Peter Wright produced a fine display in Rotterdam last night to hand Michael van Gerwen only his second defeat of this year's Unibet Premier League Darts campaign, and it was a fine night for Gary Anderson, who picked up two wins out of two, while Raymond van Barneveld sparkled in front of his home crowd to pick up a valuable two points ahead of tonight's action at the same venue on a sparkling darting double-header.
Wright, who still remains bottom of the Premier League table, but is now only four points behind fourth-placed Michael Smith, has struggled all campaign, but for some reason he has upped his game dramatically against reigning champion van Gerwen, and having beaten him in Cardiff earlier in the year, Snakebite dished out MvG's second defeat in front of his home Dutch crowd, as Wright ran out a 7-5 winner.
Anderson produced a stunning performance in front of a sea of orange shirts in Rotterdam, as the Flying Scotsman was first on the stage and trounced the abovementioned Smith 7-2, while he put in a sparkling display of darting brilliance in the last match of the night as he outclassed world champion Rob Cross 7-3, and he nearly landed a spectacular nine-dart finish, but having landed eight perfect darts he just missed the double 12 in front of an electric crowd. However, two wins for Anderson has cemented his place in a valuable top-four spot, and he will be hoping that he can continue that form this evening against Daryl Gurney.
Raymond van Barneveld walked to the oche to a cacophony of noise ahead of his match with Simon Whitlock, and after four defeats on the bounce, Barney needed a win, and he sparkled on home soil, as he beat the Australian 7-3, and he will be the main attraction on Thursday as he takes fellow Dutch star van Gerwen in what should be a phenomenal showpiece.
Elsewhere on Wednesday night, Cross had earlier recorded a win before his Anderson defeat, as the world champion cruised to a 5-0 lead over Daryl Gurney, before Superchin got back into the match, but Cross held his nerve in the latter stages, and moved into second place in the table with a 7-5 win over the Northern Irishman, who will face both Anderson and Whitlock this evening in a crucial brace of games.
Premier League
Night 11 Results
Rotterdam Ahoy
Michael Smith 2-7 Gary Anderson
Rob Cross 7-4 Daryl Gurney
Raymond van Barneveld 7-3 Simon Whitlock
Peter Wright 7-5 Michael van Gerwen
Rob Cross 3-7 Gary Anderson
Night 12 - April 19
Rotterdam Ahoy
Simon Whitlock v Michael Smith
Daryl Gurney v Gary Anderson
Rob Cross v Peter Wright
Michael van Gerwen v Raymond van Barneveld
Daryl Gurney v Simon Whitlock
