Charlie Wood
Gerwyn Price won his first Premier League night for two years at the 3Arena in Dublin, defeating unlikely finalist, Nathan Aspinall, 6-3.
The final showcased glimpses of exceptional darts from two players who have struggled thus far in the campaign, combining to achieve double-digit maximums.
Price’s eventful week, which saw him hit a 9-darter at an exhibition in Bradford and an online feud with YouTube Boxer Jake Paul, was capped off with a deserved nightly victory.
Price’s break of throw in the 7th leg proved decisive
Both players started nervously, seemingly aware of the implications. Price’s break of throw in the 7th leg proved decisive, placing the Welshman into a lead he would not relinquish.
A fiery ‘Iceman’ maintained relentless scoring pressure to seal a commanding 6-3 victory and round off an impressive night’s performance.
After his triumph, Price said: “(I) Started a little bit slow in the final, missed a couple of doubles, and then found my feet a little bit and sort of put Nathan to bed.”
“I’m glad I got to the final and I’m sure Nathan is as well, two people that were probably rooted or voted out of the Premier League but we’re probably proving people wrong.”
THE ICE IS RIGHT: PRICE’S JOURNEY TO THE FINAL
En route to his maiden triumph of the campaign, Price had to handle last week’s winner and World Champion Luke Littler. Littler threatened a repeat of the heroic fightback displayed against Rob Cross in Glasgow.
However, Price did not suffer the same fate, as ‘The Iceman’ remained cool to clinch victory against the teenager in a game that saw Price edge towards the perfect leg.
An early break of throw handed control to Price as he raced to a 4-1 lead, before ‘The Nuke’ exploded into action, igniting a tasty encounter. A wired D20 to complete a sublime 137 from Littler proved to be a defining moment in the game, with Price stepping up after to hold his throw.
Price cruised to victory, landing six perfect darts, and a composed finish on tops booked a clash with Week One winner Luke Humphries.
Speaking on his quarter-final win, Price said: “I not sure what it is, but Luke Littler just seems to bring the best out of me.”
In the semi-final, Price remained impressive to defeat the favourite, Humphries, 6-3. Humphries came close to continuing the streak of 170 finishes in the Premier League, only to be one-upped by his opponent in the following leg.
The ‘Big Fish’ checkout proved to be a major momentum shift, granting the Welshman his first of six successive legs. An impressive 86 per cent finishing fuelled Price’s victory, eclipsing the two strongest players on the tour on his path to Aspinall in the final.
In the other semi-final, Aspinall was able to reach his first final of the season by seeing off Michael Van Gerwen 6-3.
In a game where holds of throw were scarce, a neat 81 checkout on the bullseye put ‘The Asp’ in an early driving seat.
A pumped-up Aspinall scored well to extend his lead to 4-1, capitalising on opportunities afforded to him by the three-time World Champion, particularly in legs 5 and 6.
Two missed match darts in the eighth leg did not obstruct Aspinall from reaching the final.
Aspinall arrived in Dublin winless, rendering his course to the final, and the confidence it will bring, vital for the remainder of the campaign.
FAMILIAR STORIES IN THE QUARTER-FINALS:
The night began with Humphries edging past good friend Stephen Bunting 6-4.
This has become a familiar tale for fan-favourite Bunting who has struggled to find his feet in the competition.
Following Aspinall’s progression on the other side of the draw, Bunting remains rooted to the bottom of the table – the only player to have not advanced to a semi- final.
This loss marked a third consecutive defeat for ‘The Bullet’ who will have to face World Champion Littler next week in Exeter.
Elsewhere, double woes plagued an uninspiring Cross, who succumbed 6-3 to Aspinall in a low-quality affair.
A burglary in the opening leg from Aspinall, after Cross missed eight darts on the outer ring, set the tone for the rest of the tie.
The lack of composure was reflective of Cross’ campaign so far, but a checkout rate of 14 per cent is simply not good enough at this level.
Aspinall stumbled over the line with an underwhelming 85 average to secure crucial first points on the board.
A strong start from the Dutchman was epitomised by a tidy 121 finish
In the last quarter-final, Van Gerwen pipped Chris Dobey 6-4. A strong start from the Dutchman was epitomised by a tidy 121 finish against the ‘Hollywood’ throw.
Dobey’s response of a 154 checkout wasn’t enough to stop Van Gerwen emerging victorious.
A leading pack is quickly emerging and frequent losses in the opening rounds will squander any chances of reaching finals night in May.
Charlie Wood
Featured image courtesy of Anastase Maragos via Unsplash. Image use license found here (Unsplash). No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @bbcsportwales via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.?
In article image 2 courtesy of @officialpdc via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.?
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