Nathan Aspinall Wins UK Open As Michael van Gerwen Loses Twice In As Many Days

Nathan Aspinall Wins UK Open As Michael van Gerwen Loses Twice In As Many Days

Nathan Aspinall UK Open

Stockport’s Nathan Aspinall claimed his first ever major PDC title on Sunday when he beat Rob Cross in the final of the UK Open at Butlins Minehead Resort. It was a weekend of surprises which saw early eliminations for Peter Wright, Gary Anderson, and most surprisingly of all, Michael van Gerwen, who only one night earlier suffered his first Premier League defeat of the season.

A shock at the UK Open

The Asp, who saw off Gerwyn Price in a tough semi-final, got his hands on his maiden major trophy to cap a remarkable few months in which he also won his first Players Championship title in September before reaching the World Championship semi-finals in December in his debut campaign. He has also tasted success on the Pro Tour this season when he beat Michael van Gerwen 6-1 in the Players Championship Four.

In the final, the first four legs went with throw and from 2-2, Aspinall reeled off three successive legs before letting Voltage back into the contest with some sloppy finishes. The former world champion closed the gap to 6-5, but it wasn’t to be as Aspinall won the next five legs in succession before closing in spectacular fashion with a 170 checkout.

Along the way, Aspinall, who came into the tournament ranked 34th on the Order of Merit, defeated Toni Alcinas, Christian Kist, Madars Razma, Steve Lennon and Ross Smith before meeting Price in the last four. Aspinall, the fastest to reach the top 16 through a Tour Card entry and the first to win a TV major from outside the top 32 since 2012, averaged 88.72 over Cross’ 84.

In a crazy first night for the “FA Cup of Darts,” Michael van Gerwen crashed out at the first hurdle for the second year in a row. Mighty Mike lost to Jeffrey de Zwaan at this stage a year ago, and this year it was Mervyn King who bettered the world number one. The game marked sweet revenge for King after MVG branded him a “disgrace to darts for not even trying to win” when they last met earlier this season at the Players Championship Three. All this on the night when Steve Beaton knocked out Gary Anderson, Raymond van Barneveld said goodbye to the UK Open following a 10-7 defeat to Simon Stevenson and Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright was sent packing by Mensur Suljovic.

Darts Premier League Night 4 Catchup

In a sign of things to come for Michael van Gerwen, a lacklustre performance from the world champion went punished. Just as he did at the UK Open on Friday, MVG played poorly on the Premier League’s fourth night of action and was soundly beaten, this time by James Wade. At 3-2 up, Mighty Mike wasted three darts to take the sixth leg, allowing The Machine to level the scores. Wade, the European and World Series of Darts champion, then began to take over the match, moving two legs clear before landing a 12-dart, 121 checkout on the bull to clinch at least a point. Just 17-darts later, Wade closed out the win, ending with the better average of 95.65 compared to the world champion’s 94.33.

In the second matchup of the evening, Gerwyn Price was held to a draw by this week’s contender, ‘Cool Hand’ Luke Humphries. Despite being a disappointing result for The Iceman, he does at least maintain his unbeaten start to the 2019 Premier League Darts season. In the end, it went down to the wire, with the Welshman taking the final leg to secure his third straight draw. Having raced into a 2-0 lead, it didn’t look like a match that he would struggle. Humphries pulled one back immediately before both players registered 12-darters. First, Price fizzed in a 147 checkout which preceded Cool Hand’s 161 bullseye finish. Price raised his level with a nine-dart finish, thereafter, briefly getting the crowd behind him. Humphries then won the next three legs on the spin, leaving Price needing to win the next leg to level the scores, only for Humphries to guarantee himself at least a draw with a 13-darter in the next. With victory in sight, the contender missed double 14, letting Price back in and saw him take out the required 76.

Cross, Suljovic and Smith with victories

Rob Cross, who reached the UK Open final over the weekend, enjoyed his best week for some time after he beat Daryl Gurney 7-1 in his latest Premier League match. In a one-sided match, Voltage raked up an average of 102.16 and finishing seven doubles from ten attempts to send Superchin packing. With a whitewash looming one leg from home, Gurney — who averaged only 90 — took out an 80 checkout to avoid complete humiliation.

Mensur Suljovic scored his first of two wins over Peter Wright in a week on Thursday when he recorded a 7-4 triumph in Exeter. In what was his first Premier League victory of the season, The Gentle won six legs on the spin after losing in the first to find himself a comfortable 6-1 lead. Snakebite then came into life, hitting dual 180s as part of an 11-darter in the first of three legs to go the Scotsman’s way. That was as good as it got for Wright, despite throwing five maximums to Suljovic’s zero as the Austrian took 14-darts to close out the match.

In the final match of the night, Michael Smith, playing after recovering from emergency surgery, booked a decent 7-4 win over Raymond van Barneveld. Barney initially benefited from Bully Boy’s obvious discomfort, taking an early 3-1 lead, before Smith fought back with the next three to go one ahead. Barney only had one leg left in him from there as Smith went on to bank his first win of the year’s Premier League campaign.

Premier League Darts Week 5 betting tips

In the first match of the night, we’ve plumped for a revived Rob Cross to beat Michael Smith. I firmly believe Smith will finish higher up the table than his rival tonight but his surgery hasn’t fully healed, and Voltage has looked like he is finding his best form of late. That said, Bully Boy did manage to nick a win from 3-1 down against Raymond van Barneveld to claim his first win of the campaign a week ago. But Cross’ thumping of Daryl Gurney 7-1, plus his victory over tonight’s opponent in the UK Open semi-finals over the weekend – his 10th win in 13 meetings overall – makes him the favourite to take the points this week.

This match is followed by Daryl Gurney and James Wade, who conquered Mighty Mike van Gerwen last week and so goes into this week’s battle on a high. In contrast, Superchin is still to record a win in this year’s competition and was played off the oche last week against a rejuvenated Rob Cross. While Gurney will be looking for a response, The Machine should get the job done.

Gerwyn Price is yet to taste defeat in the Premier League this season. This week he faces Mensur Suljovic, who doesn’t seem to enjoy this format. The Gentle did manage to bank a win seven days ago against Peter Wright, a trick he repeated a day later, but has only won four games in 13 against Price. The Welshman almost struck a nine-darter last week against contender Luke Humphries while he also made the last four in Minehead on Sunday and this form should see him right this week.

Providing he doesn’t implode – always a distinct possibility with Snakebite – Peter Wright can be expected to overcome the challenge laid down by the retiring Raymond van Barneveld in match four. Wright suffered his first defeat last time out and now finds himself outside of the top four. Barney still hasn’t had a win in his last ever campaign and is currently propping up the table. The Dutchman’s confidence is low and Wright should be able to take advantage, especially playing back in Scotland. Yet, it is Peter Wright so we can take nothing for granted. Snakebite at a pinch.

A rare Premier League defeat for Michael van Gerwen last week was swiftly followed by another loss a night later in Minehead. While that should enthuse his rivals, it is a shame for them that the world number one now faces this week’s contender John Henderson. MVG will be determined to put things right in Aberdeen against home favourite The Highlander, and anything other than a win is unthinkable.

This accumulator: Rob Cross, James Wade, Gerwyn Price, Peter Wright and MVG, pays 25.58/1 at Betway.

  • (6/4) Michael Smith V Rob Cross (13/10)
  • (7/5) Daryl Gurney V James Wade (7/5)
  • (6/4) Mensur Suljovic V Gerwyn Price (13/10)
  • (11/4) Raymond van Barneveld V Peter Wright (8/11)
  • (1/6) Michael van Gerwen V John Henderson (10/1)

QUICK GLANCE AT THE DARTS PREMIER LEAGUE – WEEK 5

Venue: BHGE Arena, Aberdeen
Dates: Thursday 07.02.2019
Format: Best of 12 legs
Current Champion: Michael van Gerwen
Where To Watch: Sky Sports
When To Watch: (1900 GMT)

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2019 UK Open Darts Betting Tips

2019 UK Open Darts Betting Tips

UK Open Darts 2019 Preview

Only one day after Thursday’s Premier League action, this year’s UK Open gets underway at Butlins’ Minehead Resort in Somerset.

The big news is that the defending champion Gary Anderson will be taking part. The Flying Scotsman hasn’t competed since losing his World Championship semi-final in December and has since pulled out of both the Masters and the Premier League to undergo treatment for a long-standing back problem. However, he has now been confirmed among the entries for the Open which starts this Friday. As well as Anderson, the likes of Michael van Gerwen, Rob Cross, Peter Wright and Michael Smith will all be confident of glory.

Amateurs and pros alike descend upon UK Open

This event is popular with fans due to the randomness of matches. Likened to football’s FA Cup, the Open allows for no seeding advantage and includes the participation of 32 amateur qualifiers among the 159-player field, which is also made up 128 PDC Tour Card Holders. 16 qualifiers are drawn from the 2018 PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour Order of Merit and 16 others are part of the Riley’s Amateur Qualifiers, which once featured the likes of Rob Cross, 12/1 at Betway to win outright this year. From there, as in the FA Cup, a random draw is made at the conclusion of every round meaning unheralded players can, and often do, go on a deep tournament run.

Last year, play took place behind closed doors after the UK was caught in a freak snowstorm dubbed Storm Emma. No such problems look likely this year as the UK has instead posted record-breaking February weather meaning the venue should be packed. The draws for the first three rounds, which will be played over eight separate stages, have already been made. And it’s in the fourth round that the world’s top 32 take to the stage on Friday evening where things get interesting. As you would expect, the cream always rises to the top in darts and the past five winners are Michael van Gerwen (twice), Gary Anderson, Adrian Lewis and Peter Wright, who has finished runner-up in this competition twice.

All of the above are in the line up again as is Michael Smith, who has recovered in time from the emergency abscess surgery he underwent on Monday and carries Betway’s price of 12/1 on his head for tournament success. One to look out for is the pantomime villain that is Wales’ Gerwyn Price, who has been playing well of late in the ongoing Premier League Darts and has won back to back PDC Players Championship titles this past weekend. He is available at a very tempting 25/1 with Betway Sports. The 25/1 offered on PDC newbie Glen Durrant is definitely another one to consider too. The reigning BDO World Champion is new to the PDC organisation and has already won his first competition.

Naturally, it’s hard to oppose Michael van Gerwen but his odds-on 5/6 makes things less interesting for those looking to turn a profit. Second favourite Gary Anderson should feel suitably refreshed and has won here before meaning Betway’s 8/1 catches the eye. Another former winner, Peter Wright can be backed at 16/1, just short of the 20/1 Betway have placed on Mensur Suljovic and Gerwyn Price’s 22/1.

QUICK GLANCE AT THE UK Open

Venue: Butlin’s Minehead Resort
Dates: Friday 01.03.2019 to Sunday 03.03.2019
Format: First, Second & Third Rounds (Best of 11 legs), Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, QFs (Best of 19 legs), Semi-Finals and Final (Best of 21 legs)
Current Champion: Gary Anderson
Prize Money: £450,000
Where To Watch: ITV 4
When To Watch: (From 11.00 GMT Friday with coverage across the weekend)

Schedule for The 2019 UK Open

Main Stage

  • Mark McGeeney v David Pallett – First Round
  • Wes Newton v Cameron Menzies – First Round
  • Dawson Murschell v Ross Smith – Second Round
  • Glen Durrant v Day/Kuivenhoven – Second Round
  • Portela/Bates v Hughes/Rydz – Second Round
  • Taylor/Labanauskas v Kevin Burness – Second Round
  • Luke Humphries v Vincent van der Voort – Third Round
  • Toni Alcinas v Nathan Aspinall – Third Round
  • Ricky Evans v Justicia/Thoburn/Dennant – Third Round
  • Dimitri Van den Bergh v Shepherd/Worsley/Brooks – Third Round

Stage Two

  • Barry Lynn v Michael Rasztovits – First Round
  • Jamie Hughes v Callan Rydz – First Round
  • Dennis Nilsson v Madars Razma – First Round
  • Mike van Duivenbode v Ted Evetts – First Round
  • Scott Taylor v Darius Labanauskas – First Round
  • Wayne Jones v Vincent Kamphuis – Second Round
  • C Harris/Davey v Adam Hunt – Second Round
  • Temple/Preston v Arron Monk – Second Round
  • Shepherd/Worsley v Bradley Brooks – Second Round
  • Mickey Mansell v Danny Noppert – Third Round
  • James Richardson v Steve Lennon – Third Round
  • Baker/Harrington v Krzysztof Ratajski – Third Round
  • Devon Petersen v Portela/Bates/Hughes/Rydz – Third Round

Stage Three

  • Conan Whitehead v Michael Burgoine – First Round
  • Shaun Fox v Andy Jenkins – First Round
  • Joe Murnan v Mark Frost – First Round
  • Diogo Portela v Barrie Bates – First Round
  • Mark Wilson v Mark Dudbridge – Second Round
  • Nilsson/Razma v McGeeney/Pallett – Second Round
  • Van Duivenbode/Evetts v George Killington – Second Round
  • Collins/Rodriguez v Andy Boulton – Second Round
  • Gabriel Clemens v Zoran Lerchbacher – Third Round
  • Beveridge/Woodhouse v Chris Dobey – Third Round
  • Stevenson/Gray/McFarlane v Mark Webster – Third Round
  • Carlin/Bunse/Michael v Durrant/Day/Kuivenhoven – Third Round

Stage Four

  • Adam Huckvale v Mark Barilli – First Round
  • Geert Nentjes v David Evans – First Round
  • Cody Harris v John Davey – First Round
  • Kirk Shepherd v Jonathan Worsley – First Round
  • Matthew Edgar v Gary Eastwood – Second Round
  • Harry Ward v Browning/L Harris – Second Round
  • Newton/Menzies v Atkins/Bain – Second Round
  • Derry/Budgen v Van der Meer/Dootson – Second Round
  • Richard North v Ronny Huybrechts – Third Round
  • Ryan Joyce v Owen/Kantele/Lacey – Third Round
  • Newton/Menzies/Atkins/Bain v Josh Payne – Third Round
  • Cullen/Robinson/De Sousa/Raman v Van Duijvenbode/Clark/Zonneveld – Third Round

Stage Five

  • Jose de Sousa v Brian Raman – First Round
  • Nathan Derry v Lee Budgen – First Round
  • Vincent van der Meer v Eddie Dootson – First Round
  • Matt Clark v Niels Zonneveld – First Round
  • Robert Marijanovic v Davy van Baelen – Second Round
  • Fox/Jenkins v Mario Robbe – Second Round
  • Simon Stevenson v Gray/McFarlane – Second Round
  • Gavin Carlin v Bunse/Michael – Second Round
  • Wilson/Dudbridge v William O’Connor – Third Round
  • Fox/Jenkins/Robbe v Jeffrey de Zwaan – Third Round
  • Collins/Rodriguez/Boulton v Christian Kist – Third Round
  • Jones/Kamphuis v Taylor/Labanauskas/Burness – Third Round

Stage Six

  • Jarred Cole v Michael Barnard – First Round
  • Jason Cullen v Reece Robinson – First Round
  • Christian Bunse v John Michael – First Round
  • Martin Atkins v Jamie Bain – First Round
  • Scott Baker v Ryan Harrington – Second Round
  • Tony Newell v Huckvale/Barilli – Second Round
  • Tytus Kanik v Wilkinson/Meeuwisse – Second Round
  • Lynn/Rasztovits v Whitehead/Burgoine – Second Round
  • Edgar/Eastwood v Ryan Searle – Third Round
  • Ward/Browning/Harris v Jan Dekker – Third Round
  • Temple/Preston/Monk v Robert Thornton – Third Round
  • Van Duivenbode/Evetts/Killington v Nilsson/Razma/McGeeney/Pallett – Third Round

Stage Seven

  • Marko Kantele v Chris Lacey – First Round
  • Lloyd Browning v Lee Harris – First Round
  • Kevin Thoburn v Matthew Dennant – First Round
  • Adrian Gray v Ian McFarlane – First Round
  • Peter Hudson v John Goldie – Second Round
  • Nentjes/Evans v Cole/Barnard – Second Round
  • Robert Owen v Kantele/Lacey – Second Round
  • Murnan/Frost v Ryan Meikle – Second Round
  • Marijanovic/Van Baelen v Martin Schindler – Third Round
  • Newell/Huckvale/Barilli v Brendan Dolan – Third Round
  • Derry/Budgen/Van der Meer/Dootson v Keegan Brown – Third Round
  • Kanik/Wilkinson/Meeuwisse v Murschell/R Smith – Third Round

Stage Eight

  • Daniel Day v Maik Kuivenhoven – First Round
  • Carl Wilkinson v Yordi Meeuwisse – First Round
  • Terry Temple v Simon Preston – First Round
  • Robbie Collins v Rowby-John Rodriguez – First Round
  • Darren Beveridge v Luke Woodhouse – Second Round
  • Cullen/Robinson v De Sousa/Raman – Second Round
  • Jose Justicia v Thoburn/Dennant – Second Round
  • Dirk van Duijvenbode v Clark/Zonneveld – Second Round
  • Ron Meulenkamp v C Harris/Davey/Hunt – Third Round
  • Nentjes/Evans/Cole/Barnard v Justin Pipe – Third Round
  • Murnan/Frost/Meikle v Alan Tabern – Third Round
  • Lynn/Rasztovits/Whitehead/Burgoine v Hudson/Goldie – Third Round
  • Fourth Round (Best of 19 legs)

Saturday March 2

  • Fifth Round (Best of 19 legs)
  • Sixth Round (Best of 19 legs)

Sunday March 3

  • Quarter-Finals (Best of 19 legs)
  • Semi-Finals (Best of 21 legs)
  • Final (Best of 21 legs)
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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)

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