Tagged: Premier League

Lewis And van Gerwen Hit Top Form In Week One Of The Premier League

The first night of the premier league was kicked off by Peter Wright and Dave Chisnall. Chizzy bossed the match as Wright struggled to find his feet in the short format. Both players struggled to hit their doubles but it was Chizzy’s scoring that set him apart from his opponent allowing him to win the game with ease. The last leg was a superb 11 darter finished with a 100 checkout. A nice start to Chisnall’s campaign.

It was during the second match of the night where the pedigree of the Premier League showed its true self. Raymond van Barneveld was stunned as Adrian Lewis hit top gear with his highest televised  average and the fourth highest in the Premier League’s history. The 113.8 average was matched by his 54% accuracy on doubles. Barney was left stunned. Adrian romped to a 7-1 victory, hitting five 180’s on the way and setting down a marker for the following weeks.

Watching in the wings was van Gerwen. He would not be out done. He played Kim Huybrechts in the third match. The hurricane was able to stick alongside the dutchman in the early stages of the match but then Michael hit the accelerator. He motored ahead with a 108 average, hitting his doubles 64% of the time. Huybrechts, despite losing proved his worth in the premier league with a 98 average to answer his critics.

Next up was a replay of the World Championship final as we saw Taylor take on Anderson. Taylor couldn’t get ahead in the match but stayed on Anderson’s tail up until the final leg which saw Anderson break Taylor to take the maximum points. The stats would say that Taylor was the winner as he was up five points on Anderson’s average which was only 99. Anderson, by winning a match he maybe shouldn’t have done, showed he has the attributes of a true champion.

The debutant, Stephen Bunting, was up next as he locked horns with James Wade. Bunting settled his nerves by winning the first leg. However, he then struggled to find rhythm as Wade went into a 3-1 lead. Bunting clawed his way back into the match but only for Wade to pull out in front again, winning three legs on the spin. Bunting then gritted his teeth and, with some impressive scoring, drew the match to secure his first point of his Premier League campaign. Both players seemed happy with the result.

Here’s a great interview with Bunting after the match from live darts expanding on the game and his decision to use new darts.

 

It was a fantastic premier league night with all the players proving why they were picked for the Premier League. The atmosphere in Leeds was jumping, every darts fan that was watching at home would have wanted to be part of that night. I’m sure they’ll be nights just as good, in what is being marked the most competitive Premier League line up to date.

 

 

Thanks for reading and voting. Feel free to comment and please share.

Huybrechts And Bunting Will Take On The Premier League Beast

Two debutantes will embark on their Premier League journey this Thursday. Kim Huybrechts and Stephen Bunting are two out of the ten players that will compete each week in the most high octane arena known to darts.

The Premier League is a hugely intense and lengthy competition. It will run from the 5th of February all the way to playoff night on the 21st of May. Players will also be taking part in floor events between the games. Add that to the amount of travelling required to reach the venues all over the UK, it surely makes an exhausting process.

The competition is incredibly fierce. Every leg matters. Relegation and qualification can easily go down to leg difference. The competition can be too much for some players, leaving them at the bottom of the table bereft of any chance of qualification, just waiting to be relegated whilst still enduring humiliation week on week as they receive significant drubbings. Each year it seems that at least one player struggles, only managing to cling onto one or two points – Jelle Klaasen in 2009, Terry Jenkins in 2010, Mark Webster in 2011, Kevin Painter in 2012 and Wes Newton in 2013 and 2014.

This year looks to be the toughest yet. The two debutantes must be at the top of their game from week one or they’ll find themselves quickly cast aside. There’ll be no easy games. All of the five previous winners are taking part – Taylor, Wade, Anderson, van Gerwen and last years winner van Barneveld. Then you’ve got two times World Champ Adrian Lewis, World number 5 Peter Wright and the cataclysmic scoring of Dave Chisnall. Stephen Bunting and Kim Huybrechts are clearly good players, but they wouldn’t have experienced the challenge of facing such an outstanding field of players week in week out. They can’t take it easy one week, they have to be in top gear throughout. It would be an outstanding effort if one of them can drag themselves into the playoffs but, as much as I would like to see a few upsets, it’s unlikely, as I don’t think either of them have the stamina to play well over such a long period of time.

As brutal as the Premier League sounds, it’s the most action packed darts competition by far. Quick fire quality matches sandwiched with dramatic montages, cinematic graphics and walk on girls. It epitomises what the game of darts has become in recent years. Every top player wants to be involved and the players reactions on twitter show this quite clearly.

 

The first round of matches takes place in Leeds this Thursday. The players that competed in the Masters have the advantage of match fitness, but for the likes of Bunting and Huybrechts, they’re likely to be a little rusty, making their life a little harder. I wish them both the best of luck, they’re going to need it.