Premier League Darts 2023 | Night Four Dublin Preview and Order of Play
The Premier League Darts roadshow touches down in Dublin on Thursday for Night Four of knockout competition at the 3Arena.
The fourth of 16 weekly knockouts sees the eight stars face off in pursuit of points towards the league table, as well as the £10,000 weekly winner’s bonus.
The opening three nights of action have produced three different winners and six different finalists, underlining the open nature of this year’s elite invitational.
Seven of the eight players have registered points towards the league table, with only Peter Wright yet to get off the mark in the early stages.
The two-time World Champion looks to finally open his account for the new campaign at the fourth time of asking, but faces a formidable task against reigning World Champion Michael Smith in the Quarter-Finals.
Wright, Nordic Masters champion last month, may count himself somewhat unfortunate to be winless so far, having registered averages of 103.7, 97.2 and 98.2
Snakebite was the man to end Smith’s 12-match unbeaten run on his way to World Series glory in Copenhagen and he also won both of their meetings in last year’s Premier League.
Smith, meanwhile, leads the way at the top of the table on seven points, having claimed glory in Glasgow last week courtesy of a blistering display in the final.
The world number one averaged 109.4 in defeating Dimitri van den Bergh 6-4 for his second nightly win under the new format, having also won the 16th and final night of the league phase in Newcastle last season.
Reigning and six-time Premier League champion Michael van Gerwen looks to bounce back from last week’s disappointing Quarter-Final defeat when he takes on debutant Chris Dobey.
Van Gerwen was edged out 6-5 by Nathan Aspinall in Glasgow and is one of four players level on five points ahead of the trip to the Emerald Isle.
The world number three is out to avenge his 6-5 defeat to Dobey in the final of Night One in Belfast and notably whitewashed ‘Hollywood’ in five consecutive sets when they met in the Quarter-Finals of the recent World Championship.
Dobey has suffered back-to-back Quarter-Final exits since his opening night heroics, and the Masters champion will be keen to stop the rot and make it two from two against the green machine.
World number two Gerwyn Price starts his quest for a second weekly title of the campaign with a tie against former World Matchplay champion Dimitri van den Bergh.
Price enjoyed a dream homecoming in Cardiff a fortnight ago as he scooped the £10,000 bonus, but has not managed a win outside of the Welsh capital, going down 6-3 to Smith with an average of just 90 last week.
Van den Bergh, who returned to the line-up after missing out last year, reached his first weekly final in Glasgow last Thursday, notably averaging 105.7 in a 6-1 rout of Aspinall in the Semi-Finals.
The Belgian number one landed eleven 180s on the night and has landed exactly 50 per cent of his attempts at doubles in the tournament so far.
Jonny Clayton aims to kick-start his season with glory in Dublin, and the 2021 champion faces a Quarter-Final fixture against 2020 runner-up Aspinall.
Clayton’s only victory of the campaign so far came last time out when he thrashed Dobey 6-1 with a 102.5 average, before being narrowly denied in a deciding leg by Smith.
Aspinall has enjoyed a solid start to his Premier League return, picking up seven points to move joint top of the early standings following Semi-Final runs in Belfast and Glasgow and a runner-up spot in Cardiff.
The former UK Open champion has fired in more 180s (23) than any other player in the tournament so far.
Night Four of 2023 Premier League Darts gets under way from 7pm GMT, with all matches to be contested over the best of 11 legs.
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Premier League Darts 2023 Night Four Schedule
Night Four – Thursday February 23
3Arena, Dublin
7pm-11pm
Quarter-Finals
Michael Smith v Peter Wright
Gerwyn Price v Dimitri Van den Bergh
Jonny Clayton v Nathan Aspinall
Chris Dobey v Michael van Gerwen
Semi-Finals
Smith/Wright v Price/Van den Bergh
Clayton/Aspinall v Dobey/Van Gerwen
Final
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