Michael van Gerwen claimed his fourth nightly win and ended Luke Littler’s winning streak with a 6-3 victory on Night 11 of the Premier League Darts in Birmingham.
Littler entered the night after back-to-back victories in Belfast and Manchester but it was van Gerwen’s night in the end, beating Nathan Aspinall and Michael Smith on his way to the final.
Van Gerwen had the darts in the final but made life difficult for himself, the Green Machine going bust in the third leg, hitting D15 instead of D10, and gifting Littler the break of throw for a 2-1 lead.
Van Gerwen hit straight back with a break of his own via a sensational 125 checkout, but the next leg saw Littler pin D10 for another break to go 3-2 up, Van Gerwen then levelling things up once again at 3-3.
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Michael van Gerwen takes out a 125 checkout against Luke Littler in the final of the Premier League Darts from Birmingham
With the tension palpable, a fired-up Van Gerwen managed to hold his throw and finally showed some emotion, a break of throw then giving him a solid 5-3 lead before he pinned 95 on D8 for the win.
Van Gerwen now moves up to third in the Premier League table with 22 points, adding to wins in Berlin, Glasgow, and Newcastle, with Littler still on top with 26 points.
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Luke Littler hits a 180 with a flourish against Rob Cross in their Premier League Darts clash in Birmingham
More to follow…
Where does the Premier League head next?
Michael van Gerwen is the seven-time Premier League champion
The Premier League continues with Night 12 in Rotterdam on Thursday April 18, as Michael Smith and Luke Littler collide in the opening match of the night.
Michael van Gerwen and reigning World Champion Luke Humphries go head-to-head, Rob Cross will play Gerwyn Price for a place in the semi-finals, while Nathan Aspinall and Peter Wright are also in action in the Dutch second city.
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Premier League Darts continues on Sky Sports on Thursday, April 18 with Rotterdam Ahoy the next stop on the 17-week extravaganza all the way through to the Play-Offs at the O2 Arena in London on Thursday, May 23. Stream the darts and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership. No contract, cancel anytime.