Premier League Darts returns to British soil this week, as the darting deities descend on Glasgow. After thrilling nights in Cardiff and Berlin, there’s guaranteed to be an electric atmosphere when the tungsten throwers hit the OVO Hydro oche. 2023 World Champion Michael Smith sets the early pace, with Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen hot on his tail.
Embed from Getty ImagesCan Luke Littler maintain his momentum?
Premier League Darts Teenage sensation, Luke Littler, continues to defy the critics and doomsayers. Some thought the media whirlwind that surrounded his astonishing run to the PDC World Championship Final would overwhelm him. Unbelievably however, the Warrington whippersnapper, who only just turned 17, continues to go from strength to strength.
He has an amazingly calm demeanour for his age and seems to have a genuine rapport with other oche stars. He hit a 9-darter and a 170 checkout en route to claiming his first World Series crown in Bahrain (his debut World Series appearance). He’s also averaged 100+ in all bar one of his Premier League matches to date and almost claimed the night crown in Berlin last week.
Unfortunately, and now even surprisingly, missing two darts at his beloved double 10. Earlier this week, he hit another 9-darter on his way to winning the first Players Championship event of 2024. We’ll soon find out if his shock exit to Radek Szaganski at Tuesday’s Players Championship 2 event, knocks his confidence at all.
Embed from Getty ImagesHighlights (and lowlights) from the opening Premier League Nights
Michael Smith proved to be the party pooper in the Premier League opener a fortnight ago after beating home star Gerwyn Price in the Cardiff final. It proved to be a welcome return to form for ‘Bully Boy’ who failed to ignite during the defence of his World crown and at recent World Series events.
Luke Littler was impressive on his Premier League debut, beating Luke Humphries for a second time since his World Championship Final loss. On the flip side, Peter Wright was a shadow of his former self again, averaging just 83 when losing to Rob Cross during the opening round.
The Enigmatic Eight jetted off to Berlin for Night 2. Michael Smith picked up where he left off, beating Price in his opener, before being outgunned by Michael Van Gerwen in a match that went the distance. The German darting droves were treated to numerous edge-of-your-seat encounters throughout the night.
A total of 75 of a possible 77 legs being played – a new record in the current format. MVG almost succumbed to a successive Premier League opening round loss. He had to dig deep against Nathan Aspinall, winning five legs on the spin to win 6-4.
After beating Smith, van Gerwen would then come through another titanic tussle with Luke Littler to clinch the crown. Peter Wright fans were left downhearted again after watching him lose during the Quarter-Finals for a second week running. Though there were some positives for Snakebite supporters as he upped his average to 94 and took four legs off Luke Humphries.
Embed from Getty ImagesSo, what awaits in Glasgow on Night 3?
Both current pointless players, Peter Wright and Nathan Aspinall, have tough openers (not that any match-ups are ever easy in this format). Wright locks horns with van Gerwen. MVG has won 18 of the previous 24 Premier League clashes between the pair and the Dutchman is flying after his Berlin success.
Can Snakebite rediscover his old form and show his fangs in front of his own Scottish crowd? Aspinall will also look to build on an improved performance last week. With Luke Humphries struggling at this week’s Player Championship events, the ‘Asp’ it could be the perfect time to play the World Champ.
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Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler takes on Gerwyn Price. Both players started strongly on previous Premier League nights, averaging over 100 in both their Cardiff and Berlin openers. ‘The Iceman’ is guaranteed a chilly reception, will he thrive or freeze on the oche?
The last Quarter-Final pits Rob Cross against Michael Smith. ‘Bully Boy’ may be topping the standings, but ‘Voltage’ has a decent head-to-head record against him, winning 9 of their last 12 clashes. Though they’ve only met twice since the start of 2022. Will Smith, who was the night winner in Glasgow last year, extend his advantage at the top of the table?
Catch all the action live on Sky Sports Action this Thursday from 19:00
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