Premier League Darts: Michael van Gerwen beats Raymond van Barneveld
Friday 6 May 2016 09:53, UK
Michael van Gerwen retained top spot in the Premier League as he narrowly missed out on a nine-darter in a 7-2 win over Raymond van Barneveld.
The world No 1 sent his ninth dart narrowly above double 12 in the sixth leg, but remained in control for much of a one-sided win over his fellow Dutchman.
But Phil Taylor remains level on points with Van Gerwen after matching him with a 7-2 win over Adrian Lewis, and the two rivals will collide in next week's final night of the regular season in Rotterdam.
Fourth-placed Lewis might still have work to do on the closing evening, with Peter Wright just a point behind him, but Gary Anderson in third has qualified for the play-offs after a 7-1 thrashing of Robert Thornton.
Earlier in the night, Wright kept alive his hopes of finishing fourth after inflicting a 7-1 thumping on James Wade, who also had play-off aspirations.
But 'Snakebite' did just enough to edge out 'The Machine' in a tense encounter lacking in high scores or ruthless finishing.
Wright continued to land the final dart, amid a string of wayward arrows from both men, and would seal victory with double 16 to keep the pressure on Lewis.
Anderson can relax ahead of the Premier League's first trip to the Netherlands as he easily defeated fellow Scot Thornton, who has struggled throughout the campaign.
Van Gerwen then took to the stage for his latest showdown with 'Barney' and the Dutch pair traded the opening few legs.
But 'The Green Machine' then cranked into gear after narrowly failing to complete a perfect leg and sealed victory in style, ending a sizzling 167 checkout on the bullseye.
It was then Taylor's turn to stay in the hunt for top spot and he duly obliged, punishing a succession of stray darts from Lewis.
'The Power' almost mimicked Van Gerwen with his winning checkout, taking out a 121 finish on the bullseye.
Premier League Darts night 14 results:
Peter Wright 7-1 James Wade
Gary Anderson 7-1 Robert Thornton
Michael van Gerwen 7-2 Raymond van Barneveld
Phil Taylor 7-2 Adrian Lewis
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