Reigning champion Michael van Gerwen leads the 2023 Premier League table by 9 points as the darting roadshow heads to Newcastle for Night 8, with last weeks winner Gerwyn Price facing an all Welsh battle with Jonny Clayton.
Van Gerwen will face Peter Wright in the opening match of the night with the pair facing each other in Nottingham a week ago, a battle in which the Dutchman won 6-1.
Snakebite claimed his first points of the competition in Liverpool on Night 6, beating 2nd placed Gerwyn Price in a last leg decider before losing to eventual night winner MVG in the Semis.
Mighty Mike made history on Night 6 as he became the first player since the new format was introduced, to win 3 consecutive nights.
The 3 wins has seen the defending champion open a gap in the table between himself and the rest of the Premier League field, with Gerwyn Price who has claimed 2 night wins his closest challenger in 2nd on 13 points, 9 behind the league leader.
The Iceman claimed 3 6-4 victories to win in Nottingham, beating Chris Dobey in the Final with an average of 101.04, including 4 180s at the Motorpoint Arena.
The World Number 4 kick started his campaign against his Welsh compatriot and 2021 winner Jonny Clayton on Night 7, with the pair set to face of again in the Third Quarter Final on Night 8.
The Ferret is yet to win a Night after 7 weeks played, despite becoming the first league phase winner of the new look format 12 months ago, finishing 9 points ahead of eventual winner Michael van Gerwen having won 4 nights out of a possible 16.
The Pontyberem thrower’s best run in 2023 came on Night 5 in Exeter, beating Nathan Aspinall and Dimitri van den Bergh to reach the Final at the Westpoint Arena.
Clayton sits 7th in the Premier League table 4 points of the Top 4 in the league but with 9 weeks of league format left, there is still plenty of time to make a surge for the Play Offs starting at the Utilita Arena.
The action starts from 7pm live on Sky Sports with league leader Michael van Gerwen opening the nights action in Newcastle against former 2-time World Champion Peter Wright.
Premier League Night 8: Order of Play
Quarter Finals:
Michael van Gerwen v Peter Wright
Nathan Aspinall v Dimitri van den Bergh
Gerwyn Price v Jonny Clayton
Michael Smith v Chris Dobey
Semi Finals:
Van Gerwen/ Wright v Aspinall/ Van den Bergh
Price/ Clayton v Smith/ Dobey
Final:
Winner of SF1 v Winner of SF2
2023 Premier League Table:
Michael van Gerwen: 22pts
Gerwyn Price: 13pts
Michael Smith: 12pts
Nathan Aspinall: 11pts
Dimitri van den Bergh: 9pts
Chris Dobey: 8pts
Jonny Clayton: 7pts
Peter Wright: 2pts
—–ENDS—–
Image: PDC
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