The Premier League has supplied plenty of twists and turns during a dramatic campaign
Tuesday 19 May 2015 13:27, UK
Ahead of the Premier League Play-Offs we picked out some of the highs and lows from a thrilling season.
Starting in style
Michael van Gerwen came flying out of the traps in the opening weeks of the Premier League, storming to the top of the table with three thumping victories. 'Mighty Mike' averaged over 107 during an opening night win over Kim Huybrechts, while this nudged up to a sky-high 109 in a 7-3 battering of Stephen Bunting. MVG renewed his rivalry with Gary Anderson in week three, inflicting a 7-4 defeat on the man who had seized his world title.
Difficult for debutants
Kim Huybrechts and Stephen Bunting were making their first appearances in the Premier League and endured a harsh introduction to the tournament. Huybrechts picked up just a solitary win in week five and ended bottom of the table following his elimination on 'Judgement Night'. Bunting hauled himself out of the bottom two, but inconsistent form prevented him from making an impact in the play-off race.
Chizzy's charge
Dave Chisnall emerged as one of the surprise contenders for the title and could even finish top of the table if he defeats Michael van Gerwen this Thursday. The St Helens man has brushed aside his rivals with relentless scoring and currently holds the highest number of 180s in the competition. He mustered only a seventh place finish last year, but would be a fitting 2015 champion following a string of impressive victories.
Rivals let rip
With so much at stake, tensions are always likely to boil over during a Premier League campaign and we have seen some heated post-match interviews. The combustible Michael van Gerwen was at the centre of two spats in successive weeks. Firstly, MVG appeared to irritate Adrian Lewis by complaining about the Stoke man's slower throwing after a draw. Just seven days later, Van Gerwen branded Peter Wright as 'not professional' after being held to another draw, while 'Snakebite' described the Dutchman as a "big baby" in response.
Raymond van Barneveld and Gary Anderson were also involved in a recent fall-out, with the Scot suggesting that his opponent had walked too close to the oche while he was throwing. 'Barney' passionately denied these claims during another memorable interview in front of the cameras.
Check that out
This crop of the sport's top players have supplied a number of thrilling finishes on their whirlwind tour. Van Gerwen rattled through a match-winning 145 against Huybrechts in week one and Taylor took out a superb 151 during a 7-1 thrashing of Bunting in week three. Three men have taken out the highest possible checkout of 170, with Huybrechts, Wright and James Wade all completing this feat.
But Van Barneveld produced a season-changing checkout in his 7-4 win over Taylor in week seven. With two legs already in the bank, Taylor appeared ready to pile more pain on his vulnerable rival, but chose not to aim for the bull on a checkout, leaving 144 for van Barneveld in a show of bravado. Rising to the challenge, the reigning champion sparked a fightback with a dazzling checkout and has lost just one match since then.
Trials of Taylor
Taylor, a six-time winner, was expected to mount another challenge for the title, but he failed to reach the play-offs for the the first time in his career. An opening day defeat against Anderson - his conquerer in the World Championship final - at first appeared a momentary lapse. But this result set the tone for the tournament as he continued to fall short against his play-off rivals, dropping defeats against Van Gerwen, Van Barneveld and Chisnall. Any lingering hopes of a top four finish were snuffed out by last week's loss against Anderson and the most decorated man in darts will be absent at The O2 in London.
