.

The other two fixtures in Dublin will see Dave Chisnall face Peter Wright and Adrian Lewis meet Gary Anderson, the latter in a quick repeat of last night’s clash in Cardiff.

Week 11 at the Echo Arena in Liverpool will see UK Open champion Wright face off against the world’s top two ranked players, van Gerwen and Anderson.

The other fixtures on the night will see Anderson meet Chisnall, Lewis play van Barneveld and Taylor and Wade face off.

Week 12 at The SSE Arena in Belfast sees Chisnall and Taylor clash as they double up, with the former earlier taking on Lewis and the 16-time world champion meeting Anderson.

Wright will take on Wade, while the Dutch duo of van Gerwen and van Barneveld will meet in the other Belfast clash, with the reigning Premier League champion aiming to avenge his defeat in Manchester earlier this month.

The return to Birmingham’s Barclaycard Arena on April 27 sees van Gerwen and Lewis compete twice on the night, facing each other in the final game after earlier taking on Wade and Chisnall respectively.

Taylor takes on Wright and Anderson goes up against van Barneveld in the night’s other two games.

The final two league nights will each feature four games as the tournament returns to The Sheffield Arena and The GE Oil & Gas Arena in Aberdeen.

The visit to Sheffield includes the meeting between rivals van Gerwen and Taylor, as well as clashes between Wright and Lewis, van Barneveld and Chisnall and Wade and Anderson.

The final league night in Aberdeen features the rematch of the recent PDC World Championship final between van Gerwen and Anderson, while Wright faces van Barneveld, Taylor and Lewis clash and Chisnall plays Wade.

Following the final league night in Aberdeen, the top four players in the league table will qualify to compete in the play-offs at The O2 in London on May 18.

Betway Premier League
Night Ten – Thursday April 6
3Arena, Dublin
James Wade v Michael van Gerwen
Raymond van Barneveld v Phil Taylor
Dave Chisnall v Peter Wright
Adrian Lewis v Gary Anderson
James Wade v Raymond van Barneveld
Tickets: 0818 719 3000 (Ire) or 0844 8472 455 (UK) or via Ticketmaster

Night 11 – Thursday April 13
Echo Arena, Liverpool
Gary Anderson v Dave Chisnall
Michael van Gerwen v Peter Wright
Adrian Lewis v Raymond van Barneveld
Phil Taylor v James Wade
Peter Wright v Gary Anderson
Tickets: 0844 8000 400 or via http://www.echoarena.co.uk

Night 12 – Thursday April 20
The SSE Arena, Belfast
Dave Chisnall v Adrian Lewis
Phil Taylor v Gary Anderson
Peter Wright v James Wade
Michael van Gerwen v Raymond van Barneveld
Dave Chisnall v Phil Taylor
Tickets: 028 9073 9074 or 0844 277 4455 or via http://www.ssearenabelfast.com

Night 13 – Thursday April 27
Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham
James Wade v Adrian Lewis
Dave Chisnall v Michael van Gerwen
Phil Taylor v Peter Wright
Gary Anderson v Raymond van Barneveld
Adrian Lewis v Michael van Gerwen
Tickets: 0844 338 8000 or via http://www.theticketfactory.com

Night 14 – Thursday May 4
The Sheffield Arena
Peter Wright v Adrian Lewis
Raymond van Barneveld v Dave Chisnall
James Wade v Gary Anderson
Michael van Gerwen v Phil Taylor
Tickets: 0114 256 5656 or via http://www.sheffieldarena.co.uk

Night 15 – Thursday May 11
GE Oil & Gas Arena, Aberdeen
Dave Chisnall v James Wade
Phil Taylor v Adrian Lewis
Peter Wright v Raymond van Barneveld
Michael van Gerwen v Gary Anderson
Tickets: Sold Out

Play-Offs – Thursday May 18
The O2, London
Semi-Finals
Final
Tickets: 0844 856 0202 or via http://www.axs.com

Raymond van Barneveld makes it four wins in a row as Premier League visits Cardiff

By Alex Moss
31 MARCH 2017 • 10:28AM

Raymond van Barneveld chalked up his fourth consecutive win in the Betway Premier League as he swept past James Wade 7-2 in Cardiff last night, where Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Phil Taylor also picked up victories.

Van Barneveld, the 2014 Premier League champion, has climbed into the top four with his recent run of form, beating the world’s top two players van Gerwen and Anderson, and he continued that with a ruthless display against Wade.

The Dutchman limited Wade to just one dart at a double as he won the opening five legs without reply, before the 2009 Premier League champion finished 36 and 70 to take two of the next three.

However, van Barneveld, who had claimed his sixth leg with an excellent 12-darter, took the ninth on double seven to secure another two points in his bid to secure a spot in the play-offs.

“That’s four wins on the trot so I’m very happy,” said van Barneveld. “It’s so tight in the league table so I had to focus and you have to play well against everyone.

“James didn’t play as well as he could and I was surprised at that but I’m happy with the win.”

DARTS
Michael van Gerwen climbed back to the top of the Betway Premier League table last night CREDIT: LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

Reigning Premier League champion van Gerwen moved back to the top of the table with an impressive 7-1 win over Dave Chisnall, averaging 104.25 and hitting 50 per cent of his darts at a double.

The world number one had lost his first game of the season last week against van Barneveld, but returned to winning ways as he defied five 180s from Chisnall with a dominant display.

“I had to play well tonight and I’m happy that I did,” said van Gerwen. “The pressure was on me because I want to be back on top of the table where I belong and where I’ve worked hard for.

“When you lose a game, like last week, you’re upset but tonight I enjoyed it again. I’m a happy man and I’m already looking forward to next week.”

DARTS
Gary Anderson boosted his hopes of qualifying for the play-offs with a 7-3 victory over Adrian Lewis CREDIT: LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

Two-time Premier League winner Anderson fired in finishes of 143 and 170 in a superb 7-3 win over Adrian Lewis, averaging 107 as he came from 2-1 down to clinch his third win in four games.

“I didn’t think the performance was as good as the average, but I’ll take it!” said Anderson. “There was some good scores and some bad scores – the 170 felt like it came from nowhere and I took out the 143 too.

“We all want to get into the play-offs. When the tournament starts you don’t want to be in the bottom two, and once you get past tonight it’s a fight for the top four and everyone’s trying for it.”

DARTS
Phil Taylor battled back from 4-1 down to beat Jelle Klaasen 7-5 in Cardiff CREDIT: LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

Six-time Premier League champion Taylor also had to come from behind before he saw off Jelle Klaasen 7-5 in a deciding leg.

Klaasen – who had been eliminated before his ninth league match – raced into an early 4-1 lead, before Taylor, aided by an 11-darter, turned the match around to claim his second win on the spin.

“It’s another two points for me and they could all prove crucial at the end of the season,” said Taylor. “It could prove the difference for getting into the play-offs – if I’d lost I think I’d have struggled to qualify.

“I think Jelle’s injury affected him, at the beginning he was fairing well but during the game he was struggling and he wasn’t the same player. Fair play to him, it must be very frustrating but he’s battled on.”

DARTS
Peter Wright addresses the Cardiff crowd last night CREDIT: LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

The night had seen just eight players in action, with Kim Huybrechts – who had already been eliminated – absent to remain in Belgium with his terminally ill mother, meaning that Peter Wright was awarded a 7-0 victory in his intended opponent’s absence.

“All our thoughts are with Kim and his family,” said Wright, who made an appearance on stage in front of the sell-out Cardiff crowd before the event and signed autographs for the fans.

“You have a fantastic crowd in Cardiff, the atmosphere is amazing and I’m gutted that I’m not playing. I was looking forward to trying to win tonight but unfortunately I’ve got to get back on the practice board.”

The Premier League continues with the visit to Dublin’s 3Arena next Thursday, as the second phase of the season begins with five games.

Betway Premier League
Night Nine – Thursday March 30
Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
Phil Taylor 7-5 Jelle Klaasen
Gary Anderson 7-3 Adrian Lewis
Raymond van Barneveld 7-2 James Wade
Michael van Gerwen 7-1 Dave Chisnall
NB: Peter Wright awarded 7-0 win following Kim Huybrechts’ withdrawal.

League Table

As of March 30 2017 P W D L +/- LWAT Pts
Michael van Gerwen 9 6 2 1 +19 21 14
Peter Wright 9 6 1 2 +16 16 13
Raymond van Barneveld 9 5 2 2 +8 18 12
Gary Anderson 9 4 3 2 +10 12 11
Phil Taylor 9 4 3 2 +5 20 11
Adrian Lewis 9 4 1 4 0 18 9
James Wade 9 3 2 4 -3 16 8
Dave Chisnall 9 3 0 6 -16 12 6
Jelle Klaasen (E) 9 1 1 7 -16 15 3
Kim Huybrechts (E) 9 0 3 6 -23 11 3

Raymond van Barneveld aiming for fourth win in a row in the Premier League tonight

By Alex Moss
30 MARCH 2017 • 2:47PM

Raymond van Barneveld is targeting a fourth win in a row when he faces James Wade in the Betway Premier League tonight.

The 2014 Premier League champion has climbed up into third place after recording wins over Jelle Klaasen, Gary Anderson and Michael van Gerwen in the last three weeks.

And the Dutchman can give his play-off bid a further boost with a victory over Wade at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff this evening.

“It’s really competitive and it’s great that I’ve beaten the number two and the number one in the world in the last two weeks,” said van Barneveld.

“My form is there and the last two weeks have been great, but now I have to focus on James.”

Tonight’s Premier League fixtures have been reduced from five to four, as Peter Wright has been awarded a 7-0 win in his scheduled game against Kim Huybrechts, after the Belgian withdrew from the match due to family reasons.

The revised order of play for tonight’s Betway Premier League will now be as follows:

Betway Premier League
Week Nine – Thursday March 30
Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
Phil Taylor v Jelle Klaasen
Gary Anderson v Adrian Lewis
Raymond van Barneveld v James Wade
Michael van Gerwen v Dave Chisnall
(all matches are the best of 12 legs)

Episode 11 – Darren Johnson interview, Euro Tour review, Judgement Night preview and more!

By Love The Darts Staff
30 MARCH 2017 • 12:13PM

The Weekly Dartscast is the brand new podcast for darts fans. Editor of the Love The Darts magazine Alex Moss and darts statistician Burton DeWitt provide pre- and post-tournament analysis, observations, opinions and interviews with darts sources, players and fans.

In this week’s episode of the Weekly Dartscast, listen as the team recaps Peter Wright’s triumph in Hildesheim & the English men’s team win in the BDO Internationals.

They are joined by guest Darren Johnson, who discusses his recent run of form, which includes wins over MvG, Barney, James Wade, and Dave Chisnall, just since the start of March.

Listen to the episode via the player below or to download the podcast click here

Would a return to group stage format make the World Cup less predictable?

seanheader

belgium

It was the PDC’s turn to hog the darts television space at the weekend, as England’s Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis won the World Cup for the fourth time, beating Dutch pair Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld in Sunday’s final. Continue reading “Would a return to group stage format make the World Cup less predictable?”