MVG turns on the afterburners to dismantle Bully Boy as Scotland welcomed their prodigal son Gary Anderson in fine style
Friday 23 March 2018 08:38, UK
Michael van Gerwen thrashed Michael Smith to move two points clear at the top of the Premier League at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow.
The Premier League's top two players clashed in Scotland and it was the Dutch ace who demonstrated his class to move into overdrive at the head of the table following seven matches.
Gary Anderson was cheered to the rafters and The Flying Scotsman produced the goods to defeat Simon Whitlock in a top-quality tungsten tussle.
Last year's runner-up Peter Wright is in real danger of suffering an early exit after suffering another heavy defeat - this time at the hands of Raymond van Barneveld - while Daryl Gurney took a giant step closer to survival with a huge win over Mensur Suljovic. And Rob Cross moved into Play-Off contention by hammering rock-bottom Gerwyn Price.
The pair's only previous Premier League meeting had seen Van Gerwen set a world record average of 123.40 in Aberdeen in 2016, and the Dutchman asserted his dominance over the early-season pace-setter.
St Helens thrower Smith moved 2-0 up, but within a twinkling of an eye Van Gerwen usurped the 27-year-old before producing a magical 148, 92, and 116. Another maximum enabled him to break again and the reigning Premier League champion reeled off a seventh-straight leg with a 107 checkout to confirm top spot.
"I think my finishing was good in the end. I didn't make a lot of mistakes, but for some reason my scoring power wasn't there," Van Gerwen told Sky Sports. "I had a little muscle pain in the shoulder and every time I tried to hit the treble twenty it kept going below constantly. I was a little annoyed with myself, you have to keep on focusing. I think the 148 finish was at the right moment."
Cross was in confident mood and after Price got involved in a slanging match with the Glasgow crowd, the world champion claimed a fifth successive victory to move level with Michael Smith in second spot.
Bottom player Price is still searching for his first win of the season, and although he won the first leg, it was Cross who rallied, rattling in a 143 checkout on his way to a 6-1 lead. He wasted little time in sealing another comprehensive win with an ice-cool 66 finish.
Scottish superstar Anderson received a spine-tingling welcome from the Glasgow crowd and he produced the goods in a fantastic match to defeat Whitlock. The two-time Premier League champion had drawn his last three matches but snapped the streak to avoid being drawn into the battle against elimination on Judgement Night with a 102.68 three-dart average.
His 27-match winning streak may have come to an end at the hands of Michael van Gerwen at the weekend, but Anderson's confidence was still flowing as he nailed a brilliant 101 and a couple of 12-dart legs to open up a 4-1 lead.
Two maximums enabled Anderson to move 6-3 up, before a huge 74 in two darts completed a much-needed win to go level with the Australian on seven points.
Wright was hoping that a return to Scotland could boost his season, with the 2017 runner-up having been dragged into the elimination scrap.
But instead, the world No 2 suffered a third consecutive 7-1 hammering as the Dutchman averaged just shy of a ton to leave himself bang in Play-Off contention.
Barney, the former Premier League champion, took out finishes of 86, 82, and 72 on his way to handing Snakebite another shellacking.
Gurney celebrated his 32nd birthday with his first Premier League victory of the campaign in a key clash to move him onto six points.
In a repeat of their World Matchplay quarter-final classic from last year, which the Northern Irishman won 16-13, Gurney showed his class by winning four legs on the bounce after they were locked at 3-3. He produced maximums in each leg to collect a vital win against the downhearted Austrian, who is sitting just above the drop zone on legs difference.
The 2018 Premier League heads to the SSE Arena in Belfast next Thursday, with coverage underway from 7pm on Sky Sports Action & from 9.45pm on Sky Sports Main Event. Seven weeks of tungsten action will then continue through to the season's conclusion with the Play-Offs on May 17 at The O2 in London.
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