Premier League Darts returns to Liverpool for the first time in almost two years on Thursday, with St Helens’ Michael Smith hoping to bounce back from his night one quarter-final exit.
Due to problems caused by the Covid-19 Pandemic, Liverpool was missed off the list of host venues in 2021, though as things return to some sort of normality, that includes the PDC’s long-awaited return to Merseyside.
The Premier League’s annual four-month tour got underway last Thursday in Cardiff, debuting an exciting new format. With that being said, there’s a lot to catch up on and to speculate ahead of Night 2’s matches, so here is all you need to know about the event:
Venue, time, and TV channel
The M&S Bank Arena hosts the Premier League Darts once again in Liverpool on Thursday, as it had done annually from 2008 to 2020.
The event gets underway at 7pm and can be watched from home on TV via Sky Sports Arena. This can also be accessed on the move via the Sky Go app, or alternatively a Now TV Sports subscription will allow you to tune into the event.
The format change explained
As mentioned already, the 18th edition of the competition has undergone radical change to its original round robin format.
Previously, 10 of the sport’s finest went up against one another at each venue, playing one best-of-12-legs match per night. In 2021, 10 players were used permanently, as opposed to the 9 regulars plus one guest challenger format utilised in 2019 and 2020.
Two points were awarded for a win, and one was awarded for a draw in the league’s table, with the bottom two players eliminated at the end of phase one’s 10 matches.
The remaining eight then played another six matches throughout phase two, with the top four progressing to the Play-Offs in May for a stab at the title.
Now, that format has been replaced with an individual knockout tournament held on each night of the tour, contested between eight players. Matches are staged over the best-of-11-legs, with the winner on the night taking home £10,000 bonus.
Not only that, but they also receive five points for a final win, followed by three points for the runner-up, and two points are awarded to each semi-finalist. Eventually, the four highest point scorers will enter the Play-Offs at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin on June 13th to fight for this years’ £275,000 prize pot
Overall, £1 million is at stake in the Premier League this year, up from 2021’s £855,000.
Night Two’s matches
Peter Wright vs Michael van Gerwen
In the first quarter-final at the M&S Bank Arena, Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright takes on ‘The Green Machine’, Michael van Gerwen.
Both men are desperate to win the competition, as Wright is in search of his first Premier League Darts title to follow up his second World Championship last month, whilst MvG remains one title away from equalling Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor’s record of six crowns, having missed out on the final the last two years.
The opening night couldn’t have been a greater contrast for both either, with ‘Snakebite’ winning the first mini-tournament in Cardiff, whilst van Gerwen exited in the quarter-finals to Gary Anderson. As a result, Wright is the bookies favourite for this match at 3/5, whilst MvG is 6/5 to come out on top.
Jonny Clayton vs Michael Smith
Given this is technically Michael Smith’s home leg of the tour, the Liverpool crowd is set to get behind St Helens’ ‘Bully Boy,’ and do what they can to help him overcome the reigning Premier League Darts Champion, ‘The Ferret,’ Jonny Clayton.
Smith is arguably in the best form is his career currently, having only narrowly lost 7-5 to Wright in the World Championships final at the ‘Ally Pally’ last month.
On the way to final he dispatched Clayton 4-3 in the last 16, so needs to be on form once again if he is going to overcome Clayton, who was last weeks’ runner-up.
Going into this one, Clayton is the bookies favourite at 3/5, whilst a Smith upset is currently down as 13/10.
James Wade vs Joe Cullen
Liverpool’s third match sees the current player with most Premier League Darts appearances take on the player with the least.
‘The Machine’, James Wade, is taking part in his 12th Premier League Darts tour, and last week lost the first semi-final to eventual runner-up Clayton.
‘The Rockstar,’ Joe Cullen, enters the tournament for the first time in 2022 having won his first televised title at the Masters last month. The Bradford-born player was given a baptism of fire in his opening quarter-final, losing 6-2 to Clayton, and so comes into night two the outsider at 11/10. Wade is therefore the favourite, currently at 8/11.
Gerwyn Price v Gary Anderson
The last quarter-final pits Wales against Scotland, as ‘The Iceman,’ Gerwyn Price goes toe-to-toe with ‘The Flying Scotsman,’ Gary Anderson, in a repeat of the 2021 World Darts Championship final.
There is a history of animosity between the two, dating back to 2018’s Grand Slam of Dart’s when Price’s loud celebrations caused Anderson to take offence and push the Welshman during the final, so Liverpool may be treated to another feisty battle on the oche.
Price comes into the meeting as the bookies favourite at 2/5, whilst Anderson is listed at 8/5 to beat his rival.
Semi-finals and final
The first semi-final will be contested by the winner of Wright vs van Gerwen and the winner of Clayton vs Smith.
The second semi-final will then see the winner of Wade vs Cullen and the winner of Price vs Anderson go head-to-head, with the final’s competitors to eventually be decided.
