Wednesday 2 April 2014 14:37, UK
It’s Judgement Night in the Premier League darts, and for two men it will be the end of their hopes of landing the huge prize, but who will suffer the drop?
Australian Simon Whitlock has struggled all season long and has already had his relegation confirmed, but there are still three men who head to Cardiff on Thursday scrambling to survive the dreaded drop.
Robert Thornton, Dave Chisnall and Wes Newton are all locked together on six points so it is between this trio, and in an intriguing twist Chisnall and Newton will square off in Cardiff in a win-and-in match.
Both men could still survive with a point, as Thornton then faces 16-time world champion Phil Taylor, who is only a point in front but his legs difference and the fact Chisnall plays Newton means he cannot be relegated.
Newton currently sits in the drop zone and he is the 8/11 favourite with Sky Bet to see his Premier League season ended on Thursday, which is not surprising as the bookmaker has Chisnall as the even money favourite to win their match.
Chisnall is 7/4 to drop out, after playing some lovely stuff during the Premier League. He has the highest tournament average of the three relegation contenders – with his 96.59 good for fifth best in the league overall and marginally better than second-placed Peter Wright.
He’s also won the fifth most legs this season, so can count himself a little unfortunate to be down the bottom struggling as he’s come up against some superb performances – but that’s how it is with the standard so high in this Premier League.
Chisnall is a phenomenal scorer, he’s way out in front this season with 40 180s, but his finishing has let him down in games when he should have won – and he’s not managed a win since the opening night of the season.
He was involved in a superb game last week with Adrian Lewis which saw ten 180s in their 6-6 draw, he averaged way more than Raymond van Barneveld and Simon Whitlock but could still only draw, and he even managed to lose against Gary Anderson and Michael van Gerwen despite averaging over 100 both times.
Newton has managed two wins, both in the first four games of the season as he made a solid start, but he’s not been the same since missing a week with illness, grabbing just one draw in the four games following.
It could come down to the wire this one, with Newton 13/8 to pinch it, but the way these two have been playing the 7/2 on the draw could be the best bet, and that would be enough for Chisnall to survive but would have Newton sweating on the final game of the night.
A Chisnall win will send Newton down and save Thornton, but anything else and the Scotsman will need to get something from his match with a resurgent Taylor, although the bookies still fancy him to remain in the competition as he’s the 11/2 outsider to be relegated.
The fact he has a four-leg cushion on Chisnall and 12 on Newton is almost worth another point, so even a narrow defeat to The Power will be enough if there is a winner in the Newton v Chisnall game.
The draw would heap the pressure on though, as suddenly he’d need a point to survive – he’s 9/2 to get a 6-6 with Taylor but 7/2 to win given the recent form the great man, who is a 4/9 shot for the match, has been showing.
