6:08 Take a look at what happened on the third night of the Premier League Darts in Cardiff
Who’s hot?
Michael Smith
Bully Boy had not tasted victory in the Premier League since last March as he headed to Cardiff, but he snapped his 10-match winless streak in style as he dispatched home-favourite Jonny Clayton.
The 2018 runner-up must have been wondering what more he could do, after surrendering a 6-2 lead against Gerwyn Price the previous week, but he made sure to finish the job in the Welsh capital, storming to a 7-1 triumph.
The stats make for impressive reading from Smith’s perspective. The St Helens thrower averaged 105.51, and hit 63.64 per cent on doubles.
When Michael Smith is in that kind of form, not many darts players on the planet can live with him.
1:33 Smith expressed his relief after picking up an overdue victory
Glen Durrant
Just over two weeks have passed since Duzza disclosed to Sky Sports he would be thrilled if he avoided a ninth-place finish in the Premier League this season.
He could have hardly had imagined that after three rounds, he would be sitting at the top of the standings.
Yet here we are, and the three-time Lakeside champion is undoubtedly deserving of his spot at the summit.
After scrapping to earn a draw with Fallon Sherrock in Nottingham, he went away and practised on his below-par doubling. It certainly worked a treat. His 53.85 per cent strike rate on finishes were the cornerstone of his 7-4 win over Gary Anderson in Cardiff.
“I’m in a great place right now, I never thought I would be top of the Premier League at any point of my career,” he smiled after the victory.
He has every right to be grinning right now.
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Durrant desperate to avoid elimination
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Duzza goes top as Asp stuns MVG
Peter Wright
The world champion has made an emphatic start to 2020. After complementing the Sid Waddell Trophy by winning the Masters, he added even more silverware with a Players Championship title on Saturday.
That followed a win over Rob Cross in Cardiff in which he averaged 101.95.
His 7-5 loss to Michael van Gerwen on the Premier League opening night is the only televised blemish on his 2020 CV to date. He has certainly set the bar at an enormous height for the rest of the year.
Snakebite appears to be buoyed by his breakthrough at the Ally Pally. A focused Snakebite is a formidable proposition for any opponent.
1:14 Wright reacts to his win over Rob Cross
Work to do…
Jonny Clayton
The Ferret was left scratching his head.
Everything was going swimmingly – his Premier League debut got off to a flying start. He had claimed the opening leg against Michael Smith, after receiving a hero’s welcome in the Motorpoint Arena.
But blink and you will miss Bully Boy.
Mere minutes later, he was trotting off the stage having found himself on the end of a 7-1 thumping.
The strangest aspect for the 17th-ranked player was that he had not played all that badly. An average of 97.44 would see him remain competitive in the vast majority of PDC games.
Now that he’s seen the required standard in the Premier League, he will be eager to up his game.
1:44 Jonny Clayton was given a terrific reception by the Welsh crowd
Challengers
It’s been widely accepted the Contenders/Challengers concept has injected life in the Premier League, and the format keeps the tournament fresh.
However the elephant in the room remains; so far in 12 games, none of the players in question have managed to pick up a win.
Of course, they are at a disadvantage in that the ‘full’ Premier League stars are more seasoned, playing in front of the big crowds week-in, week-out.
Next up is William O’Connor in Dublin, who will face world No 1 Michael van Gerwen on Liffeyside.
Can the Magpie find his World Cup form to stun the reigning Premier League champion?
Premier League Night Four Fixtures, 3Arena, Dublin
| Glen Durrant v Nathan Aspinall |
| Rob Cross v Gary Anderson |
| Daryl Gurney v Michael Smith |
| William O’Connor v Michael van Gerwen |
| Gerwyn Price v Peter Wright |
Live Premier League Darts
February 27, 2020, 7:00pm
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Michael van Gerwen
For the first time since 2011, Van Gerwen will enter March without a PDC title from the current season already under his belt. That was confirmed with his 8-7 final loss to Price in Wigan on Sunday.
In what was a perfectly respectable run to the decider during which he hit a nine-darter, his trophy ‘drought’ nonetheless represents a drop-off from the insanely high standards he sets for himself.
This followed Thursday’s 7-5 Premier League loss to Nathan Aspinall – the Green Machine’s first defeat of the campaign.
It’s just the second time since 2014 that he holds neither the World Championship nor World Matchplay titles. Is the gap between the Dutchman and the chasing pack narrowing ever more?
As the world No 1 adjusts to his new darts, he will be looking to make a major statement in the coming weeks.
Expect an emphatic response.
Check out daily Darts news on skysports.com/darts, our app for mobile devices and our Twitter account @skysportsdarts.
Coverage of the Premier League continues on Thursday, February 27 in Dublin at 7pm on Sky Sports Action & Sky Sports Main Event with William O’Connor up against Michael van Gerwen. Don’t forget, the coverage continues every Thursday through until the Play-Offs in London on May 21.
Sourse: skysports.com
