Premier League

The eighteenth edition of the Premier League Darts kicked off in Cardiff with a new format. After sixteen exciting weeks it were Jonny Clayton, Michael van Gerwen, James Wade and Joe Cullen who managed to qualify for the Playoffs in Berlin. In the end it was Van Gerwen who became Premier League champion for the sixth time after a nerve-wrecking final.
 
Instead of ten participants and a relegation halfway through, the PDC this year opts for a new format with eight players who compete every night in a knock out bracket for a winner. Every evening a mini tournament is played, where you can also earn points for the ranking. In the end, the top four qualify for the playoffs. The eight contestants are Peter Wright, Gerwyn Price, Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith, James Wade, Gary Anderson, Jonny Clayton and Joe Cullen.
 
The first round in Cardiff offers immediate spectacle: with an average of 113, Peter Wright wins the first final in the new format with 6-1 against Jonny Clayton. A week later, the Welshman does win the final, after a 6-4 victory over debutant Joe Cullen. Week 3 is clearly Gerwyn Price's week. In the first match he decides the battle against Michael Smith with a 170 finish, after which he throws a nine-darter against Michael van Gerwen in the semi-finals. To top it all, Price takes the title, after he again throws a nine-darter in the final against James Wade.
 
The month of March is off to a great start for Michael van Gerwen. The Dutchman takes his first tournament win in Exeter and manages to strike again a week later in Brighton, where Price is absent due to an injury. In Nottingham, Van Gerwen is then surprised by Gerwyn Price, after which Gary Anderson eventually takes his first (and only) tournament victory. In round seven, Rotterdam is on the program. In the first round, all matches end in 6-5 with each player having at least one match dart. After an exciting evening, Michael van Gerwen and Joe Cullen are in the final, but it is Cullen who silences the home crowd with a 6-5 victory and also his first tournament win.
 
In round eight, Jonny Clayton takes his second tournament win, which puts him at the top of the rankings together with Michael van Gerwen when the season is exactly halfway through. A week later in Leeds, Anderson has to cancel due to a positive corona test, so Van Gerwen is sure of the day win after two victories. In Manchester, James Wade finally wins: after losing two finals in a row, he is again in the final. This time he does take the overall victory, after a 6-5 victory over Joe Cullen.
 
Round eleven will be completed in Aberdeen and will have a direct duel for the top position in the ranking. Clayton and Van Gerwen play the final, but it is 'The Ferret' who win 6-5 and thus return to the top of the Premier League for the first time since round three. A week later in Dublin he reached the final again, but this time he lost to James Wade in the deciding leg. In round thirteen in Glasgow it is again Clayton against Van Gerwen in the final and again the Welshman manages to win. This increases his lead over Van Gerwen to six points. After Clayton loses directly to Michael Smith in round fourteen in Sheffield, Van Gerwen can come within one point of the leader. Unfortunately for him, Price is too strong in the final with 6-5. Clayton and Van Gerwen are already sure of a place in the playoffs after this round.
 
Round fifteen at the O2 Arena in London will be a crucial one in the battle for the playoffs. Joe Cullen manages to win the evening (in the final against Clayton), taking five points and suddenly being in fourth place in the ranking. James Wade is therefore also certain of the top four in the ranking, so that Cullen will compete with Wright on the last round in Newcastle for the last playoff ticket. In Newcastle it is 'The Rockstar' who wins the mutual duel, so that the debutant qualifies as the last player for the final evening in Berlin. At the last minute, Michael Smith manages to win an evening, because he beats Jonny Clayton in the final.
 
On Monday, June 13, the top four of the ranking (Jonny Clayton, Michael van Gerwen, James Wade and Joe Cullen) will face each other in the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin. Both semi-finals start exciting, but eventually end in a 10-4 result. Cullen surprises a moderately playing Clayton and can immediately play the final in his debut year. He does that against Van Gerwen, who, after a difficult start, finally manages to deal with Wade.
 
The final will be a repeat of the final in Rotterdam and this time it is again quite exciting. Van Gerwen takes an early 3-1 lead, but sees Cullen immediately come back to 3-3. After another 5-3 lead for 'Mighty Mike', Cullen throws a 141 finish to keep his own leg. Both men go into the break with a 6-4 lead for Van Gerwen, but after the break Cullen turns the game into a 7-6 lead. After all legs go along with the darts until 9-9, Van Gerwen hits a 92-finish for the break and the 10-9 lead. He can't find a single triple in his own leg, so Cullen manages to force a deciding leg. The Englishman starts well and is the first to reach a good finish for the title. He eventually gets one match dart on the double sixteen, but it goes just on the outside. Van Gerwen then returns for the double fourteen and his first match dart is hit, which makes him very happy to win the final 11-10 and thus become Premier League champion for the sixth time.