Michael van Gerwen (Picture: Taylor Lanning)

Darts results: Michael van Gerwen edges out Luke Humphries to win the Premier League night in Glasgow

By Sporting Life

Darts

Thu February 15, 2024 · 2y ago

Michael van Gerwen secured a second successive nightly win in the 2024 BetMGM Premier League by defeating Luke Humphries 6-5 to claim Glasgow glory on Thursday night.

Reigning and seven-time Premier League champion Van Gerwen continued his strong start to the season by following up last week's Berlin success with another superb night at the OVO Hydro.

The Dutchman overcame a trio of World Champions in Peter Wright, Rob Cross and Humphries to scoop the £10,000 bonus in Glasgow and extend his lead at the top of the league table to three points.

Van Gerwen punished Peter Wright for 17 missed doubles in their quarter-final contest - including in four straight legs as he opened up a 5-1 lead and closed out a 6-2 victory.

The Premier League table after week 3

He then landed a ten-darter during a 6-4 semi-final win over Cross, averaging 99 as he remained on course to follow up his Berlin win with another triumph.

The decider between the world's top two ranked players proved a thrilling affair, with Van Gerwen taking out a double-double 98 finish on his way to a 2-1 lead.

Humphries responded with three straight legs, which included a ten-darter, as he moved ahead at 4-3.

However, missed doubles in the next two legs allowed Van Gerwen to level, before the Dutchman finished 65 on tops to move 5-4 up.

Humphries fired in a 121 finish for a 12-darter to take the game to a decider, but Van Gerwen landed a key maximum to be first to a finish, and tops completed an 11-dart leg as he completed a memorable Glasgow win.

Humphries' run to a first nightly final in his debut season moves the World Champion up to fourth in the league table, as he enjoyed a strong Hydro debut.

"It's good to get another win," said Van Gerwen. "Even without my best performance I think I did a great job and sometimes that's really important.

"At the beginning of the [final] I had chances. Double six let me down tonight but outside that I think my finishing and the way I played the game was a really good standard.

"I think I did everything at the right moment. You play against the best players in the world and you want to perform - you don't want to let yourself down.

"Of course, I didn't play the best game that I could but still you need to find a way how to win and that's what I did today."

Van Gerwen won three league nights during the 2023 season before securing the overall title in the Play-Offs, but is refusing to look too far ahead at this stage of the year.

"Last year I said to myself that I want to win so many weeks, I want do this, do that, win so many majors but this year I'll do it different," he said.

"I'm going to look week by week, game by game and see what happens, because then I think I'm at my best.

"I've put so much pressure on my shoulders over the last years and I do well in some tournaments, but for me more importantly I need to look ahead myself and I need to make sure I do the right things at the right moment."

Humphries had produced a 105.53 average to win his quarter-final against Nathan Aspinall, who missed double 12 for a nine-darter in leg two but led 3-1 before the World Champion reeled off five straight legs.

The 29-year-old also averaged over 100 in his semi-final win over Gerwyn Price, edging out the Welshman 6-3 to reach his first nightly final after seeing a second opponent of the night off-target on double 12 for a perfect leg.

Price had earlier denied Luke Littler in the deciding leg of a high-quality quarter-final which saw the teenager land a ten-darter and a 138 finish.

Cross was the night's other quarter-final winner as he denied Michael Smith, following up an earlier 11-darter and a 116 finish with a superb match-winning 144 checkout.

The BetMGM Premier League continues on Thursday February 22 at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, where Van Gerwen opens his Night Four challenge against Price.

Humphries will take on Cross in the quarter-finals, while Smith faces Aspinall and Wright will play Littler in their Newcastle opener.