There were five ton-plus averages posted in a high-quality night of action on Scottish soil
Friday 8 March 2019 08:14, UK
Aberdeen played host to an incredible night of Premier League Darts action on Night Five, as John Henderson denied Michael van Gerwen victory in a thrilling tussle on Thursday evening.
Van Gerwen was bidding to recover from defeats against James Wade and Mervyn King in the Premier League and UK Open respectively, but 'The Highlander' produced an inspired display to claim a draw against MVG on his Premier League bow.
James Wade moved to the top of the table with an incredible whitewash win over Daryl Gurney, while Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price and Peter Wright also triumphed on a memorable night at the BHGE Arena.
Cross registered the highest finish of this year's Premier League so far en route to victory over Michael Smith in the evening's opener.
'Voltage' conjured up a delightful 164 checkout to break Smith's throw in leg five, before closing out an impressive 7-3 win over 'Bully Boy' with a 103.96 average.
Henderson was the fifth contender to enter the fray in this year's Premier League and 'The Highlander' received an astonishing reception from the 4,000 capacity crowd.
The 45-year-old was serenaded on to the stage with bagpipes, with 'Flower of Scotland' being followed by his trademark entrance of 'Rockin' All Over The World'.
Henderson's performance certainly got the crowd rocking, as he fired in six maximums to claim a draw against Van Gerwen, averaging over 97 and recovering from 6-4 down to stun 'Mighty Mike'.
Wade recorded just the tenth whitewash in Premier League history against Gurney, averaging 109.59 and converting seven of his nine attempts at double.
As Christopher Kempf illustrates, it was one of the finest performances ever produced in the competition.
It's incredibly tight at the top of the Premier League table, with four players all tied on seven points. Wade's whitewash over Daryl Gurney sees him top the table on legs difference, while Van Gerwen sits in third spot.
Raymond van Barneveld remains at the foot of the table after losing to an inspired Wright in Aberdeen, and the five-time world champion is facing the prospect of elimination in his farewell campaign.
Newly crowned UK Open champion Nathan Aspinall becomes the sixth contender to make his Premier League bow as he takes on Smith next week in Nottingham, in a repeat of their semi-final clash at the World Championship.
Elsewhere, Price puts his unbeaten record on the line against Van Gerwen, Cross takes on Van Barneveld, Wright plays Gurney, while Wade meets Mensur Suljovic.
The Premier League heads to the Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham on Thursday, March 14. You can also stay up to date with all the action by following us @SkySportsDarts and get all the latest news, previews and interviews www.skysports.com/darts
