CAN WRIGHT PUT A FIGHT ON IN BRIGHTON?
Night 11 of the 2023 Premier League Darts heads to Brighton, as Michael van Gerwen leads the pack with just 6 more nights of league format left to play.
Peter Wright picked up his first two wins in the competition since Night 6 in Birmingham last week, beating reigning World Champion Michael Smith in the Quarter Finals, before clinching victory over World No 4 Gerwyn Price in the Semi’s.
Snakebite sits 4 points off Dimitri van den Bergh in 7th with 10pts, separating him from 4th placed Michael Smith on 15. The Red Dragon player will face Nathan Aspinall on Night 11 at the Brighton Centre, with the Asp coming into the match on the back of reaching his maiden Euro Tour Final at the weekend.
Jonny Clayton is certainly the in-form player in the competition after becoming the 3rd player this year to win consecutive nights, taking him from 7th in the table to 3rd. The Ferret looks in good shape to finish in the top 4 for a 3rd consecutive year, on his 3rd appearance in the Premier League.
Jonny beat Michael Smith to win Night 9 in Berlin, before clinching success last week in Birmingham against fellow Red Dragon player Peter Wright in the Final.
Clayton will face Bully Boy in the final Quarter Final duel on Night 11, with the World No 1 coming into Brighton on the back of winning the German Darts Grand Prix on Monday.
Defending Champion Michael van Gerwen will open the night as he prepares to face 7th placed Dimitri van den Bergh, with the Dream Maker not winning a match since Night 7 in Nottingham.
Mighty Mike sits 5 points clear of Gerwyn Price in 2nd with 27pts, having clinched a hat-trick of wins on Nights 4,5 and 6. The Dutchman knows his qualification for Finals Night at the O2 Arena is not confirmed, but will hope to add to his points tally in Brighton having won in this venue last year.
Gerwyn Price has not lost a Quarter Final in the Premier League since Night 6 in Liverpool, as he sits 2nd in the table with 22 points. The Iceman has 3-night wins to his name which has put him in a strong position to qualify for his first Finals Night in the Premier League.
The former World Champion went on to reach the 3rd Round of Euro Tour 4 over the weekend, losing to a 107.97 average from reigning World Champion Michael Smith.
Price has been one of the players to beat since the start of the year, and will want to add to his points tally in Brighton, having not appeared at the venue in 2022 due to withdrawing with a broken hand.
The Welshman takes to the stage in the 2nd match of the night, as he prepares to face Masters Champion Chris Dobey.
The action starts from 7pm live on Sky Sports with league leader Michael van Gerwen starting Night 11 against Dimitri van den Bergh at the Brighton Centre.
By Harry Masterson
Premier League Night 11: Order of Play
Quarter Finals:
Dimitri van den Bergh v Michael van Gerwen
Chris Dobey v Gerwyn Price
Peter Wright v Nathan Aspinall
Jonny Clayton v Michael Smith
Semi Finals:
Van den Bergh/ Van Gerwen v Dobey/ Price
Wright/ Aspinall v Clayton/ Smith
Final:
Winner of SF1 v Winner of SF2
2023 Premier League Table:
- Michael van Gerwen: 27pts
- Gerwyn Price: 22pts
- Jonny Clayton: 17pts
- Michael Smith: 15pts
- Nathan Aspinall: 15pts
- Chris Dobey: 10pts
- Dimitri van den Bergh: 9pts
- Peter Wright: 5pts