Premier League Darts 2022 Night Four | Exeter Preview and Order of Play
Premier League Darts returns for Night Four in Exeter on Thursday as the overall table begins to take shape.
A fortnight on from an historic evening in Belfast, the elite roadshow event heads to the South West for more knockout action at the Westpoint Arena.
A thrilling start to the tournament has produced three different winners from as many nights, as well as 16 ton-plus averages and two nine-darters.
Gerwyn Price grabbed the headlines in Belfast by landing a brace of perfect legs on his way to claiming the £10,000 weekly title, before going on to win the International Open title for the third time last weekend.
Price’s triumph in Riesa saw him retain the world number one spot for the time being, and his opening opponent in Exeter is the man he denied the title in Sunday’s final and with whom he is embroiled in a battle for the number one ranking – Peter Wright.
Price averaged 107 to Wright’s 106.7 in an 8-4 success at the weekend and will be determined to pick up from where he left off and launch an assault on top spot in the Premier League table.
The Welshman occupies second position and is level on seven points with Wright, having both claimed one weekly title apiece, as well as Quarter-Final and Semi-Final defeats.
Wright, who claimed glory on opening night in Cardiff, has his sights set on becoming world number one for the first time following this weekend’s UK Open, but will first look to gain a slice of revenge on The Ice Man.
The winner of that box office clash will take on either 2009 Premier League champion James Wade or two-time winner Gary Anderson in the Semi-Finals.
Wade comes into the evening in fourth spot with five points to his name, having notably reached the final in Belfast last time out before losing out 6-4 to nine-dart hero Price with an average just shy of 100.
The world number four, who is gearing up for the defence of his UK Open crown in Minehead this weekend, continued his impressive run of form at the International Open – reaching the Quarter-Finals.
Anderson, meanwhile, has just one Premier League win to his name so far this year, with that coming against Michael van Gerwen on Night One.
The world number six boasts an impressive tournament checkout success rate of 53 per cent but his tournament average of 94.8 is superior only to that of Wade (94).
Jonny Clayton leads the way at the top of the table on eight points, and the reigning champion kicks off the night with a show-down against MVG.
Clayton claimed the Night Two title in Liverpool, notably defeating Van Gerwen 6-4 in the Semi-Finals in a pulsating contest which saw both players average in excess of 105.
The Ferret reached the Semi-Finals of the weekend’s opening European Tour event but will look to atone for his Quarter-Final exit in the Premier League last time out, in which he went down 6-3 to Wade with an average of 94.
Van Gerwen has been hit and miss by his own standards in the competition so far, with successive Semi-Final defeats taking his points tally to four.
It took a sensational 109 average from Price to deny him in a last-leg decider in Belfast, though his International Open campaign ended in a Last 16 exit to Danny Noppert with an average of 94.8.
Awaiting the winner of that encounter is either two-time world finalist Michael Smith or reigning Masters Champion Joe Cullen.
Smith is the only player in the field yet to register a single point from the opening three nights, but may count himself unfortunate not to be off the mark after being on the receiving end of three ton-plus averages.
The 2018 runner-up has been the most efficient player on the outer ring so far, converting 64 per cent of his attempts at doubles, but has landed only four 180s and knows he can ill-afford another early exit if he is to avoid becoming cut adrift from the top four.
In contrast, Cullen has struggled to seize his chances at doubles, finishing just 30 per cent – few than any other player – but has picked up three points courtesy of his run to the final on Night Two.
Back-to-back Players Championship winner in Wigan last month, Cullen has enjoyed a dream start to 2022 and will be hoping to maintain that feel good factor this week with the UK Open on the horizon.
The action 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 2022 Night Four Schedule
Thursday March 3
Quarter-Finals
7.15pm Jonny Clayton v Michael van Gerwen
7.45pm Michael Smith v Joe Cullen
8.15pm Gerwyn Price v Peter Wright
8.45pm James Wade v Gary Anderson
Semi-Finals
9.15pm Clayton/Van Gerwen v Smith/Cullen
9.45pm Price/Wright v Wade/Anderson
10.15pm Final
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