Van Gerwen falls short against Clayton and is immediately ready on Premier League night | Darts

Mar 30, 2023 at 9:56 PMUpdate: 5 minutes ago

Michael van Gerwen was eliminated on Thursday in the first round of the Premier League evening in Berlin. The three-time world champion from Vlijmen lost 5-6 to Jonny Clayton.

Van Gerwen was behind the facts from the start of the game. The 33-year-old from Brabant handed in the first leg and looked at a 0-2 deficit with a curse and a sigh. His average fluctuated around a pitiful 76 points at one point.

With a 3-4 deficit, Van Gerwen managed to find an extra gear. He broke the 48-year-old Welshman back and treated the spectators in the Mercedes-Benz Arena to an exciting final phase. Van Gerwen was allowed to throw in the deciding leg, but could not prevent Clayton from winning the match.

Clayton thus qualified for the semi-finals in Berlin. Michael Smith and Nathan Aspinall also reached the last four by beating Dimitri Van den Bergh and Chris Dobey respectively. The closing match in the first round is between Gerwyn Price and Peter Wright.

Van Gerwen is still in the lead

Van Gerwen eventually scored an average of 89.18 points, which is still well below his position. Clayton put in a wholly acceptable 97.16. The finish percentage (35 to 29) was also in favor of ‘The Ferret’.

Van Gerwen is still comfortably in the lead in the standings. The Dutchman has seven points more than number two Gerwyn Price. There is a maximum of five points on a Premier League night, so Mighty Mike need not fear for his leading position.

The Premier League evening in Berlin is the ninth of a total of sixteen rounds, followed by a final play-off evening. The circus will visit Rotterdam on April 20.

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