Michael an Gerwen Wins Again As Barney Saves A Draw (Again)

Michael an Gerwen Wins Again As Barney Saves A Draw (Again)

MVG Darts Premeir League

Michael van Gerwen kept his 100% Darts Premier League record going by demolishing Rob Cross 7-2 at Dublin’s 3Arena last Thursday.

Mighty Mike found himself ahead 6-0 at one point leading many to believe that another whitewash was in the making. The world champion has achieved three of the previous nine shutouts in the tournament’s history but was ultimately unable to bank another here as he dropped two match darts at double four. Voltage responded by taking out 70 to avoid total humiliation before MVG spurned another three darts at doubles in the next leg for Cross to nab a second. Instead of going on a run, the former world champion missed a double 16 in the following leg leaving van Gerwen to successfully throw for the match. Van Gerwen averaged 101.93 compared to Cross’ tame 93.31, with the pair hitting two 180s each.

More action from Night 3

In the night’s opener, Gerwyn Price came from 5-2 down to earn another draw, this time against James Wade. The Welshman remains unbeaten in this season’s Premier League and won the opening leg but soon fell behind after Wade won three legs on the bounce from 2-2. The Machine then missed tops for a guaranteed point which breathed life into The Iceman who went on his own match levelling run. Price it was who took the lead to ensure he would leave Irish shores with at least a point but never looked like taking the lot as Wade impressively took the 12th leg with a 129 checkout leaving both players, booed throughout, with a share of the spoils. The Machine averaged 103.89 compared to Price’s 96.22 while both players hit five 180s apiece.

In match two, Peter Wright notched his first win of the new Premier League season with a 7-5 victory over the latest contender and home favourite, Steve Lennon. Snakebite had banked draws in each of his first two matches and got off to a slow start here, finding himself 3-0 down after as many legs. By the fourth leg, Wright — who averaged 96.95 — had begun to show some form, albeit scrappy. A 19-darter threw the Scotsman some hope before he reeled off four more legs on the spin to race into a 5-3 lead. The Shamrock — who averaged 90.8 — then scored a 92 checkout to force a deciding leg which went Wright’s way after he held his nerve on double 10 to take home all the points.

Daryl Gurney moved up to second in the table after he scored a 7-5 victory over Michael Smith, who is surprisingly winless this season. Bully Boy won the opening two legs before Superchin pulled level and then began to dominate, moving 4-2 ahead. Things took a surreal turn in the sixth as Gurney missed eight darts at doubles, while Smith wasted his first two after 21 darts before missing another two while attempting to take out 10. Eventually, he managed to land the double nine with his last dart and get back into the match, winning the next two legs with checkouts of 65 and 74. Gurney then held throw to restore parity before taking the last two legs and as many points. Northern Irishman Gurney averaged 99.14 compared to Smith’s 93.18, while both players hit four maximums each.

In last game of the night, Raymond van Barneveld, who is retiring at the end of the year, rescued a point from 5-1 down against Mensur Suljovic. Just as he had a week previously, Barney started badly as The Gentle went 3-0 up before the Dutchman won the fourth. Suljovic didn’t falter though, carrying on his briefly interrupted winning streak for another two legs before Barney bounced into life. The Dutch legend and 2014 Premier League champion broke the Austrian’s throw with a 13-darter to launch his own winning run that ended with back to back 14-darters to bring the match level at 5-5. Suljovic’s checkout of 48 in the 11th meant that he had guaranteed himself at least a point, went on to miss a match dart at double 19 leaving Barney open to return with a 92 finish and a share of the points.

Darts Premier League night 4 betting tips

First up this week is Gerwyn Price, who faces this week’s contender Luke Humphries. The Welshman is in the form of his life and is unbeaten so far in this season’s Premier League. He also recorded back-to-back PDC titles at the weekend when he took down a Players Championship event in Barnsley. Humphries ended Rob Cross’ World Championship defence at Ally Pally when he made to quarter-finals at the World Championships. Still, Cool Hand Luke still has his work cut here, and I would expect The Iceman to make it through this challenge comfortably too.

This match is followed by Daryl Gurney taking on Rob Cross where a draw looks like the likely outcome. Superchin has won his last two against Michael Smith and Glen Durrant, after losing to Gerwyn Price in night 1 so is the form player of the two. Meanwhile, Cross only just managed to avoid a whitewash against MVG in Dublin a week ago, and head to head both players have won three matches each in six meetings, so another close affair looks very likely.

On paper, match three looks like a shoo-in for Peter Wright, who faces Mensur Suljovic in an unpredictable pair: Snakebite continues to struggle for form and Mensur seemingly hates these Premier League nights. Wright sits fourth in the table with one win and two draws while The Gentle has two draws in three games. In nine meetings, Suljovic has won seven times but recent Premier League form means we must factor in the likelihood of a Wright win. It’s tough, but I’ll pick the night’s second tie here.

No such dilemma awaits in match four where Michael van Gerwen meets James Wade. The world number one showed exactly why he is the best after destroying Voltage a week ago, looking like he could go the whole season without dropping a point. Wade let go of a heavy lead last week, losing any hope he may have had likely meaning the points should go the way of the Dutchman.

Finally, I’m going to call Michael Smith to beat Raymond van Barneveld. Smith, last year’s Premier League runner-up, hasn’t enjoyed the best of luck in his first three matches and now, surprisingly, sits bottom of the table with one point. Comeback king Barney, on the other hand, has showed great character in the last two games to claim draws when all looked lost. Another poor start will not be salvaged against Bully Boy, who should record his first win of the season in Exeter.

So then, week 4’s accumulator with Betway looks like this; Gerwyn Price, draw, draw, MVG, Michael Smith which pays 67.36/1.

  • (11/4) Luke Humphries v Gerwyn Price (8/11)
  • (13/8) Daryl Gurney v Rob Cross (6/5)
  • (6/4) Mensur Suljovic v Peter Wright (13/10)
  • (2/7) Michael van Gerwen v James Wade (13/2)
  • (8/13) Michael Smith v Raymond van Barneveld (7/2)

QUICK GLANCE AT THE DARTS PREMIER LEAGUE – Night 4

Venue: Westpoint Arena, Exeter
Dates: Thursday 28.02.2019
Format: Best of 12 legs
Current Champion: Michael van Gerwen
Where To Watch: Sky Sports
When To Watch: (1900 GMT)

Read More

£1,000,000 Slots Giveaway Comes Courtesy Of Bet365 Games

Bet365 Slots Giveaway

Play Games at bet365 to earn tickets for four exciting prize draws in the £1,000,000 Slots Giveaway! Simply stake £10 or more during the promotional period for the chance to win amazing prizes.

Start playing the fantastic selection of titles that Games at bet365 has to offer and be in with the chance of winning cash prizes of up to £5,000.

Significant offer terms and conditions

  • The promotion runs from 00:00 UK Time on 25th February until 23:59 UK Time on 10th March 2019. Qualifying rounds run from 00:00 UK Time on Monday until 23:59 UK Time on Thursday, and 00:00 UK Time on Friday until 23:59 UK Time on Sunday.
  • You can earn one prize draw ticket for every £10 cash staked on eligible games. Two prize draw tickets will be awarded for every £10 cash staked on the relevant double ticket game for the qualifying period. You can stake £10 cash cumulatively across eligible games during a staked qualifying round. This does not apply to the qualifying period’s double ticket game. For an entire list of eligible games please see Full Terms Three and Four.
  • There is no restriction on the number of prize draw tickets that you can earn; you can also win more than one prize per qualifying round.

Prize draw dates are as follows: March 1st, March 4th, March 8th and March 11th

For more information about all offers please visit the bet365 website.

Read More
Snakebite and Bully Boy Share Points MVG Stays On Top

Snakebite and Bully Boy Share Points MVG Stays On Top

Snakebite Premier League Darts

Night 2 of the 2019 Darts Premier League season got underway with a stalemate between Peter Wright and Michael Smith at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow last week.

Smith won the match’s last leg to salvage a 6-6 draw in the night’s opening match after letting a 4-1 lead slip away. Ahead by three, he looked set to move up 5-1, only to miss a dart at tops to give Wright an unlikely route back into the game.

A Valentines-themed Snakebite duly made him pay with a 60 checkout as part of a 15-dart break, only to see Smith break straight back. The Scotsman then produced a 64 checkout before holding to reduce the gap to 5-4. The two previous League runner-ups then split a sloppy leg in which Smith wasted six darts at doubles while Wright misfired three of his own before finally landing the match-leveling leg. Snakebite moved ahead to clinch a point and a likely win, only to see Smith fight back and hold on to his own throw to share the points.

Wright, who hit 40% of his doubles, produced an average of 88.95 compared to Smith’s 98.74. Smith hit three more 180s, which was ultimately undone by his poor checkout percentage of 26.32%.

A recap of Night 2

In other action from Night 2 of the 2019 PDC Premier League, Rob Cross scored his first win of the new season after coming from a 3-1 deficit to beat James Wade 7-4. Just as he did a week ago, Voltage averaged over 100 while The Machine scored a respectable 100.81 and one more maximum with both players landing 50% of their doubles. Cross moved ahead 5-3 after a superb 85 finish on the bullseye sent him two clear before guaranteeing himself at least a point with a 72 checkout. Wade was to take another leg before Voltage clinched the victory to move up the table.

Match three of the night produced another draw after Raymond van Barneveld came back from 5-2 down to rescue a point against Gerwyn Price. Price was given a hard time by the Glasgow crowd who haven’t forgotten his antics, which earned him a reprimand against Scots’ favourite Gary ‘The Flying Scotsman’ Anderson. In contrast, the soon-to-be-retiring Barney was cheered adoringly throughout his farewell performance in the city.

The atmosphere didn’t bother the Iceman who is getting used to these kinds of receptions, soon finding himself in the lead despite losing the opening leg. Price took out 107 before an 11-darter and a 120 checkout put him 3-1 up. The Welshman then banked a 14-darter before Barney claimed another leg for himself. A 13-dart break of throw was to follow for the former rugby player who then checked out for 82 to guarantee at least a draw and what looked to be a certain win. Unfortunately for Price, he wasted the first match dart that came his way as he couldn’t find tops to let Barney off the hook. Barney then went on a match-levelling run that included Price missing another match point, much to the delight of the fans.

Week 2’s contender, Glen Durrant was soundly beaten on his Premier League debut where he lost 7-3 to Daryl Gurney. The match marked Superchin’s his first victory of the season after he produced a doubles masterclass against the former BDO man. Duzza was standing in for Gary Anderson, producing a 99.89 average and four 180s. It wasn’t enough against Gurney, who successfully hit seven from nine attempts at a finish, ending the night with an average of 100.05.

The final match of the night saw Michael van Gerwen, already the only player to have a 100% record in the Premier League of Darts, bank a 7-3 win against Mensur Suljovic. The performance was hardly vintage form from MVG but was still enough to win comfortably, as he averaged just shy of 100 compared to his opponent’s 101.07. Mighty Mike missed 10 of his 17 attempts at doubles, but the Gentle wasted seven of his ten. This will never be enough to beat the Dutchman, even if he is playing slightly out of form. The world champion is looking to win the title for the fourth year in a row and has topped the table in each of his six Premier League seasons. Ominously, he already occupies first place in the table, with daylight opening up over Rob Cross and Gerwyn Price. Combine this fact with the absence of Gary Anderson this year and MVG already looks a champion in waiting.

Premier League Darts Night 3 betting tips

The third night of the Premier League takes place at the 3Arena in Dublin on Thursday and opens with a match between Gerwyn Price and James Wade. After surrendering the last four legs to Raymond Van Barneveld and blowing what should have been a certain win, there is every chance that Price could be deflated going into this week’s game. On the other hand, Wade will be looking to bounce back from his defeat to Rob Cross. Wade has the upper hand between the two, having won his last three meetings against the Welshman. I wouldn’t want to take a draw off the table either but will plump for James Wade to beat Gerwyn Price.

Surely this will be the week when Peter Wright finally gets a win to his name. Snakebite faces off against this week’s Contender, Irishman Steve Lennon. Wright earned himself a decent point last week when under extreme pressure, he staged a comeback from down 5-2 against Michael Smith. The 25-year-old Lennon will benefit from the home support in Dublin, but this is still a big step up for him, and the weight of the occasion could see him struggle. Add that to the fact that Smith has lost all three of his previous matches against Wright should mean we can count on Snakebite to deliver the win here.

Michael Van Gerwen steps out next against former world champion Rob Cross. Already, Van Gerwen looks certain to finish at the top and could do so unbeaten, especially given the absence of his closest rival Gary Anderson. Last week in Scotland, the Dutchman beat Mensur Suljovic without breaking out of first gear, which must have his rivals worried. For those considering going against the favourite, Cross is starting to look more like his old self, but Mighty Mike looks unbeatable right now, even when using half his powers.

Match four sees Michael Smith take on Daryl Gurney. Northern Irishman Gurney should be able to count on support from the home fans. A week ago in Dublin, Smith cited the crowd as one of the factors in blowing a 5-2 lead against Scotsman Wright. With that in mind, Superchin could have the edge in the tough-to-call encounter. That said, despite Gurney showing signs of a return to form by beating Glen Durrant in his last outing, Bully Boy wants to prove that he is one of the best players in the world right now. Head to head, he has also won six of his ten meetings with Gurney, and I would expect him to add to that tally here.

Raymond Van Barneveld and Mensur Suljovic close out the action in Dublin in what will be another tough match. Barney looked a beaten man against Gerwyn Price before stunning The Iceman with four consecutive legs to save a draw and his supporters, of which there are many. He hopes that his fans will provide the lift-off the Dutchman needs to kickstart his last ever Premier League campaign. In contrast, Suljovic seems to struggle in league games and hasn’t really improved on last year’s dismal showing so far this season. During that campaign, Barney beat The Gentle 7-5 and could be in line to repeat that this week.

Your Betway accumulator for week 3 reads as follows; James Wade, Peter Wright, Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith and Raymond van Barneveld which pays 36/1.

  • (11/8) Gerwyn Price V James Wade (11/8)
  • (4/1) Steve Lennon V Peter Wright (1/2)
  • (4/9) Michael van Gerwen V Rob Cross (4/1)
  • (1/1) Michael Smith V Daryl Gurney (2/1)
  • (5/6) Mensur Suljovic V Raymond van Barneveld (5/2)

QUICK GLANCE AT THE DARTS PREMIER LEAGUE – Night 3

Venue: 3Arena, Dublin
Dates: Thursday 21.02.2019
Format: Best of 12 legs
Current Champion: Michael van Gerwen
Where to Watch: Sky Sports
When to Watch: (1900 GMT)

Read More