When Chris Dobey was awarded his place in the 2023 Premier League at the start of this year, by beating Rob Cross 11-7 to lift The Masters trophy and secure his debut in the darting roadshow, many questioned his selection. The likes of Luke Humphries, Danny Noppert, and Joe Cullen all seemed unfortunate to miss out.
It’s Hollywood who has, so far, had the last laugh, as he silenced the naysayers on Night 1 in Belfast. The Bedlington thrower defeated reigning champion Michael van Gerwen 6-5 in the Final, beating Peter Wright and Nathan Aspinall en route in the Northern Irish Capital. He now sits atop the table with 5 points.
Dobey knows the size of his next task, as he prepares to take on former World Champion Gerwyn Price in Cardiff, with the proud Welshman returning once more to play in front of his home fans.
The Red Dragon player failed to earn a point last week, suffering a 6-4 defeat to Nathan Aspinall in the Final Quarter Final on opening night.
The added incentive will be there for the World Number 4 to go and win, in the Welsh capital, after losing at the Last 8 stage against James Wade in the city on the opening night of the Premier League last year.
The Iceman will be coming up against arguably the most in-form player in the PDC in Dobey, with the 32-year-old’s last defeat on the oche coming against Michael van Gerwen in the Quarter Finals of the World Darts Championship on New Year’s Day.
The winner will face either Michael van Gerwen or Dimitri van den Bergh in the Semi Finals, meaning Mighty Mike and Hollywood could lock horns again in back-to-back weeks of this year’s Premier League.
The action gets underway from 7pm live on Sky Sports, with World Number 1 and reigning World Champion Michael Smith opening the night’s tungsten drama against another hometown hero in Jonny Clayton.
Premier League Night 2 Cardiff : Order of Play
Quarter Finals:
Michael Smith v Jonny Clayton
Nathan Aspinall v Peter Wright
Gerwyn Price v Chris Dobey
Michael van Gerwen v Dimitri van den Bergh
Semi Finals:
Smith/ Clayton v Aspinall/ Wright
Price/ Dobey v Van Gerwen/ Van den Bergh
Final:
Winner of SF1 v Winner of SF2.
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC
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