Charlie Wood
Nathan Aspinall edged past Luke Humphries 6-4 at the AO Arena in Manchester to claim his first nightly win of the season.
In front of a home crowd, Aspinall overcame a nervy conclusion to leap-frog Michael van Gerwen into the all-important fourth spot.
A comfortable Humphries hold of throw in the opening leg looked to set the tone for the rest of the match as the world no.1 displayed expert efficiency to race into a 3-0 advantage.
However, a strong surge of high scoring allowed Aspinall to claw his way back level.
The seventh leg proved vital, Aspinall broke throw and asserted dominance in the tie.
‘The Asp’ began the closing leg superbly with two maximums, looking sure of victory.
As the tension mounted, the 33-year-old benefited from Humphries’ close 170 attempt and subsequent two missed doubles to seal the win with his fifth match dart.
After the game, Aspinall said: “I’ve been through an horrendous two years, but I am a fighter, I am a warrior…I’ll keep fighting till the end and I’ll never give up.”
“The Premier League brings the best out of me. I am so happy.”
Aspinall Showcased Exceptional Finishing in the Early Rounds
In the quarter-final, Aspinall was faultless on the outer ring, as he surged past an out-of-sorts Rob Cross 6-2.
While Cross threatened a perfect 9-darter, Aspinall’s impeccable finishing was the decisive factor to success.
After a leg-and-a-half, ‘Voltage’ looked in total cruise control, yet an explosive Aspinall battled to win four on the bounce.
Impressive ton-plus checkouts on the bullseye were exchanged between the pair before ‘The Asp’ once more found the inner circle to clinch victory.
With the draw falling kindly, this victory proved more beneficial than the initial two points on the Premier League table.
In the semi-final, Aspinall punished an injury-stricken van Gerwen with a 6-2 victory.
A break of the van Gerwen throw in the opening leg, catapulted Aspinall into a 3-0 lead, as the exemplary finishing persisted.
While the hundred percent checkout rate faltered slightly, Aspinall was afforded greater opportunities on doubles through the lacklustre scoring of van Gerwen.
In a match visibly hampered by injury, ‘The Asp’ surged towards his third nightly final of the campaign – this time with a different outcome.
Impressive Humphries Set Record Average
In the other semi-final, Humphries upset the Manchester home crowd, by beating local hero Luke Littler 6-4.
Humphries stole the first leg, after Littler squandered five darts at double, including three at D10, then increased his lead to 2-0.
A resurgent Littler flirted with a perfect leg but succumbed to his ongoing struggle with D12.
The teenager entered a purple patch and brought the score to 3-2.
Yet, Humphries used his vast experience to steady the ship, before breaking the World Champion’s throw and having the opportunity to throw for the match.
With his final dart in hand, Humphries finished on D5 to book his slot in the final.
Humphries was simply extraordinary in his 6-1 quarter-final win over revived Stephen Bunting in the strongest game of the night.
The world no.1 set a record for the AO Arena as he averaged a staggering 118.
Bunting initially looked to be carrying his recent form in Germany into Manchester, but an electric six straight legs drove Humphries to the record-breaking victory.
An exceptional 142 finish epitomised a classy display following a difficult week.
These performances came after a week of scrutiny.
Following his uncharacteristic performance last time out, the Yorkshireman took to social media to explain how darts had become “a chore” and not something “good for [his] mental state.”
Price is Perfect
Despite Littler’s 6-3 victory in the quarter-final, the tie will remain in darting memory due to Gerwyn Price’s perfect 9-dart-leg.
With the match at 5-1 to ‘The Nuke’, Price emulated earlier season feats of his opponent, Rob Cross, and Luke Humphries in achieving the flawless leg.
Before that, the 18-year-old had been proficient on D20 to storm into the comfortable advantage.
He utilised the segment once more to finally beat his bogeyman; even with all his dominance, Littler had not beaten Price in the last six meetings.
Elsewhere, van Gerwen dismissed the freak shirt-related injury that ruled him out of action in Berlin, to beat Chris Dobey 6-4.
The Dutchman showcased exceptional finishing in the early stages of the encounter, as he raced into a 2-0 advantage.
Dobey’s 126 checkout was merely a consolation, as ‘Mighty Mike’ finished the tie professionally to get back to winning ways.
For Dobey, this marks his seventh quarter-final loss of the season, with Play-Off qualification looking increasingly faint.
Charlie Wood
Featured image courtesy of @visualsbyroyalz via Unsplash. Image use license found here (Unsplash). No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @officialpdc 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.
In article image 3 courtesy of @officialpdc via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
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