Tag: darts premier league

For the third year in a row Michael van Gerwen has been crowned Premier League champion after he beat Michael Smith in a magnificent show of top level darts at London’s O2. Van Gerwen has now won Premier League titles in 2016, 2017 and 2018, to go with his victory in 2013. With his latest title, MVG produced one of the all-time great performances as he thrashed Smith 11-4. This included an average of 112.37, the second highest ever in a televised final and just below his own record of 112.49 scored at the 2015 Masters.

Bully Boy appeared in his first major TV final after overcoming Gary Anderson 10-6 during the earlier semi finals, managing two ton+ checkouts and six 180s during his four leg victories, but that was as good as it got for the Englishman as Mighty Mike raced into an 8-2 lead. Before long, MVG sealed the win with a 112 checkout, bagging his 11th double in 16 attempts.

It was the Dutchman’s sixth successive Premier League final, who qualified by beating Rob Cross in a comfortable 10-6 victory earlier on in the night. Cross was hampered by a sternum injury and only averaged 96 to keep up his miserable form — save for the epic World Championship win last December — against the world number one.

Michael Smith, 27, can now feel like he too has properly hit the big time and can be very proud of his League campaign. The 2013 World Youth champion began the season as an 80/1 outsider and third favourite for relegation. Having finished in second place and beating Anderson in the semi-final, a major trophy shouldn’t be long in the coming.

2018 German Darts Masters betting tips

The opening event of this year’s World Series of Darts gets underway this Friday. The German Darts Masters will take place in front of a record-breaking crowd of 20,000 at the VELTINS Arena in Gelsenkirchen. Fresh off from his Premier League win last week, Michael van Gerwen has been instantly installed as Betway’s outright favourite, priced at 4/6. Both Gary Anderson and Rob Cross are the nearest challengers in the betting at a much wider 5/1, while Peter Wright — who enjoyed plenty of success last season in these events — is available at 8’s. The entire field versus MVG is worth a shot, which will pay 10/11 for anyone other than the Dutch world number one to win. While we filter out the “also rans” in tomorrow’s round one, there is very little value to be found thanks to a field of mismatches and even a seven-fold on the massively odd-on favourites works out at little over 2/1. Free money for those that choose.

After the World Series of Darts, it’s the World Cup of Darts the following week. Because Scotland are favourites, and given his success in these tourneys last season, I’m personally picking Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright to put his horrid Premier League campaign behind him and get back to his winning ways in Gelsenkirchen this weekend.

Peter Wright achieved an all too familiar score line, a 7-1 reverse, this time at the hands of Michael Smith, who all but sealed his place in the Premier League play-offs with the win. It was the second time this season that Bully Boy had beaten Snakebite by the margin. Smith himself lost 7-1 only 90 minutes later during his second match of the night, this time against Michael van Gerwen. Smith opened with a 180 and went on to take the opening leg in 12 darts, followed by winning the next three in 13, 14 and 12 darts before Wright finally pulled one back after which Smith went unchallenged.

After suffering double disappointment in Rotterdam last week, Michael van Gerwen needed to dig deep and scrap hard in order to earn a 6-6 draw with Daryl Gurney, which made for a third non-win in a row in this year’s Premier League. It was the 35th game in succession that the usually solid Dutchman averaged over 100, while Gurney averaged dead on 100 almost claiming the victory he needed to keep hopes of a playoff place alive. Going into the last leg with a 6-5 advantage, MVG took a point even after missing three doubles as the match slipped away from Superchin.

By the end of the evening, Mighty Mike put an end to a winless run of three Premier League games by thrashing Michael Smith by the same score line he inflicted on Peter Wright, 7-1. Losing twice in his homeland and only tying Daryl Gurney in Manchester, MVG gave Bully Boy a savage beating despite posting his lowest average of the season and hitting a measly two 180s. Mighty Mike even missed 11 darts at doubles but got away with it as Smith, unrecognisable from his earlier match, won only the last leg to avoid a whitewash.

The night’s most surprising result came in Match three when Simon Whitlock claimed a 7-5 victory and a big upset over Gary Anderson. It was a weird flip of the form book as Anderson, who scored three victories in Rotterdam, lost against a guy who suffered back-to-back 7-1 defeats over the same period. The Flying Scotsman hit just two 180s and posted a disappointing 94.45 average, losing his chance to bag a point when he missed his shot at tops to checkout allowing The Wizard in for the win.

Like Simon Whitlock, Raymond van Barneveld is another player that will be missing out on the London showpiece event after he failed to beat Rob Cross as the pair settled for a draw. Despite getting back to his best in Rotterdam last week, Barney could only hold on for a draw against the World Champ. Even with the disappointing result, Barney did manage to please the Manchester crowd who were firmly behind the Dutchman, by earning a 129 checkout on the bullseye in the fifth leg before Cross steamed ahead. Barney battled back, reeling off three legs in a row to get within a leg of victory before Voltage posted a clinical 13-darter that should take him to the O2 in a few weeks.

Darts Premier League Betting Tips

We’re off to Birmingham for Night 15 on Thursday at the Arena Birmingham. You can watch at home on Sky Sports Main Event HD and Sky Sports Action HD from 1900 GMT. The night’s first match is a contest between Peter Wright and Simon Whitlock with both players knowing that they can still come in fifth, which if nothing else means more prize money. Other than that, this one’s a damp squib and I don’t especially fancy either right now. In a funny kind of way, the pressure is off Snakebite, which means he will probably end up playing his best of darts of the year. The Wizard did bank a surprise win over Gary Anderson last week — and he could do well again here — but I’m just about siding with Peter.

This match is followed by Daryl Gurney and Michael Smith with Smith, who is fresh from his destruction of Wright last week, as good as qualified. Gurney has been fairly consistent of late and will be focused on the must-win required to keep his play-off hopes alive. We could see Smith, who had a mixed week last Thursday, in auto-pilot mode for this one. Don’t be surprised to see this impact tonight’s performance, meaning Gurney could have a very good chance here.

Next out are Rob ‘Voltage’ Cross and Mighty Mike van Gerwen with Cross needing a point to clinch a play-off spot on the off chance that Gurney does indeed win the previous match. MVG, who doesn’t have to worry about pressure, is already sure of his place in London but will still look to stamp his superiority on the World Champion and prove why he’s world number one. The form shows it to be so too. Cross has only beaten Mighty Mike twice in eleven meetings, losing the other nine. Get more value at Betway by backing Van Gerwen to win and hit a 110+ checkout and Cross to hit the most 180s, which is worth 5/1.

The last game of the night pitches Gary Anderson against Raymond van Barneveld with Anderson needing to win this game in order to seal his play-off spot, assuming Gurney wins earlier in the night. With an upcoming meeting against MVG next week, The Flying Scotsman will want to seal the deal before then, especially as Gurney will be playing Simon Whitlock in a decidedly easier fixture. It was Whitlock who last week interrupted Anderson’s good form with a shock defeat. That should be nothing more than a blip for Gary and I think he’ll be more than OK on Thursday. Go with Anderson to win with a 120+ checkout with over 6.5 total 180s, which pays at 11/2 with Betway.

This week’s four-fold then is as follows; Wright, MVG, Gurney and Anderson paying 25.89. The Betway boost this week pays 6/1 instead of 5/1 on Wright, Gurney and Anderson all to win. I think there is some definite value here.

• (8/13) Peter Wright v Simon Whitlock (7/2)
• (4/1) Rob Cross v Michael van Gerwen (1/2)
• (11/8) Daryl Gurney v Michael Smith (11/8)
• (8/13) Gary Anderson v Raymond van Barneveld (7/2)