Night 14 Premier League Of Darts Preview – JP
Night 14 Premier League Darts Preview
Now, it’s time for James Punt’s Night 14 Premier League of Darts preview.
The good news is that there are only three more PL nights before the Play-Offs. The bad news?……There are still three more nights before the Play-Offs. Back-to Back wipe out nights have extinguished any enthusiasm for the rest of the league, but I’ll go through the motions. Think of this as a guide of what not to back.
Joe Cullen vs. James Wade
James Wade was taken ill before the European Darts Open semi-final in Germany on Sunday and remained in hospital until Wednesday, when he returned to the UK. He will not take part in this week’s PL and Joe Cullen gets a 6-0 win (his second free 6-0 win of the league). Wade is in third place on 25 points and probably safe, but it does give Cullen a chance to close the gap and have a late tilt at the play offs.
Night 14 Premier League Darts Tip: No Bet
Gary Anderson vs. Gerwyn Price
Anderson got a point in Glasgow last week, his first match win in six weeks. He remains 11 points off the play off places and needs a miracle to make the last four. He has played 16 and won just 5. Overall, he as lost half of his matches in 2022 and has lost six of his last ten. He has only met Price once in this PL and lost 3-6. Their overall H2H record is 10-9 to Anderson. Since THAT Grand Slam final in 2018, Price is 8-3.
Price Off Colour
Gerwyn Price is not in good form, losing seven of his last ten matches. He has lost five of his last seven quarter finals and his looking increasingly frustrated. He lost 5-6 to Nathan Aspinall in Germany at the weekend and looked pissed off. He had a chance to move back to world number 1, and With Peter Wright in a deep slump, he may not get a better one, but his lack of form ended that hope.
Two players who are in poor form, doesn’t make for a great betting event, but they don’t like each other, so at least there will be a bit of an edge. Normally, Price would be a strong favourite, but Anderson must have a decent chance. Price is the 1.67 favourite, Anderson 2.38.
Night 14 Premier League Darts Tip: No Bet
Michael van Gerwen vs. Peter Wright
It would be hard to find two top ranked players with more contrasting form. Peter Wright is the official world number 1 and world champion. He has lost nine of his last ten matches and has lost three of his last four PL matches. They have meet three times in this year’s PL so far, and MVG has won all three, 6-1, 6-0 and 6-3.
Van Gerwen has won five ranking titles in 2022, more than anyone else. He won his third Euro Tour title at the weekend, having survived seven match darts from Dirk van Duijvenbode in the quarter final. MVG feeds off success and he will have enjoyed having a dangerous player such as Van Duijvenbode crumble in front of him. Just like the old days.
A confident MVG vs. an out of form Wright, you can hear the sound of Mighty Mike licking his lips. His next target will be to win this PL.
Pray for Wright, but then again, this is the Premier League, so Wright probably wins 6-0. Van Gerwen is the 1.57 favourite, Wright 2.63. This looks like a match where backing MVG -1.5 legs at 2.10 is the logical bet. That was the case when he played Joe Cullen last week, and he converted a 4-1 lead into a 6-5 win and a losing bet.
Night 14 Premier League Darts Tip: No Bet
Michael Smith vs. Jonny Clayton
The Ferret seems to be saving his best for the Premier League. He tops the table; six points clear of MVG in second place. He cannot convert his consistently good form into tournament wins however, but the league format is right up his street. He has won seven of his last ten matches, is 3-2 up on Smith in 2022, and 3-1 in the PL.
Michael Smith is seventh in the table, eight points of play off places. He had been playing well without getting much in return. His game was in great shape, including the doubles, but it just wasn’t happening.
Smith was one of just two Premier League players to travel to Wigan for the players championships on Tuesday and Wednesday (Joe Cullen was the other) and he will be glad he did. He won both events, winning fourteen matches and £224k. He averaged 100.7 on Wednesdays win, and 99.7 on Tuesday.
Smith Has The Talent
There is no doubt Smith has the game to beat Clayton, but Clayton remains a very consistent player and consistent at a very high level. The Ferret has already qualified for the final which was his first target. The second is to qualify first, the third to win the title again. There isn’t any great pressure on either player here and that could make for a great game.
Clayton has had a few days rest to freshen up and while Smith’s confidence will have received a big boost, he played 14 matches in two days. That said, Smith wasn’t in Europe last weekend, he didn’t have far to travel from his home to Wigan, and as tonight’s venue is Sheffield, not a long way to travel today. He has manged his schedule well and should be fresh enough.
Only one of their four matches in the league have gone beyond nine legs, but this has the feel of a longer match. Clayton is the 1.73 favourite, Smith 2.30.
Two days ago, I would have said that Clayton was a decent bet to win and under 9.5 legs. After the last two days, who knows?
