Darts Premier League
Premier League Darts Night 12 Preview: Clayton tops the table after last week’s win
We were treated to an absolute cracker in last week’s final, as Jonny Clayton and Michael van Gerwen slogged it out for the Night win, with Clayton edging out Van Gerwen 6-5, and both men posting averages of over 100 in the process.
Now sitting pretty at the top of the table, Clayton’s title defence has been bolstered and he’ll be looking to pick up yet more points when the Premier League heads to Dublin this Thursday.
In this blog, we take a look at the fixtures for the event, and who is in a strong position to add a Night win to their name.
Clayton looking to continue momentum
The Ferret was at his best in the Premier League last week, notching his third Night win as well as knocking MVG off the top of the table. His title defence is going perfectly and he is consistently picking up points. However, he’s still not the outright favourite to win the tournament (11/4) – that falls on the shoulders of Michael van Gerwen, who is currently 2/1 at the front of the market.
Clayton will be looking to pick up where he left off this week, and is 4/1 to do so, but faces a stiff opening game against world number one Peter Wright. The pair clashed in last week’s semi-final, with Clayton coming out the eventual winner 6-5, despite having an average three points lower than Wright. Snakebite has struggled for form recently, vowing to stop tinkering with his darts. He’s been unable to progress past the semi-finals on a Premier League Night since Night 4 and will be hoping to pick up more points in hopes of securing a playoff spot. He currently sits fourth in the table but has a five-point cushion on fifth place Joe Cullen. Snakebite is 9/2 to win his second Premier League Night.
Both men will fancy their chances if they progress from their opening game, as they will face a semi-final clash between the winner of Gary Anderson and Michael Smith, two players who have struggled to make their mark in this year’s renewal.
MVG eyeing up another final
This year’s Premier League has been a breath of fresh air for Michael van Gerwen. After a turbulent few years, it’s great to see the Dutchman winning and winning well in these events. He’s locked in a battle with Jonny Clayton for top spot and is the outright tournament favourite. He’ll be hoping that he can continue his positive Premier League run here. Reaching five finals so far and winning three, MVG will be aiming to add to his tally tonight and has a mouth-watering opening match against ‘Mr. Consistent’ James Wade. MVG will fancy his chances, having played Wade four times already in this year’s tournament and coming away the victor in three of those matches. A potential semi-final clash against either Joe Cullen or Gerwyn Price won’t be easy, but Mighty Mike has another great chance of reaching the final on Thursday and is 11/4 to add a fourth Night win to his CV.
On the other hand, Wade has been a consistent performer. He’s been grinding out points most weeks and added a Night win to his name on Night 10. He currently sits third in the table and is in a great position to reach the playoffs. He faced MVG in last week’s semi-final where he looked off colour, losing 6-3 and posting an 88 average. He’ll need to be a level above if he wants to turn the tables this week and is 11/1 to win his second Night.
Check out all the latest betting offers at William Hill
The Iceman needs a late charge
The playoff places are slipping out of reach of world number two Gerwyn Price. The Iceman sits nine points adrift of fourth place Peter Wright and will need to reel off Night wins to stay in contention. He last reached a Premier League final on Night 3 and will be hoping that he can burst back to form this Thursday. A small boost to his confidence would be his win in the yearly Armageddon Exhibition Tournament, where he registered wins against Jonny Clayton and Nathan Aspinall. He’s 9/2 to win Night 12 and is now 8/1 to win the Premier League outright.
He faces Joe Cullen in his opening game, a player who is also chasing the playoff places. He’s had an impressive debut in the Premier League and beat Gerwyn Price when the pair last met in the competition. This could be a heavy scoring game and a surprise package for game of the night. Cullen is 11/1 to win this night and boost his playoff hopes.
Smith and Anderson looking for an upset
Michael Smith and Gary Anderson currently occupy the bottom two spots in the table, with the former the only man yet to win a Premier League Night this season. Still in contention for Night wins, they can shake up the lay of the land if either were to produce a spectacular Night win this week. Anderson already has one, winning on Night 6, while Smith has reached two finals but was unsuccessful in both. They are 8/1 and 14/1 respectively.
