Premier League: Week 6
and a further 180, before returning to finish the leg on double ten after
Newton had missed the bull for a 127 checkout.
It was no surprise that Newton got off the mark in the sixth leg, after
all he had by now landed three 180s of his own and been unlucky on
some big checkout opportunities, but normal service was resumed in
the seventh leg as van Gerwen secured at least a point.
The Dutchman completed the victory in only the eighth leg, despite a
further two 180s from Newton, who had by now hit five in total in what
had proved to be the match of the night in terms of scoring, even if the
result had been a little one-sided.
“I’ll get a lot of
confidence from
this and when
you’re confident
you play well”
Michael van Gerwen
“I’m very happy with this performance,” said van Gerwen. “I think Wes
produced his best performance of the Premier League this season but I
wanted to put a good performance in and show everyone that I’m still
in form and I did that.
“I felt really relaxed on stage and my first dart was going in the treble
every time, and you saw what I can do tonight. I did well on my scoring
and the first nine darts of each leg was amazing, but I got the result.
“I’ll get a lot of confidence from this and when you’re confident you
play well.”
Raymond van Barneveld 6-6 Robert Thornton
This was by far the closest match of the night, with the opening eight
legs all going with throw as the pair raced onto a 4-4 scoreline.
Thornton landed the first crucial break of throw in the ninth leg but
was immediately broken back by a battling van Barneveld as the match
looked to be heading for a draw.
It wasn’t to be however as van Barneveld again dug deep to break
back and secure the draw, despite Thornton having two darts at his
favourite double top for victory.
“It was like last week against Dave Chisnall and at the end I almost
gave it away again, but Robert let me in and otherwise I was going
away empty-handed,” said van Barneveld.
“My finishing helped me get the point but I’m not happy with my
scoring, but I’m happy with a point.
“It’s a fantastic competition so far this year and everybody can beat
each other, so you have to be focused every week. It’s a tough schedule
for the next few weeks and this could be an important point for me.”
Photo: PDC
The Scotsman then hit a 180 in the eleventh to set up a break
opportunity once again, and he duly obliged, landing double twelve for
an excellent 13-dart leg that secured him at least a point.
“My finishing
helped me get
the point but I’m
not happy with
my scoring, but
I’m happy with a
point”
Raymond van Barneveld