Premier League Darts: Wright shines against Anderson


Peter Wright stole the show as he beat Gary Anderson 7-5 on the third night of Premier League Darts at the First Direct Arena in Leeds.

Wright rattled off four 100-plus finishes in the opening six legs to establish an advantage he'd carry to the end of a high-class encounter.

James Wade then saw off old rival Adrian Lewis 7-4, winning three legs in 34 darts to take control of the match before sealing victory on double top.

Lewis, whose average came in below 90, had started promisingly but couldn't shake off Wade, and when the left-hander started to find his range he was able to rattle off four legs in a row to seal victory.

Phil Taylor produced big darts when he needed them most to seal a 7-4 victory over old adversary Raymond van Barneveld in what some have suggested could be their final TV clash.

Van Barneveld looked set to gain the first break of throw in the seventh leg, but Taylor pulled it out of the fire and won the next two, a position from which he was able to withstand a fightback from his rival.

Michael van Gerwen was put under pressure by Jelle Klaasen, at one stage trailing 3-2 and a break down, but having levelled at 4-4 he pulled clear for a convincing 7-4 win.

This wasn't the world champion at his best, an average of under 103 no better than par for the player who threw two nine-dart finishes in one match last Friday, but he hit doubles exactly when he needed to to see off his opponent in a fast-paced affair.

Klaasen tailed off towards the end of the match as van Gerwen began to find his stride and a 94 checkout, van Gerwen's highest of the match, sealed victory for the defending champion.

Last on stage was Dave Chisnall's clash with Kim Huybrechts, which the former won 7-4, the highlight a 141 checkout in leg nine.

Below is a full rundown of how each match unfolded, player quotes and a breakdown of their stats while we also rank the players' performances at the bottom of this article as well as the updated Premier League table.

Gary Anderson 5-7 Peter Wright

Peter Wright produced an exceptional display of finishing to beat Gary Anderson 7-5 in a high-class opener to the night's action in Leeds.

Wright, who won a UK Open qualifier at the weekend, should've won the first leg of the match against the throw having missed three darts for double, allowing Anderson to take out 76.

However, Wright responded to that disappointment with a stunning burst, opening with a 180 before taking out 116 for leg two, adding a 121 checkout in leg three and again taking out 116 for a 3-1 lead.

Anderson took leg five with the darts despite being under pressure to hit double 10, but Wright was back with a bang in the next with a 120 finish, his fourth 100-plus checkout in the opening six legs.

Perhaps surprisingly, he was unable to take out 170 in the next despite finding the first treble 20, allowing Anderson to hold by finishing 52 in two darts, the second of them finding double 20.

Wright opened the eighth leg with a trio of 140s to leave 81, which he took out on the bull in a significant moment - Anderson having thrown six perfect darts to threaten a perfect leg.

An 11-dart leg stemmed the flow for Anderson as he took leg nine, reducing the deficit to one leg, but he was unable to put serious pressure on his opponent's throw as Wright guaranteed himself at least a point by moving two clear once more in the 10th.

Anderson took out 110 to ensure the match would go the distance but five darts from 170 were enough for Wright to seal victory, largely thanks to some heavy scoring and remarkable finishing in a quality encounter.

"I'm pleased to get the win," said Wright, whose 109.48 average was his highest in the Premier League. "I think I can play better, but it was a win.

"I was disappointed with how I played against Michael van Gerwen last week, and I've let players in with my mistakes but I'm learning and I didn't let Gary back in tonight."

 Three-dart averages
Anderson: 106.59
Wright: 109.48

SCORING:
100+ thrown
Anderson: 9
Wright: 17
140+ thrown
Anderson: 8
Wright: 16
180+ thrown
Anderson: 6
Wright: 2

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Anderson: 110
Wright: 121, 120, 116, 116

Checkout percentage
Anderson: 71.43% (5/7)
Wright: 46.67% (7/15) 

Adrian Lewis 4-7 James Wade

James Wade won four legs in a row to turn a close game with old rival Adrian Lewis into a convincing 7-4 victory.

The first eight legs all went with the throw, but Wade stepped it up a gear in leg nine, hitting 180, 135 and 162 to leave 24, which he hit at the second attempt for an 11-dart leg.

That had followed a 12-dart leg on throw, and another 11-darter came in the 10th as he took out 96, Lewis unable to find a response to a stunning run from the left-hander.

Wade's level dipped in the 11th leg as Lewis threw to stay in the match, but a timely 177 put him in position to capitalise when Lewis missed bullseye.

Wade, who had missed double top for the match with his previous throw, made no mistake on his return to seal an impressive success thanks to a checkout percentage of 53.85 and an average fully 10 points higher than his opponent.

"It's very nice to get a win," said Wade. "It wasn't as comfortable as you'd want but you know that Adrian can turn it on, he's one of the best in the world so a win like this is massive.

"The legs of 12, 11 and 11 are probably the best I've strung together this season so far. I was a bit lazy but I'm taking players for granted when they're not playing their best."

Three-dart averages
Lewis: 88.01
Wade: 98.21

SCORING:
100+ thrown
Lewis: 8
Wade: 19
140+ thrown
Lewis: 8
Wade: 7
180+ thrown
Lewis: 2
Wade: 2

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Lewis: N/A
Wade: 121

Checkout percentage
Lewis: 36.36% (4/11)
Wade: 53.85% (7/13) 

Phil Taylor 7-4 Raymond van Barneveld

Hopes of a classic between Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld in what some suggested might be their final televised clash were unfounded, but both men registered 100-plus checkouts in a game Taylor won 7-4.

In what's set to be his last Premier League campaign, Taylor produced a classy burst in the middle of the match to take control as a rally from van Barneveld came too late.

The first six legs went with the throw, but van Barneveld looked set to break when he left 81 after nine darts in the seventh.

However, when his dart at bullseye dipped agonisingly below its target, Taylor stepped in for a ruthless two-dart finish, taking out 85 on double 14 to edge back in front.

It was a hard-fought hold for Taylor, but the real effect was seen in the next leg as Taylor produced a string of quality darts to leave 63, which he took out in three darts with van Barneveld waiting on 75.

Now 5-3 in front, Taylor was again under pressure on his throw in the ninth only to hit 120 on double top, and he looked set to seal a 7-3 win when taking control of the next against the darts.

Van Barneveld found another gear to stay in the match, taking out 107 on double 14, and had a chance to get back on throw only to pull his dart for a 161 finish on bullseye well left of target.

Taylor returned to hit double 16 and close out a 7-4 victory, despite averaging slightly less than his opponent and registering a lower checkout percentage.

"To have played this man, every month, has been incredible," Van Barneveld said afterwards. "We will miss him."

Three-dart averages
Taylor: 96.39
Van Barneveld: 97.32

SCORING:
100+ thrown
Taylor: 19
Van Barneveld: 14
140+ thrown
Taylor: 7
Van Barneveld: 9
180+ thrown
Taylor: 2
Van Barneveld: 3

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Taylor: 120
Van Barneveld: 107

Checkout percentage
Taylor: 36.84% (7/19)
Van Barneveld: 50% (4/8) 

Michael van Gerwen 7-4 Jelle Klaasen

Michael van Gerwen eventually shook off the challenge of Jelle Klaasen to win 7-4 and keep up his incredible winning run in front of the TV cameras.

It had been 40 matches and 143 days since van Gerwen last lost on television, that defeat coming at the hands of Phil Taylor in the Champions League, but for a brief moment early on his streak looked in trouble.

The world champion had won the first two legs in 13 and 11 darts respectively, but Klaasen's unorthodox 94 finish on two double 19s saw him reduce the deficit, before he stepped in to clean up after van Gerwen missed two darts at the same bed in the following leg.

Klaasen then broke the throw of the 1/7 favourite in leg five, throwing 180, 134 and 147 to leave 40, which he took out in two darts for an 11-dart leg.

He was unable to back it up as van Gerwen won legs six and seven, the latter after Klaasen had missed a dart at double 18 which would've stolen it, but to his credit he threw 170, 134 to take control of the eighth and won it when van Gerwen missed one dart at bullseye.

At 4-4, van Gerwen threw his third maximum of the match before hitting a crucial double 10 with one dart in hand, and it was again his final dart which found double eight to move into a 6-4 lead.

Klaasen was now struggling to keep pace with van Gerwen, who took out 94 after another maximum for what ultimately was a regulation victory with an average of 102.78.

Three-dart averages
Van Gerwen: 102.78
Klaasen: 96.24

SCORING:
100+ thrown
Van Gerwen: 15
Klaasen: 12
140+ thrown
Van Gerwen: 6
Klaasen: 7
180+ thrown
Van Gerwen: 4
Klaasen: 3

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Van Gerwen: N/A
Klaasen: N/A

Checkout percentage
Van Gerwen: 35% (7/20)
Klaasen: 28.57% (4/14) 

Dave Chisnall 7-4 Kim Huybrechts

Dave Chisnall ensured there would be no 'After the Lord Mayor's show' feel to the final game with an excellent performance to beat Kim Huybrechts 7-4.

Bottom of the table heading into the third round of matches, Chisnall climbed two places into eighth with a dominant display in which he averages 101.2 and checked out at 41.18%.

The first leg did not go to plan, as he hit 24 when needing 80 to hold allowing Huybrechts to break, but Chisnall took out 78 in two darts to level things before a comfortable two-dart 56 combination saw him edge ahead.

Huybrechts then took out 110 on double 10 to keep the match on throw, but Chisnall rattled off the next three legs, narrowly missing bullseye for a 170 in the fifth before eventually taking out double two, finding tops with one dart for a break and then holding on double four after Huybrechts also missed bull.

The Belgian got back within two at 5-3 by hitting double top after Chisnall had missed three darts for the eighth leg, but he responded from that disappointment with a brilliant 141 checkout to guarantee his first point of the campaign.

Better was to come, as the next two legs were shared to allow Chisnall to claim two points and leapfrog Huybrechts in the standings with a 7-4 success.

Three-dart averages
Chisnall: 101.2
Huybrechts: 95.06

SCORING:
100+ thrown
Chisnall: 14
Huybrechts: 13
140+ thrown
Chisnall: 8
Huybrechts: 6
180+ thrown
Chisnall: 5
Huybrechts: 3

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Chisnall: 141
Huybrechts: 110

Checkout percentage
Chisnall: 41.18% (7/17)
Huybrechts: 57.14% (4/7)  

Premier League Darts Week Three: Statistics

Three-dart averages

Peter Wright: 109.48
Gary Anderson: 106.59
Michael van Gerwen: 102.78
Dave Chisnall: 101.2
James Wade: 98.21
Raymond van Barneveld: 97.32
Phil Taylor: 96.39
Jelle Klaasen: 96.24
Kim Huybrechts: 95.06
Adrian Lewis: 88.01

180s Thrown

Gary Anderson: 6
Dave Chisnall: 5
Michael van Gerwen: 4
Raymond van Barneveld: 3
Jelle Klaasen: 3
Kim Huybrechts: 3
James Wade: 2
Peter Wright: 2
Phil Taylor: 2
Adrian Lewis: 2

Checkouts over 100

Dave Chisnall: 141
James Wade: 121
Peter Wright: 121
Peter Wright: 120
Phil Taylor: 120
Peter Wright: 116
Peter Wright: 116
Gary Anderson: 110
Kim Huybrechts: 110
Raymond van Barneveld: 1​​​​07

Checkout percentages

Gary Anderson: 71.43% (5/7)
Kim Huybrechts: 57.14% (4/7)
James Wade: 53.85% (7/13)
Raymond van Barneveld: 50% (4/8)
Peter Wright: 46.67% (7/15)
Dave Chisnall: 41.18% (7/17)
Phil Taylor: 36.84% (7/19)
​​​​​​​Adrian Lewis: 36.36% (4/11)
Michael van Gerwen: 35% (7/20)
​​​​​​​Jelle Klaasen: 28.57% (4/14) 

Like what you've read?

MOST READ

Sporting Life
Join for free!
Access to exclusive features all for FREE - No monthly subscription fee
Race Replays
My stable horse tracker
giftOffers and prize draws
newsExclusive content

Next Off

Fixtures & Results

Fetching latest games....
We are committed to Safer Gambling and have a number of self-help tools to help you manage your gambling. We also work with a number of independent charitable organisations who can offer help and answers any questions you may have.
Gamble Aware LogoGamble Helpline LogoGamstop LogoGordon Moody LogoSafer Gambling Standard LogoGamban Logo18+ LogoTake Time To Think Logo