Last week’s opening night in Newcastle was one to savour in the 2019 Premier League Darts. The standout performance was of the opening ‘Contender’ Chris Dobey, with the Geordie stealing a point from Mensur Suljovic in a 6-6 draw. He led 5-1 at one stage, so the Austrian will be pleased to escape with something to show for on the opening night.
A repeat of the World Championship final saw Michael van Gerwen get the better of Michael Smith once again. Averaging at an impressive 104.98, the reigning champion showed no remorse against ‘Bully Boy’ with some well timed out-shots, killing the momentum of the youngster.
We managed to bag the 6-6 draw between Peter Wright and Rob Cross; a result that always looked likely coming into the opening week between the world’s second and third best players. Neither looked completely on their A-games, but when you notice that both averaged above 100, it’s a testament to their doubling accuracy.
Wins for Wade and Price by a score of 7-4 sees them reside at the top of the league at this early stage. Both managed to thrive off the boos inside the Utilita Arena, playing the pantomime ‘baddie’ to good effect.
So, week two is upon us at the SSE Hydro, Glasgow. Let’s look at the line up:
Peter Wright vs Michael Smith
Wright is turning into a real match-player. When ‘Snakebite’ isn’t performing well, he is able to craft out positive results against some of the sports best players. Smith is one of them, and despite playing Wright in his ‘native’ Scotland, ‘Bully Boy’ will fancy his form is good enough to take both points home. Smith still struggles when the pressure mounts, but has a good chance of blowing Wright away early.
Michael Smith to win @ 11/10 (BetVictor)
Rob Cross vs James Wade
Cross blows hot and cold, especially in the Premier League. His scoring tends to show more consistencies than his doubling; he can often be over-reliant on hitting the double 18. Wade is back in the Premier League and looking to make a statement. You could argue that ‘The Machine’ is one of the form players on the PDC at the moment. Wade should win the 180 race at a fantastic price, but may struggle to get over the line.
Most 180s James Wade @ 2/1 (BetVictor)
Rob Cross 6-6 James Wade @ 10/3 (BetVictor)
Raymond van Barneveld vs Gerwyn Price
Barney’s loss on the opening night may snowball into a run of poor results in the Premier League. We know he isn’t at the top of his game, and may prove overly reliant on nostalgic support and adrenaline fuelled purple patches. Price seems to be revelling in his new status as the bad boy of darts; the Welshman would enjoy nothing better than taking two points off of the Dutch darting legend.
Gerwyn Price to win @ 11/10 (BetVictor)
Daryl Gurney vs Glen Durrant
Glen Durrant is the second of the ‘Contenders’, and is arguably the best of the nine. Gurney will feel aggrieved to be drawn against the three-time BDO World Champion, but will no doubt prefer facing him than Gary Anderson. Durrant is a heavy scorer and has shown how clinical he can be on pressure doubles; the crowd will surely get behind the ‘Contender’. Gurney looked out of sorts in week one and will be in danger of drifting out of contention with some tricky fixtures early on. Durrant will be looking to prove a point in Glasgow.
Glen Durant to win @ 11/8 (BetVictor)
Over 6.5 180s in the match @ 11/10 (BetVictor)
Mensur Suljovic vs Michael van Gerwen
‘Gentle’ Mensur Suljovic is looking to shake off the ‘cannon-fodder’ tag in the Premier League. His unorthodox style looks set to always leave him short against some of the bigger fish in the PDC. His doubling can’t be questioned – especially on D14 – but against the heavy-scoring Michael van Gerwen, Suljovic is likely to become exposed. It was 7-4 to ‘Mighty Mike’ when these two met last season, but expect a more emphatic victory for the champion this time around.
