Jonny Clayton and Joe Cullen (Picture: Simon O’Connor/PDC)

Premier League Darts: Play-off predictions, betting tips, acca, statistics, order of play and TV time

By Chris Hammer

Darts

Mon June 13, 2022 · 4y ago

The 2022 Cazoo Premier League Darts concludes tonight so here's our match-by-match guide of both semi-finals including statistics, predictions and best bets.

Whether you loved or hated the new regular season format - or just found it a bit 'meh' - tonight's play-offs are exactly the same as usual as Jonny Clayton, Michael van Gerwen, James Wade and Joe Cullen bid for the whopping £275,000 top prize.

The only significant difference to previous years is that it's taking place on a Monday night in Berlin...

Darts betting tips: Premier League Darts play-offs

1pt Joe Cullen to beat Jonny Clayton and hit most 180s at 3/1 (Paddy Power, Sky Bet)

0.5pts either Clayton or Cullen to hit a 120 checkout at 6/1 (Ladbrokes)

0.5pts either Clayton or Cullen to hit a 121 checkout at 5/1 (Ladbrokes)

1pt James Wade to beat Michael van Gerwen at 11/5 (BetVictor)

1pt three or more 100+ checkouts in MVG v Wade at 11/8 (Sky Bet)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

SL Double: Cullen (+1.5) & Wade (+1.5) both to win at 3/1 with Sky Bet

Monday June 13: Play-off night

Venue: Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin
TV Coverage: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
Format: Semi-finals best of 19 legs, final best of 21 legs

Jonny Clayton (4/9) v Joe Cullen (2/1)

Head to Head: 6-9 (TV: 5-4)
Meetings in 2022: 4-2 (TV: 4-2)
Tournament Average
Clayton: 97.98 (36 games)
Cullen: 92.14 (26 games)
Tournament 180s (180s per leg)
Clayton: 93 (338 legs, 0.28 per leg)
Cullen: 75 (243 legs, 0.32 per leg)
Tournament Checkout %:
Clayton: 183/428 (43%)
Cullen: 119/313 (38%)
100+ Checkouts and % legs won with a 100+ checkout:
Clayton: 23 (12.57%)
Cullen: 15 (12.61%)

Jonny Clayton will probably be rated favourite by most fans to win the Premier League even if the bookies marginally rate him second behind Michael van Gerwen - and it's pretty easy to see why.

The defending champion not only topped the table to bank £25,000 but he also won more league nights than anyone else with four, adding a further £40,000 to his prize fund, and also reached most finals overall with eight.

Despite his Premier League form, Clayton has strangely failed to win any PDC title this season - or reach a tournament final - so you could argue the focus he's put into this campaign has taken its toll on the ranked action. When you consider he's played 36 PL matches instead of the usual 16, I think that's a more than reasonable explanation.

The Ferret didn't compete in Copenhagen for the Nordic Darts Masters at the weekend so he will have recharged the batteries somewhat having lost out to Gerwyn Price in the US Darts Masters quarter-finals seven days earlier.

As for Joe Cullen, well he looked like a player in desperate need of a rest a couple of months as he struggled to cope with the most hectic season of his career but the Premier League debutant found a second wind to seal his place in the play-offs.

Many will point to the fact his two walkover wins against Gerwyn Price and James Wade were instrumental in finishing two points ahead of Peter Wright, but to be fair to the Rockstar there's certainly no guarantee he would have lost either match and, more importantly, he held his nerve brilliantly to triumph at the O2 before defeating Snakebite in a winner takes all showdown in Newcastle a week later.

After winning his second league night of the season in London, Cullen said: "Some of the performances – I’ve got no issue in saying this – I have been embarrassed, genuinely embarrassed."

He averaged in the 80s more than anyone with six - as well as a couple that were 90 - while he only managed to exceed 100 on just one occasion in his 28 matches. That's comfortably the lowest tally despite boasting the highest 180s per leg ratio. The problem generally was his doubling, which again was the worst.

For a competition that rewards consistency, it is quite an eye opener that the player with the lowest seasonal average of just 92.14 - which is over two points lower than Gary Anderson - has made the final four. You can't even use the 'trebles for show, doubles for dough' saying to explain it!

But crucially he showed real grit in enough close matches to pick up the points required and that was no more evident in Rotterdam when he edged out Gary Anderson 6-5, Wright 6-4 and Michael van Gerwen 6-5 with averages of 93, 88 and 91 respectively!

Cullen, who won three titles earlier this season including the Masters, has enjoyed a much needed rest and if he can turn up focused and recharged then he could well cause a mini upset against a player he's beaten twice in the Premier League so far.

My special bets for this match are for either player to hit a 121 checkout or a 120 checkout. You can get odds of around 40/1 or 50/1 in places on them both to hit a 121 or both to hit a 120 but I'm playing safer in my staking plan.

The reason is fairly simple - Clayton has hit four 120 finishes from his 23 100+ checkouts this season and three 121s. No player has hit any specific 100+ checkout as many as four times - although the Ferret has also managed four 110s - while only Wade (100), Cullen (105) and Wright (116) has hit one three times.

Cullen has only managed 121 once and yet to convert 120 but I'd still rather have him involved in the bet than focus purely on Clayton.

Scoreline prediction: 8-10

CLICK HERE to back Cullen to win and hit most 180s with Sky Bet

Michael van Gerwen (1/2) v James Wade (11/5)

Head to Head: 44-19, 1 draw (TV: 30-12, 1 draw)
Meetings in 2022: 5-3 (TV: 4-2)
Tournament Average
Van Gerwen: 99.20 (31 games)
Wade: 94.36 (28 games)
Tournament 180s (180s per leg)
Van Gerwen: 85 (293 legs, 0.29 per leg)
Wade: 45 (258 legs, 0.17 per leg)
Tournament Checkout %:
Wade: 128/294 (44%)
Van Gerwen: 164/424 (39%)
100+ Checkouts and % legs won with a 100+ checkout:
Van Gerwen: 23 (14.02%)
Wade: 20 (15.63%)

Michael van Gerwen is marginally favourite to win his sixth Premier League title tonight and his first since 2019, but he does have a worrying injury problem to contend with.

One of the biggest stories of 2022 so far has been MVG's impressive resurgence as a title-winning force again and his tally of five - including three on the European Tour - could so easily have been six had he not found Michael Smith in such good form in the US Darts Masters final.

That was in spite of revealing that he will have surgery a day after Premier League finals night to resolve the carpal tunnel syndrome he is suffering with in his right arm.

This will rule him out of the next two Players Championship events and the World Cup of Darts later this week but he will try to ignore any tingling sensation in his throwing arm in his bid to scoop £275,000.

James Wade will no doubt be relishing his chance to take full advantage of a weakened MVG.

The Machine may have produced a disappointing performance during his 8-3 defeat to van Gerwen at the US Darts Masters but he turned the tables emphatically in Copenhagen at the weekend to thrash him 10-4, with both players averaging just 90.

Wade went on to lose 11-7 to Gary Anderson in the last four with another below-par display from an average point of view but this is a player who regularly defies the stats. He was one of the big outsiders at the start of the season to make the play-offs - let alone win the whole thing - and some would have felt he was the most unlikely to win a night.

He was almost always double figures to do so every Thursday - but came out on top twice and also reached five finals overall.Although his seasonal average was 'only' 94, he did produce a televised PB of 114.73 en route to triumphing in Dublin and four others over a ton so this campaign really seems to have suited him. There's no doubt he's enjoyed proving critics wrong and he's not finished yet.

Apart from siding with Wade to upset the odds, my other special bet for this match is for both players to combine for three or more 100+ checkouts. They are two of the most prolific this season and if match goes long, then we should see plenty.

Scoreline prediction: 8-10

Premier League Table & Statistics

The Premier League standings after the regular season

CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE SEASON'S RESULTS

TOURNAMENT AVERAGE

Michael van Gerwen: 99.20 (31 games)
Jonny Clayton: 97.98 (36 games)
Peter Wright: 96.69 (27 games)
Michael Smith: 96.41 (27 games)
Gerwyn Price: 95.86 (24 games)
James Wade: 94.36 (28 games)
Gary Anderson: 94.31 (19 games)
Joe Cullen: 92.14 (26 games)

* The matches played totals in these stats obviously don't include the the 6-0 walkovers wins for Cullen v Price, Cullen v Wade and Van Gerwen v Anderson

MOST 180s & 180s PER LEG

Jonny Clayton: 93 (338 legs, 0.28 per leg)
Michael van Gerwen: 85 (293 legs, 0.29 per leg)
Joe Cullen: 75 (243 legs, 0.32 per leg)
Michael Smith: 75 (252 legs, 0.30 per leg)
Peter Wright: 68 (247 legs, 0.28 per leg)
Gerwyn Price: 46 (228 legs, 0.20 per leg)
James Wade: 45 (258 legs, 0.17 per leg)
Gary Anderson: 43 (179 legs, 0.24 per leg)

* The legs played totals in these stats obviously don't include the six legs in the 6-0 walkovers wins for Cullen v Price, Cullen v Wade and Van Gerwen v Anderson

DOUBLES AND CHECKOUT PERCENTAGE

James Wade: 128/294 (44%)
Jonny Clayton: 183/428 (43%)
Michael Smith: 124/289 (43%)
Gary Anderson: 77/186 (41%)
Peter Wright: 116/292 (40%)
Gerwyn Price: 108/273 (40%)
Michael van Gerwen: 164/424 (39%)
Joe Cullen: 119/313 (38%)

* The doubles hit totals in these stats obviously don't include the six legs 'won' in 6-0 walkovers victory for Cullen v Price, Cullen v Wade and Van Gerwen v Anderson

100+ CHECKOUTS, HIGHEST CHECKOUTS & % LEGS WON WITH 100+ CHECKOUT

Michael van Gerwen: 23 (14.02% legs won with 100+ checkout)
100+ Checkouts: 170, 155, 152, 145, 144, 138, 135, 134, 131, 130x2, 129x2, 121, 120x2, 117, 116, 112x2, 108, 106, 104, 100
Jonny Clayton: 23 (12.57%)
100+ Checkouts: 144, 142, 141x2, 140, 126, 121x3, 120x4, 116, 110x4, 107, 104, 102x2, 100
James Wade: 20 (15.63%)
100+ Checkouts: 161, 142, 140, 127, 124, 122, 121, 120x2, 118x2, 110, 104, 102, 101x2, 100x3
Gerwyn Price: 17 (15.74%)
100+ Checkouts: 170, 157, 156, 154, 144, 141, 130, 127, 124, 117x2, 113, 111, 110, 105, 101, 100
Joe Cullen: 15 (12.61%)
100+ Checkouts: 145, 127, 125, 124, 121, 118, 117, 115, 114, 107, 105x3, 102, 100
Michael Smith: 15 (12.10%)
100+ Checkouts: 150x2, 144, 136, 126, 121, 117, 114, 112, 111, 107, 106, 105, 104, 100
Peter Wright: 14 (12.07%)
100+ Checkouts: 156, 141, 140x2, 121x2, 120, 116x3, 109, 108, 101x2
Gary Anderson: 11 (14.29%)
100+ Checkouts: 164, 155, 150, 132, 130, 128, 127, 115, 110x2, 100