Wright completes double over Van Gerwen in a tungsten thriller in the Netherlands while RVB keeps his Play-Off hopes alive
Thursday 19 April 2018 16:49, UK
Michael van Gerwen's eight-match Premier League winning run came to an end at the hands of Peter Wright as Raymond van Barneveld claimed a big win in Rotterdam.
The Premier League's double-header at Rotterdam Ahoy began on Wednesday as Rob Cross and Gary Anderson both won their opening matches before the Scot claimed four points on a fruitful night by running away with their meeting in the last match of the evening.
Van Barneveld kept his hopes of making the Play-Offs at London's O2 alive with a big win against Simon Whitlock, while Van Gerwen suffered just his second defeat of the campaign - both against Wright - ahead of Thursday night's much-anticipated showdown with Barney.
World No 1 and reigning Premier League champion Van Gerwen was beaten on home soil by Wright ahead of his all-Dutch battle with Van Barneveld 24 hours later.
Van Gerwen now sits only two points clear of Cross at the top of the table as he saw his eight-match winning streak in the competition come to an end.
Wright was aiming to silence the home crowd in a repeat of the 2017 Premier League final - having been the only player to defeat the Dutchman so far this season - and he produced a superb display, hitting clutch doubles at will, firstly with an effortless 98 and then a nerveless 84 to move 4-1 up. He made it 5-2 on tops.
Van Gerwen broke back in the ninth leg with a spectacular double-double 94 finish via D18 and D20. He then levelled at 5-5 with a mammoth 148 before Wright nailed D4 with his last dart in hand to guarantee himself a point and then completed a Premier League double over his opponent by cleaning up D12.
"To be honest when people get on my back it inspires me," said Wright, who finished with 70 per cent on his doubles. "You don't want to miss and I didn't. If I can stick with certain darts and the set up then I can beat anybody in the world."
Anderson sat in fourth place on the league table following his win over Wright in Sheffield last Thursday, and obliterated second-placed Smith before his clash with Cross in the last match of the night.
'The Flying Scotsman' made a blistering start, firing in an early maximum before completing a 68 kill for a 15-dart break in the opening leg and he did not look back.
A clinical 98 out-shot helped him seal a double-break for a comfortable 4-1 lead and despite Smith sinking a 90 checkout on D5, Anderson nailed a sensational 138 to complete a handsome victory in front of a sea of orange.
World champion Cross made it an impressive eight wins out of his last nine games, despite a wobbly performance against Gurney.
World Grand Prix champion Gurney was aiming to maintain the form which has seen him remain unbeaten for six matches. But Cross had other ideas and stormed into a 4-0 lead with a crushing 119 to lift the roof.
Cross was thinking of a whitewash after hitting D8 to win the next leg, but the Northern Irishman completed a 13-dart hold via D12 and then took the next with a classy 120 finish before the Hastings thrower made it 6-2.
Gurney was not going down without a fight though and he took out 56 in two-darts before an inspired 138 checkout made it 6-4. Cross finally shut the door on his opponent by pinning D8 with his sixth match dart.
Cross made a spectacular start with a 144 finish on the 18s and a two-dart 84 combination put 'Voltage' 2-1 up. But Anderson came roaring back with finishes of 120, 104, and he then converted a 117 finish for a third straight ton-plus checkout.
The Scot was motoring by now and at 5-2 up he wired D12 for what would have been a mind-blowing nine-dart finish. He eventually returned for D3 and it was not long before he completed a perfect night as he stepped in to take out 56 to move up to third in the table - just a point behind his opponent.
Five-time world champion Van Barneveld bounce back from his double defeat in Sheffield last week by being cheered to a massive victory against Whitlock in front of his beloved Dutch fans.
He struck 55 and a ton before dispatching 76 on D18 to open a 3-0 lead before Whitlock cleaned up a crucial 88 to get on the board and he made it 4-2 with a tidy 57.
But Barney had a nice rhythm to his game and a crucial 64 followed by 90 with T18 and D18 moved the Dutch great level on 10 points with the Australian before Thursday's night's huge clash with fellow countryman Michael van Gerwen.
"I still believe I can do it [make the Play-Offs]," said Van Barneveld, who averaged 101.44. "I played for this crowd."
The 2018 Premier League is back at Rotterdam's Ahoy for the final night of a darting double-header on week 12. Coverage gets under way from 7pm on Sky Sports Action.
Three weeks of tungsten action will then continue in Manchester, Birmingham, and Aberdeen through to the season's conclusion with the Play-Offs on May 17 at The O2 in London. Keep up to date with the latest darts news, previews, reports, reaction and expert analysis. Get all the latest at www.skysports.com/darts and join in the conversation @SkySportsDarts- don't forget to use #LoveTheDarts
