Brilliant Barney ends MVG unbeaten TV run
Friday 24 March 2017 08:06, UK
Michael van Gerwen returned to the top of the table as Jelle Klaasen and Kim Huybrechts suffered defeats to confirm Premier League elimination.
On a night of brilliant drama in Manchester, world champion Van Gerwen was in action twice and having opened up with a victory over James Wade to set a new world record of 44 televised matches unbeaten, he returned in the final match of the evening to face Raymond van Barneveld.
Hot on the heels of his masterful display in Rotterdam to sink Gary Anderson, Barney followed up with another spectacular display that saw him fall one dart short of the perfect nine-dart finish.
But he was not to be outdone as he rallied from 4-3 and a break down to secure a victory that keeps him in the play-off places of a congested Premier League table.
At the other end of the table, with Dave Chisnall not in action, both Huybrechts and Klaasen needed at least a point to keep alive hopes of staying in the competition beyond next week, but Huybrechts went down 7-2 to an inspired Anderson in the second match of the night.
With the Belgian's elimination confirmed, he was followed by Klaasen whose 7-5 defeat to Adrian Lewis meant he too cannot escape the bottom two places and both will miss out on the race for the play-offs.
There was also a welcome return to form for Phil Taylor, who beat UK Open champion Peter Wright to end his run of back-to-back defeats and put himself back in the top four shake-up.
MVG had vowed in the build-up to return to his rightful spot at the head of the table and he kicked off the night against Wade in a high-quality match-up.
After an evenly contested opening, the world number one struck in the tenth leg of the match for what proved to be the only break of the match.
Wade had matched Van Gerwen leg-for-leg and missed darts at double top and bullseye himself for a crucial break of his own and he was punished by MVG's brilliance.
Six perfect darts from the Dutchman set him up for the the crucial breakthrough which he consolidated in the very next leg with a brilliant 120 check-out to secure the two points that took him back to the top of the table ahead of Wright
Snakebite stepped up in the third match of the night looking to retake top spot and despite a pocketful of red noses and the usual high-octane dance arrival, a below-par Wright slipped to his second Premier League defeat of the season.
Up against Taylor, Wright was slow out of the blocks and Taylor stole an early two-leg lead only to see Snakebite fight back to level at 3-3 before a decisive seventh leg where Wright missed three darts for a 4-3 lead, allowing Taylor to break once again.
The Power did not look back and while the quality of the match improve, including a highest check-out of the night in the shape of Wright's perfectly timed 156 to make it 6-4. But Taylor held firm for the victory.
There was disappointment for Huybrechts and Klaasen, both men suffered defeats which mean Judgement Night will be plain and simple Week Nine as both had to pick up at least a point to keep alive hopes and keep Chizzy in the mix next week in Cardiff, but it was not to be.
Huybrechts ran into an in-form Anderson who has been averaging in excess of 100 but losing in recent weeks. At the MEN Arena, The Flying Scotsman moved into the top four with a dominant performance.
Klaasen headed to the oche facing the same fate, and battling a wrist injury that is likely to need surgery but he produced a battling display to push Lewis all the way.
Jackpot was below his best but couldn't shake off the Dutchman who twice came from two legs down to level the match and force Lewis to find his very best darts.
And despite missed darts at doubles for the match, with Klaasen clearly struggling there was enough in the Lewis tank to secure a victory that also means he is in the play-off hunt.
The best of the action was saved for the final match as MVG and RVB served up a treat, Barney roared out of the traps, carrying on from where he left off in Rotterdam to lead 3-0 only to see Van Gerwen find the sort of spurts that have become his trademark.
The world champion reeled off four legs in a row to stun Barney but rather be left standing Van Barneveld joined the party to produce three consecutive legs of his own to move to the brink of victory.
At 604, Barney was inches away from a magnificent 131 finish but despite Van Gerwen forcing the decider, it was Barney who held his nerve to seal the win courtesy of double eight and a significent win too.
Barney is up to third in the table and halted a 179-day, 44-match run of unbeaten TV matches for MVG while in the context of the league second-placed Wright is just three points ahead of seventh-placed Wade.
Premier League Darts is back next week in Cardiff from 7pm on Sky Sports 2
