Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld will begin their PDC World Cup of Darts title defence against Gibraltar, whilst a new-look England side will take on Czech Republic in the opening round. Continue reading “World Cup of Darts 2018 Draw Confirmed!”
In our third episode of the Josh’s Dartistry Podcast, Josh Gorton is joined by co-hosts Jon Dean and Neil Conner to discuss all the latest news from the world of darts. The team discuss the last few weeks of Premier League action and look ahead to Finals Night which takes place at the O2 Arena later this week.
The boys give their predictions for this week’s play-off action and take a look at the latest tournament odds. Josh is also joined for an interview by former Premier League star and Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle. Continue reading “Josh’s Dartistry Podcast- Episode Three!”
Raymond van Barneveld was presented with a commemorative shield from Dutch Darts station RTL7 in Aberdeen, to mark the milestone of his 200th Premier League appearance, which he brought up seven days earlier in Birmingham. Continue reading “Van Barneveld recognised for Premier League milestone!”
World champion Rob Cross faces a race to be fit for next week’s Premier League Play-Offs after pulling out of this weekend’s Dutch Darts Masters on medical advice.
‘Voltage’ had been set to compete in Zwolle this weekend, but he has been forced to withdraw due to an ongoing chest problem. Continue reading “Cross faces worrying fitness battle ahead of Premier League play-offs!”
Gary Anderson confirmed his spot in the Premier League Play-Offs with a thrilling win over world number one Michael van Gerwen, as the league season concluded on a dramatic night of action in Aberdeen on Thursday evening. Continue reading “Premier League Darts 2018: Night 15 Report!”
Michael van Gerwen sealed top spot in the Unibet Premier League after recording a sublime victory over Rob Cross, whilst Raymond van Barneveld eased past Gary Anderson in Birmingham, to keep the play-off race alive heading into the final week of action. Continue reading “Premier League Darts 2018: Night 14 Report!”
The late Eric Bristow MBE is to be honoured by the Professional Darts Corporation with the naming of the Grand Slam of Darts trophy in memory of the five-time world champion. Continue reading “Grand Slam trophy renamed in honour of Bristow!”
Momo Zhou will become the first woman to represent China in PDC competition at the 2018 Betway World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt later this month. Continue reading “China to have their first female representative at World Cup of Darts!”
Michael van Gerwen has vowed to win his fourth Unibet Premier League title this season, as he became the first player to guarantee their spot in the play-offs after picking up three points from his double-header in Manchester last week.
‘The Green Machine’ suffered back-to-back defeats in Rotterdam against Peter Wright and Raymond van Barneveld, but normal service was resumed for the world number one in Manchester, as he followed up a pulsating 6-6 draw against Daryl Gurney by thrashing Michael Smith 7-1 to register his first win in four league matches.
Van Gerwen is now three points clear at the Premier League summit with just two matches remaining, therefore he’s one win away from securing top spot in the table for the sixth consecutive season.
Nevertheless, the Dutchman has his sights firmly set on securing title glory at the O2 Arena on May 17th, as he bids to secure his third straight Premier League triumph. Unsurprisingly, ‘Mighty Mike’ is in confident mood, insisting: “I’m going to win this one {Premier League}.”
Van Gerwen added: “My focus is now on preparing for The O2 and, of course, I want to win every game. I think I performed well through the season even though I had a few slip-ups, but I’m happy to be in the semi-finals. I think I’m going to finish top of the league and hopefully I can do that by finishing the regular season with two wins.”
The world number one survived six match darts as he edged out Peter Wright in last year’s dramatic finale, but MvG is only concerned with lifting the title on May 17th. He said: “Even if the other players get close to me, it doesn’t matter how close they get. As long as I win, that’s the only thing that counts.”
Despite thrashing Smith 7-1 to move clear of second-placed ‘Bully Boy’ last week, Van Gerwen averaged 94.76- the first time in 38 Premier League matches that he has failed to register a ton-plus average. However, the two-time world champion insisted the result was all that mattered.
Speaking to the PDC last week, MvG admitted: “There was a lot of pressure on me but I felt good. I didn’t make a lot of mistakes and now I can focus on the O2. I believe in myself. I know what I can do because I’ve been top of the table for the last five years. I know I can be better but it doesn’t matter because I’m top of the table.”
Van Gerwen takes on world champion Rob Cross in Birmingham this Thursday, before his league season concludes with a clash against two-time Premier League winner Gary Anderson in Aberdeen. Can anybody deny MvG his fourth Premier League crown? We’ll soon find out!
Photo Credit: Lawrence Lustig/PDC
