All of these betting lines were correct as of May 17th at 5 PM UK Time.
Last Thursday in Dublin, James Wade became the third player to pick up multiple Premier League of Darts victories after beating Jonny Clayton in the weekly final.
The Machine also saw off world number three Michael van Gerwen 6-5 and world number two Gerwyn Price 6-1 along the way to his second-night title.
Wade initially found himself 5-3 down and was forced to survive match darts against the Ferret before fighting back and beating the Welshman in a final leg decider with a superb 118 checkout.
The opening match between James Wade and Michael van Gerwen was pure darting quality and filled with 180s. Ultimately it was the Dutchman who came away without points for the first time this season.
The Machine then backed up his quarter-final performance with a stunning 6-1 victory over the Iceman in a match where he averaged an outstanding 114, his highest-ever televised numbers.
His opponent in the final, league leader Clayton, opened up his evening with a win over Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright before eliminating Michael Smith, who is in desperate need of points and saw off Gary Anderson 6-2 in his opener.
Just three weeks ago, Wade was still waiting for a nightly title and now has two but Smith’s wait for a victory continues and his chances of a play off place are beginning to look pretty slim.
This week, Premier League Darts heads to the OVO Arena in Glasgow, where Wright faces Anderson, Clayton is against Wade, Price takes on Smith and Van Gerwen faces off against Joe Cullen.
First up on night 13 of the Premier League at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow is the battle of the two Scotsmen where Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright takes on Gary ‘The Flying Scotsman’ Anderson.
The pair last came up against each other on night eight when it was the world number one Wright who came out on top.
He won that encounter 6-5 but banked zero points last week after a quarter-final exit at the hands of Jonny Clayton.
But, despite having the same amount of weekly wins as his rival, Anderson has barely been at the races in this year’s Premier League of Darts campaign and sits bottom of the table, propping up the rest.
As such, it is hard to see this one going against Snakebite.
The second match of the night sees a repeat of last week’s final in Dublin as the Ferret aims to get his own back on the Machine.
Last week’s match-up was a high-quality affair as the league’s two in-form players clashed.
Both players look set to qualify for the play offs as the door begins to close on those outside the top four.
I would back Clayton to get revenge this week, but there is a strangeness to the odds offered on James Wade during this year’s competition.
True, he took a while to get a win, but he has made four finals and banked two wins, which is more than both Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price.
Yet, still the bookies rank him as a fairly high-priced outsider.
It’s almost worth backing him regardless of whether you think he’s going to win or not.
That being said, purely because he throws first which is critical in this short format contest, we’re backing the Welshman who has been one of the best players in the world for the past 18 months.
The night’s third match sees two players who are fast running out of time to qualify for the next round come up against each other.
Former world number one and world champion, Gerwyn Price throws first against Bully Boy, who is still the only player who hasn’t yet won an individual night in this season’s Darts Premier League.
It may even be too late for Smith, but there remains a slim chance for the Iceman – who returned to his previous Ice Ice Baby walkout song last week in Ireland – and he really needs to grasp it with both hands.
And I think he will do just that.
No points for the Bully Boy this week.
The final match in the quarter-final first round sees Premier League debutant, Joe ‘The Rockstar’ Cullen face off against Mighty Michael van Gerwen.
Van Gerwen enjoyed a European Tour victory over the weekend when he took down the Austrian Darts Open trophy and, having failed to bank any points for the first time seven days ago, he will be looking to further cement his top-four place and close the gap on Jonny Clayton at the top of the table.
Expect the Green Machine to come out with all guns blazing and put on a show before meeting Gerwyn Price in the next round.
Peter Wright (2/5) v (2/1) Gary Anderson
Jonny Clayton (1/2) v (13/8) James Wade
Gerwyn Price (4/7) v (11/8) Michael Smith
Michael van Gerwen (2/5) v (2/1) Joe Cullen
Michael van Gerwen – 3/1
Jonny Clayton – 7/2
Peter Wright – 7/2
Gerwyn Price – 11/2
James Wade – 9/1
Michael Smith – 10/1
Joe Cullen – 14/1
Gary Anderson – 16/1
Michael van Gerwen – 2/1
Jonny Clayton – 5/2
Peter Wright – 7/2
James Wade – 9/2
Gerwyn Price – 12/1
Joe Cullen – 20/1
Michael Smith – 50/1
Gary Anderson – 250/1
| Player | Nights Won | Matches Won | Leg Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonny Clayton | 3 | 17 | +17 | 29 |
| Michael van Gerwen | 3 | 15 | +40 | 25 |
| James Wade | 2 | 15 | +7 | 25 |
| Peter Wright | 1 | 11 | -2 | 20 |
| Joe Cullen | 1 | 11 | -7 | 15 |
| Gerwyn Price* | 1 | 7 | -11 | 13 |
| Michael Smith | 0 | 6 | -13 | 10 |
| Gary Anderson | 1 | 4 | -19 | 7 |
*pulled out of Night Five with injury
Venue: OVO Hydro, Glasgow
Dates: 05/05/2022
Format: Best of 11 legs (first to six)
Current Champion: Jonny Clayton
Where To Watch: Sky Sports Main Event HD & Sky Sports Action HD
When To Watch: 19:00 UK