Premier League Darts: Whitlock, Barney & Wright Out, Van Gerwen Through

Last Thursday night at the Manchester Arena, it was a night where lots could have been decided, but in the end, hope still exists for Daryl Gurney, although his chances of making the playoffs do rely on one of three top players suffering two defeats in their last two games.

By the end of the evening, Michael van Gerwen had confirmed his place in the playoffs by amassing 21 points and behind him, both Michael Smith and Rob Cross need just one more point from their remaining two games in order to secure their spot. That after Smith beat Peter Wright 7-1 in the opening match of the night, before Bully Boy lost the final game of the evening 7-1 to a rampant van Gerwen.

Gurney’s hopes remain alive after a battling 6-6 draw with Michael van Gerwen in the second game of the night and thanks to Simon Whitlock’s unexpected 7-5 win over the previously in-form Gary Anderson in the third game. That result alone meant that the point Gurney earned in his game with van Gerwen kept him in with a narrow chance of making the playoffs.

The fourth game prior to van Gerwen’s thrashing of Smith was an entertaining draw between Rob Cross and Raymond van Barneveld, with the point not being quite enough to keep Barney in with a chance of making the playoffs this year.

Results from Night 12

• Peter Wright 1-7 Michael Smith
• Daryl Gurney 6-6 Michael van Gerwen
• Simon Whitlock 7-5 Gary Anderson
• Raymond van Barneveld 6-6 Rob Cross
• Michael Smith 1-7 Michael van Gerwen

With two games left for each player over the next fortnight in Birmingham and then Aberdeen, things could be decided at any point over the next two weeks if Gurney fails to win any of his two remaining games (against Michael Smith and Peter Wright), or if Smith, Cross and Anderson pick up the points they need to ensure their playoff place.

Here’s how the Premier League Darts table looks following Night 12 in Manchester last week.

• Players in italics are eliminated from the second phase
• The * indicates players that are eliminated from the playoffs.
• Players in Bold have qualified for the playoffs.

Week 15 Preview

This week the eight players remaining in the tournament head to the Arena Birmingham in what is the penultimate night of the regular season. There are just four games scheduled for the evening with each player in action once on the night.

The matches are outlined below, with the latest odds from Coral for each game, together with our tips on how we see each of the games going on the night.

• Peter Wright (4/6) v Simon Whitlock (3/1) (7/2 the draw)

Both these players are already eliminated event, so there is little riding on the match other than pride, but conversely, that lack of pressure may well result in better performances from each, or conversely, it could simply exacerbate their generally poor form in recent weeks. Wright’s performances go from the sublime to the ridiculous, twice he has beaten Michael van Gerwen in this years tournament but other than that he has barely strung a win together. Whitlock started brightly, fell away but then bounced back with a brilliant 7-5 win over Gary Anderson last week, which was an ultimately futile win but showed Whitlock’s tenacity.

Of the two, I feel Whitlock is playing the better and as he showed last week, he is up for the fight regardless of being eliminated from the event, as such, I think Whitlock is a very good price at 3/1 to continue his mini-revival in the tournament, albeit a little too late.

• Rob Cross (4/1) v Michael van Gerwen (1/2) (4/1 the draw)

Rob Cross may have got the better of van Gerwen in the World Championships back in December last year, but in the Premier League, Michael van Gerwen has been dominant over the Hastings-based World Number 4. Cross has not won in his last three Premier League games, losing one and drawing two and similiarly Van Gerwen only got back to winning ways in his last game last week after a three game run without a win.

Cross is the World Champion and he stands a better chance against van Gerwen than those 4-1 odds suggest but I think van Gerwen looked like he was back in the groove last week in his final game with Michael Smith so I am going to back van Gerwen to nab a narrow win here at 1/2 with Coral.

• Daryl Gurney (7/5) v Michael Smith (7/5) (3/1 the draw)

Arguably the most crucial game of the night comes third on stage when Daryl Gurney, who must win to keep his faint playoff hopes alive, takes on the second-placed Michael Smith in what promises to be a cracking game in Birmingham. The Irishman’s form has been much improved of late and he will look back on several matches earlier in the tournament when he had a lead over an opponent but somehow managed to only draw the game, as being the reason he is not in a stronger position.

Smith got back to winning ways against Peter Wright last week but was then downed 7-1 by Michael van Gerwen but so often Smith has lost a game and you expect him to collapse but he has bounced back well. A win for Smith here, or even a point, will put Gary Anderson almost certainly into the playoffs and I think that is the likeliest outcome. I’m backing the draw here at 3/1 with Coral.

• Gary Anderson (8/13) v Raymond van Barneveld (10/3) (7/2 the draw)

The final game of the night pits Gary Anderson against his old rival and friend Raymond van Barneveld in what could be a pivotal game, depending on the outcome on the match before it. Regardless of that, Anderson will want to get back to winning ways after his surprise loss last week to Simon Whitlock, a result which meant he missed out on qualifying for the playoffs last week.

For Barney it has been an up and down Premier League campaign this year. Too often he has been off the boil but on occasion, he has raised his game, as he did when beating Michael van Gerwen in his native Holland on night 11B. The Dutchman’s lack of consistency has been his biggest enemy and is the reason why he is eliminated from the tournament. I’m backing Anderson to make no mistakes here and get the job done at 8/13 with Coral.