Premier League Darts 2024 | Night 15 Leeds Preview and Order of Play
Premier League Darts rolls into Leeds for the penultimate night of fixtures on Thursday as the play-off race heads for a tense climax.
Luke Littler and Luke Humphries have mathematically clinched play-off places in their debut campaign, leaving just two more spots at The O2 up for grabs.
Four players remain in with a chance of joining the World Championship finalists in a fortnight’s time, three of whom are separated by only three points in the league table.
A sold-out First Direct Arena plays host to Night 15, which features a crucial quarter-final clash between Nathan Aspinall and Michael Smith.
Aspinall heads to Yorkshire occupying third spot, a point clear of Michael van Gerwen and three points clear of Smith in fifth.
Aspinall has remained in the top four since Night Seven and has two weekly titles to his name, including Night 12 in Rotterdam – where he defeated Smith in the final.
The World Matchplay champion agonisingly missed out on the play-offs last season by virtue of winning less nights than Jonny Clayton, and he will be determined to avert a repeat outcome in 2024.
In contrast, Smith has remain in fifth spot since Night Eight but has picked up points in four of the last five nights and has the opportunity to time his run to perfect as he bids for a third play-off appearance.
Defending champion Van Gerwen, meanwhile, has the opportunity to temporarily climb above Aspinall into third prior to that fixture if he can overcome Gerwyn Price in the evening’s opener.
Incredibly, Van Gerwen’s play-off place remains uncertain despite picking up four weekly titles, having suffered eight quarter-final exits in a ‘feast or famine’ campaign so far.
He was beaten 6-5 by Rob Cross in the quarter-finals despite averaging 108.3 in Aberdeen last time out and endured back-to-back First Round exits on the ProTour in Hildesheim earlier this week.
Van Gerwen has qualified for the play-offs in ten of his 11 previous Premier League campaigns, going on to reach the final in nine of those and scoop the title on seven occasions.
He opens up with a repeat of last year’s final against Price – who returns to action after missing last week’s trip to Aberdeen with a back injury.
The Welshman also withdrew from the Austrian Open and the recent Players Championship double-header in order to continue his recovery from a trapped nerve in his back, and he is now playing for pride and prize money after seeing his play-off hopes ended.
Despite averaging 99.2 for the tournament, Price has failed to win a weekly title and has mustered only 12 points with seven wins from 20 matches played.
Two players who have experienced contrasting fortunes in this year’s Premier League face off for only the second time as league leader Luke Littler meets rock bottom Peter Wright.
With the fixtures for Night 16 based on league table positions and neither able to move up or down after Night 15, the pair will meet again in Sheffield next week.
Littler has taken the tournament by storm in his debut campaign, romping to four weekly titles in the last six to establish an eight-point cushion at the top of the table.
The 17-year-old, a winner of two European Tour titles and a World Series event this year, will be determined to head to The O2 as league winner and extend his unbeaten run with currently stands at 12 matches across all competitions.
Littler prevailed 6-5 in his only previous meeting with Wright on Night Four in Newcastle, surviving a match dart and averaging 104 to Snakebite’s 103.3 in a high quality encounter.
Wright remains rooted to the foot of the table with just two match wins to his name all season and could be set to record the lowest points tally since the tournament switched to the current format.
The European Champion has suffered five consecutive quarter-final exits and would be resigned to finishing bottom of the pile for the second successive year if he fails to beat Littler and Price defeats Van Gerwen.
The evening’s other quarter-final sees reigning World Champion Humphries take on 2018 World Champion Cross.
Leeds United fan Humphries is set for a rapturous reception in his first televised appearance in the city and will be out to thrill the crowd and secure his first match win since Night 12.
Humphries benefitted from a bye to the semi-finals last week following Price’s withdrawal but was beaten in a deciding leg by Cross and will be out for revenge after squandering 14 darts at doubles.
The world number one, who has three weekly titles to his name, is assured of a place in the play-offs, but defeat to Cross would all but end his hopes of progressing in top spot.
Cross finds himself seven points adrift of the top four after a late rally in recent weeks which has seen him finishing runner-up to Littler in Liverpool and Aberdeen.
The world number six must defeat Humphries at the very least in order to preserve his outside hopes of gatecrashing the play-offs.
Night 15 of 2024 Premier League Darts gets under way from 7pm BST, with all matches to be contested over the best of 11 legs.
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Premier League Darts 2024 Night 15 Schedule
Thursday May 9
Quarter-Finals
Michael van Gerwen v Gerwyn Price
Luke Littler v Peter Wright
Luke Humphries v Rob Cross
Nathan Aspinall v Michael Smith
Semi-Finals
Van Gerwen/Price v Littler/Wright
Humphries/Cross v Aspinall/Smith
Final
