Michael Smith Sends Peter Wright Packing In The Darts Premier League

Michael Smith Sends Peter Wright Packing In The Darts Premier League

Michael Smith Knocks Out Peter Wright in Darts Premier League

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)
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Barney Beats Michael van Gerwen In Holland

Barney Beats Michael van Gerwen In Holland

Raymond van Barneveld beats MVG

Dutch fans in attendance in Rotterdam were treated by their two heroes — Raymond van Barneveld and Michael van Gerwen — going head to head in a match in which Barnveld delivered a surprising upset.

It was billed as the match of night and it didn’t disappoint as the two finest players the Netherlands has ever produced served up a classic in which Barney fought off a late comeback attempt from the world’s best player, Michael van Gerwen, to win 7-5. Barney, at one point 6-3 ahead, looked to have let victory slip through his fingers as Mighty Mike fought back to almost draw level, before Barney landed a treble 20 followed by double four for the win.

Oddly, this was van Gerwen’s second defeat in as many nights, made even weirder by the fact he was playing back in his homeland. This contrasted Barney, however, who was struggling for form prior to returning to The Netherlands but picked up maximum points over both days.

Matchnight 13 Recap

Michael Smith returned to winning ways with a 7-1 destruction of Simon Whitlock. Smith lost badly on Wednesday to Gary Anderson, but went above the Scot in the table a night later after he sent early league leader Whitlock packing. It was The Wizard who took the first leg when Smith missed two important darts, but Bully Boy took over soon after and reeled off seven legs in succession. The defeat for Whitlock means the Aussie is propping up the rest at the bottom of the table while Smith stays fourth and on target for a playoff place in London a month from now.

Two-time world champion Gary Anderson produced an imperious display against Daryl Gurney to win 7-3. Anderson, who one night earlier almost banked a nine-dart finish against Rob Cross, came close again on Thursday as he opened up with 177 and 180 before blowing it for the second night in a row. He didn’t blow the the match however, as he took out 88 to claim a 4-2 lead before hitting 13 and 11 dart legs, leaving one more for the win which came courtesy of a ruthlessly executed 92.

Peter Wright’s weird form continued as he dug deep to earn a 6-6 draw with Rob Cross. Only 24 hours earlier, Snakebite had surprisingly seen off Michael van Gerwen but was often struggling to hang in there in Thursday’s match against the World Champ. Cross took the lead early on, throwing triple 140s, before landing an 81 to give him a 12-dart opener. Voltage followed this by breaking Wright’s throw in leg two after fans were treated to the familiar site of Peter repeatedly missing important darts at double, in this case four. Before long, Cross was up 5-2, but Snakebite was determined to make a fight of it, winning the next three to draw level. Having fought back, Cross began to wobble, missing six darts at the double but somehow pulled ahead 6-5 ahead before Wright came back to claim a share of the points.

Daryl Gurney returned to the oche for the last of the night’s action needing to put his earlier defeat to Gary Anderson behind him. He did so in emphatic fashion as he beat Simon Whitlock 7-1, the Aussie’s second such reverse of the night. Gurney averaged just south of 100 and scored three maximums on his way to a comfortable victory.

Premier League Darts Betting Tips

Matchnight 14 takes place this Thursday at the Manchester Arena with all the action broadcast live on numerous Sky Sports channels from 1900 GMT.

Michael Smith has the opportunity to effectively eliminate many by closing off the top four this week should he pick up two points from his two matches. The first of these is the night’s opening game against Peter Wright, although increasingly erratic, should be in confident mood having taken three points off MVG and Rob Cross in Rotterdam. Michael had a tight grip on first but has now slipped down to fourth, but he remains three points ahead of Snakebite with a game in hand. Smith to win and shut out the others? Why not. Bet of the match: Smith to hit the most 180s, no 100+ checkout in the match and both players to average under 100 for 5/1.

Next up is Daryl Gurney and Michael van Gerwen in a match that looks unlikely to throw up any surprises. MVG is the other player playing twice this week and although pegged back slightly last week, two wins on the night would provide him with a cushion at the top of the table as we start to look forward to the play offs in London. Superchin stands a slight chance of making the top four himself, but I expect Mighty Mike to extinguish that here. Add to Michael’s value by jumping on van Gerwen to win by over 2.5 legs, hit a 120+ checkout and over 7.5 total 180s for 11/2 at Betway.

Simon Whitlock, who has an even more remote chance of progression than Gurney, is out next for his match against Gary Anderson, a near certainty for the O2. Like the previous match, this matchup looks unlikely to shock anyone — the Flying Scotsman all the way. For 11/4, I think it’s worth backing Anderson to win by over 2.5 legs, hit the most 180s and a 100+ checkout.

Barney enjoyed his time back in Holland last week, picking up maximum rewards for seeing off Simon Whitlock and Michael van Gerwen. He goes again here against Rob Cross, who also handled the Dutch experience well, taking three points from three games. Like Gary Anderson, Voltage is still in the running to get that number one spot, sitting just a point behind MVG. Raymond’s form last week looked more like a flash in the pan and proved he still had the class of old. Back in the UK, I think the young blood of the World Champion will win out. I’ll go with Cross to win, hit the most 180s and hit a 100+ checkout for 4/1.

The two Michaels finish off the night’s action, and assuming both win earlier on in the night, both will be in buoyant mood for the night’s finale. That said, MVG will be looking to bank his place on top of the pack and should dominate Smith, who is deserving of a place in the play-offs even if he loses out here. Betway continues to make things interesting by offering van Gerwen to win by over 3.5 legs, average over 100 and under 7.5 total 180s at 9/4.

The line on Smith, MVG, Anderson, Cross and MVG pays at a rate of 11.15/1, while Betway have also boosted the following treble to 5/1; Wright, Anderson and Cross to win.

  • (11/10) Peter Wright v Michael Smith (7/4)
  • (6/1) Daryl Gurney v Michael van Gerwen (30/100)
  • (6/1) Simon Whitlock v Gary Anderson (30/100)
  • (5/2) Raymond van Barneveld v Rob Cross (4/5)
  • (11/2) Michael Smith v Michael van Gerwen (1/3)
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Dutch Delight For Peter Wright In the Darts Premier League

Dutch Delight For Peter Wright In the Darts Premier League

Darts Premier League Betting Tips for Matchday 12

The second of Rotterdam’s doubleheaders takes place on Thursday: same darts time, same darts channel.

But first, we have a quick recap of last night where Gary Anderson produced an excellent performance that saw him beat Michael Smith 7-2 in the night’s opener. The Flying Scotsman posted an average of 109.92, hit four 180s and nailed seven doubles from 10 attempts to help him finish the night in third place, which he achieved after defeating Rob Cross in his second match of the night and the last of the evening.

Anderson beat Cross by 7 legs to 3 but Voltage ended the night in second place due to his earlier win over Daryl Gurney. Winning by 7-4, Cross moves above Michael Smith in the table and has now won eight out of his last nine.

Raymond van Barneveld gave the 10,000-strong Rotterdam crowd what they wanted after he posted a 7-3 win over Simon Whitlock. Averaging 100.96 with four 180s, Barney was back to his brilliant best in his homeland.

Oh, and Peter Wright beat Michael van Gerwen. Yeah, sorry about that, did not see that one coming. That said, it was pleasing to see Snakebite playing well at long last as he won out the 7-5 winner in front of a partisan Rotterdam crowd, even if he does stay rooted to the bottom of the league. Even in defeat MVG looked good, landing a late double double but it wasn’t enough to prevent his four-point lead at the top being cut back to two.

Mighty Mike will have the chance to bounce back in front of the Rotterdam fans when he takes on Raymond van Barneveld in Thursday’s fourth match. After last night’s shock defeat to Peter Wright, MVG will surely be stinging and would be expected to post a victory in this all Dutch thriller. The night opens with Simon Whitlock taking on Michael Smith. I’m siding with Smith to come out on top and give his chase for a top four spot a boost. After all he has done this season, it would be a tragedy if he missed out now.

Gary Anderson is now going great guns, and I would expect him to see off Daryl Gurney, who also faces Whitlock in the last match of the night. It’s a close match-up but also one I see Superchin taking so I’m picking the Northern Irishman to come out on top. But I’m less sure of Rob Cross versus Peter Wright in the third. Everything is telling me that Cross, now back to his best, is the sure-fire winner here. But Wright is nothing if not predictable and after beating MVG for the second time this season 24-hours earlier, might be about to make a late charge up the table. Your call. For the record, I’m picking Cross though.

  • (12/5) Simon Whitlock v Michael Smith (5/6)
  • (11/4) Daryl Gurney v Gary Anderson (8/11)
  • (1/1) Rob Cross v Peter Wright (15/8)
  • (30/100) Michael van Gerwen v Raymond van Barneveld (13/2)
  • (4/5) Daryl Gurney v Simon Whitlock (5/2)
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