Unibet Premier League Darts Play-Offs - Night 17, London - Van Gerwen wins fifth title

Finals Night at the O2 saw Michael van Gerwen winning his fourth Premier League Darts title in a row, seeing off Rob Cross 11-5.

Photo from sportinglife.com

FINAL
Michael van Gerwen 11-5 Rob Cross
Playing in his seventh final in a row - having last week topped the league for the seventh time - Michael van Gerwen ran out an 11-5 victory over Rob Cross to claim his fifth Premier League title.
It equals Phil Taylor's record of four successive Premier League wins - the Power won from 2005-2008 - but the Englishman still leads in terms of most titles won with six.
Mighty Mike stormed into a 5-1 lead, including a 12-darter and a 112 checkout.
Voltage couldn't keep pace with the Dutchman, who had won seven of their previous eight meetings, including all five in the Premier League, but he soon found a way back into the game.
The Englishman upped his scoring and finishing power, taking the next three legs in 13, 12 and 14 darts, hitting an 87 checkout in the eighth leg against the throw which brought the O2 crowd to their feet.
A splendid set up shot from 170 left his favourite double eighteen, but he missed three darts at it to level the game.
The Green Machine punished these misses to stop the rot, taking a 6-4 lead at the break, despite Cross leading the averages - 102 to van Gerwen's 100.
When they came back, van Gerwen followed up a 72 checkout with an 11-dart leg to increase Cross' deficit.
He managed to pull one back before MvG won the next three, finishing with a 130 checkout at the end of a 12-darter.

MATCH STATS
Van Gerwen - Cross

Averages
103.36 - 100.98

180s
5 - 2

Doubles
11/24 - 5/16

Highest Checkouts
130 - 87

SEMI-FINALS
Michael van Gerwen 10-7 Daryl Gurney
Despite suffering three televised defeats to Daryl Gurney in a row, including a league double and the Players' Championship final at the end of last year, Michael van Gerwen was favourite to win on a stage where he has never lost in a semi-final.
It went with throw up until the break, before Gurney broke the throw in the 11th leg to lead 6-5 with a 13-dart leg.
Van Gerwen broke straight back and four of the five following legs to progress to the final.

Rob Cross 10-5 James Wade
Rob Cross progresed to his first Premier League final by beating a sub-par James Wade
Voltage got his revenge over the Machine after last week's defeat which cost him top-spot, averaging nearly nine points more than Wade and hitting five 180s.
Cross won the opening leg, before trailing 3-1 to to 2009 Premier League champion, but rallied to win five of the next six to lead 6-4 at the break.
Cross dominated after the break, and Wade's only leg came from ancharacteristic mistakes from the 2018 world champion - missing two big numbers from 39 leaving him on double two - Wade pounced to take out 98 with a double 19 after a single 20 to leave tops.
It was Wade's first Play-Off appearance in six years, and it was over when Cross took out 128 to seal the win.

RESULTS

Night One Results

7 February, Newcastle
James Wade 7-4 Raymond van Barneveld
Gerwyn Price 7-4 Daryl Gurney
Chris Dobey 6-6 Mensur Suljovic
Michael van Gerwen 7-5 Michael Smith
Peter Wright 6-6 Rob Cross

Night Two Results
14 February, Glasgow
Peter Wright 6-6 Michael Smith
Rob Cross 7-4 James Wade
Raymond van Barneveld 6-6 Gerwyn Price
Daryl Gurney 7-3 Glen Durrant
Mensur Suljovic 3-7 Michael van Gerwen

Night Three Results
21 February, Dublin
Gerwyn Price 6-6 James Wade
Steve Lennon 5-7 Peter Wright
Michael van Gerwen 7-2 Rob Cross
Michael Smith 5-7 Daryl Gurney
Mensur Suljovic 6-6 Raymond van Barneveld

Night Four Results
28 February, Exeter
Luke Humphries 6-6 Gerwyn Price
Daryl Gurney 1-7 Rob Cross
Mensur Suljovic 7-4 Peter Wright
Michael van Gerwen 3-7 James Wade
Michael Smith 7-4 Raymond van Barneveld

Night Five Results
7 March, Aberdeen
Michael Smith 3-7 Rob Cross
Daryl Gurney 0-7 James Wade
Mensur Suljovic 3-7 Gerwyn Price
Peter Wright 7-3 Raymond van Barneveld
Michael van Gerwen 6-6 John Henderson

Night Six Results 
14 March, Nottingham
Nathan Aspinall 2-7 Michael Smith
James Wade 3-7 Mensur Suljovic
Rob Cross 7-3 Raymond van Barneveld
Gerwyn Price 2-7 Michael van Gerwen
Peter Wright 6-6 Daryl Gurney

Night Seven Results
21 March, Berlin

Gerwyn Price 4-7 Rob Cross

James Wade 6-6 Peter Wright

Michael van Gerwen 5-7 Daryl Gurney

Michael Smith 2-7 Mensur Suljovic

Max Hopp 3-7 Raymond van Barneveld

Night Eight Results 
27 March, Rotterdam
Gerwyn Price 5-7 Michael Smith
James Wade 6-6 Dimitri van den Bergh
Rob Cross 5-7 Mensur Suljovic
Peter Wright 1-7 Michael van Gerwen
Raymond van Barneveld 1-7 Daryl Gurney

Night Nine Results 
28 March, Rotterdam (Judgement Night)
Daryl Gurney 7-3 Mensur Suljovic
Peter Wright 5-7 Gerwyn Price
Rob Cross 7-4 Jeffrey de Zwaan
Raymond van Barneveld 1-7 Michael van Gerwen
James Wade 7-4 Michael Smith

Night 10 Results
4 April, Belfast
Mensur Suljovic 8-6 James Wade
Michael Smith 7-7 Peter Wright
Rob Cross 8-4 Daryl Gurney
Michael van Gerwen 7-7 Gerwyn Price

Night 11 Results
11 April, Liverpool
Rob Cross 8-5 Peter Wright
Gerwyn Price 8-5 Mensur Suljovic
James Wade 7-7 Daryl Gurney
Michael Smith 3-8 Michael van Gerwen

Night 12 Results
18 April, Cardiff
Mensur Suljovic 8-5 Daryl Gurney
Rob Cross 2-8 Michael van Gerwen
Michael Smith 5-8 Gerwyn Price
Peter Wright 2-8 James Wade

Night 13 Results
25 April, Birmingham
Mensur Suljovic 7-7 Michael Smith
Rob Cross 7-7 Gerwyn Price
Daryl Gurney 8-4 Peter Wright
James Wade 7-7 Michael van Gerwen

Night 14 Results
2 May, Manchester
Rob Cross 8-1 Michael Smith
Peter Wright 6-8 Mensur Suljovic
Daryl Gurney 8-5 Michael van Gerwen
James Wade 8-4 Gerwyn Price

Night 15 Results
9 May, Sheffield
Michael Smith 7-7 James Wade
Mensur Suljovic 4-8 Rob Cross
Daryl Gurney 7-7 Gerwyn Price
Michael van Gerwen 8-1 Peter Wright

Night 16 Results
16 May, Leeds
Gerwyn Price 8-3 Peter Wright
Daryl Gurney 8-3 Michael Smith
Michael van Gerwen 8-5 Mensur Suljovic
James Wade 8-6 Rob Cross

Night 17 Results
23 May, London
Semi-Finals (Best of 19 legs)
Michael van Gerwen 10-7 Daryl Gurney
Rob Cross 10-5 James Wade

Finals (Best of 21 legs)
Michael van Gerwen 11-5 Rob Cross

Final Standings

#	Competitor	P	W	D	L	LD	Pts
C	Michael van Gerwen (NED)	16	10	3	3	+40	23
Q	Rob Cross (ENG)	16	10	2	4	+26	22
Q	James Wade (ENG)	16	7	6	3	+20	20
Q	Daryl Gurney (NIR)	16	8	3	5	+7	19
E	Gerwyn Price (WAL)	16	6	6	4	+6	18
E	Mensur Suljovic (AUT)	16	7	3	6	+5	17
E	Michael Smith (ENG)	16	3	4	9	-26	10
E	Peter Wright (SCO)	16	2	5	9	-33	9
R	Raymond van Barneveld (NED)	9	1	2	6	-22	4

Tie-breakers:
1) Points
2) Leg difference
3) Legs won against throw
4) Tournament average  

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