Luke Littler entered the night after back-to-back victories in Belfast and Manchester but it was Michael van Gerwen's evening in Birmingham; watch the Premier League Darts every Thursday night up until the Play-Offs at London's O2 on Thursday, May 23 - live on Sky Sports
Friday 12 April 2024 08:41, UK
Michael van Gerwen claimed his fourth nightly win and ended Luke Littler's winning streak with a 6-3 victory on Night 11 of the BetMGM Premier League Darts in Birmingham.
Littler had looked to be building up another head of steam after earlier edging out Rob Cross in a last-leg decider and then holding off a stirring fightback from world champion Luke Humphries to win their latest epic tussle 6-5 - landing five maximums with a match average of just over 107.
Dutchman Van Gerwen, though, capitalised on a low-key start to the final, before eventually breaking twice to close out a 6-3 win and rekindle his own Play-Off ambitions.
Van Gerwen, the defending Premier League champion, had avoided another early exit after coming from behind to beat Nathan Aspinall in his first match and then eased past Michael Smith 6-4.
The Dutchman had the darts in the final but made life difficult for himself, 'The Green Machine' going bust in the third leg, hitting D15 instead of D10, and gifting 17-year-old Littler the break of throw for a 2-1 lead.
Van Gerwen hit straight back with a break of his own via a sensational 125 checkout, but the next leg saw the Warrington superstar pin D10 for another break to go 3-2 up, the Dutchman then levelling things up once again at 3-3.
With the tension palpable, a fired-up Van Gerwen managed to hold his throw and finally showed some emotion, a break then giving him a solid 5-3 lead before he pinned 95 on D8 for the win.
Littler remains top of the table with 26 points, two clear of Humphries, while 'The Green Machine' sits third on 22 and Aspinall fourth on 18, one point ahead of Smith.
Seven-time Premier League champion Van Gerwen hopes he can now head into Night 12 in Rotterdam with renewed confidence.
"It's about time," he said. "I have made it hard for myself to be fair. But more importantly it is about how you bounce back.
"I know the last few weeks have not been great for me, but to come back with a win tonight feels good for me."
Van Gerwen added: "I had to go really deep tonight and at the end Luke and I neither really played our A-game, but when you win nights like this, it is not always about who is playing well - sometimes it is who can handle it.
"I had a struggling few weeks, but to bounce back with a win like this gives me confidence of course.
"People will write you off when you lose, that is how things go, but I believed in my own opportunities and you need to make sure you keep your mind focused.
"I know there is more to come - the fighting spirit in my body is still there. I need to make sure I am good for next week."
"If I'm honest I didn't think he [Van Gerwen] would win, but who would foresee Littler playing that badly," said Sky Sports' Wayne Mardle after the final.
"It's been a great hard graft, a real workout, but it's his fourth nightly win.
"He's not been on it but he's played well at the exact right moments. He's managed to get over the line."
In the night's opening quarter-final at the Utilita Arena, Humphries - who enjoyed European Tour success at the recent German Darts Grand Prix in Munich - came from 4-1 down to claim five straight legs and beat Peter Wright, who remains cut adrift at the bottom of the table.
Littler had been trailing 3-1 and then survived a match dart as he eventually battled past Cross, before former world champion Smith put last week's defeat by Gerwyn Price behind him with a 6-3 win over the Welshman averaging 104 and pinning six of his nine attempts at double to close the gap on fourth-placed Aspinall to a solitary point.
Van Gerwen landed an impressive 152 checkout as he came from 4-2 behind to take control of his quarter-final against Aspinall, going on to close out a much-needed 6-4 win.
The Premier League continues with Night 12 in Rotterdam on Thursday April 18, as Smith and Littler collide in the opening match of the night.
Van Gerwen and Humphries go head to head, Cross will play Price for a place in the semi-finals, while Aspinall and Wright are also in action in the Dutch second city.
Stream Sky Sports live with no contract on a Month or Day membership on NOW. Instant access to live action from the Premier League, EFL, F1, England Cricket, Darts, Tennis and so much more.
You can now start receiving messages and alerts for the latest breaking sports news, analysis, in-depth features and videos from our dedicated WhatsApp channel!
Premier League Darts continues on Sky Sports on Thursday April 18 with Rotterdam Ahoy the next stop on the 17-week extravaganza all the way through to the Play-Offs at The O2 arena in London on Thursday May 23. Stream the darts and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership. No contract, cancel anytime.
