Darts doubled up in Dublin as six momentous matches took place inside the frightening O2 arena. Two wins on the night for Michael Van Gerwen should all but seal his place in the semi-finals. One of those victories was over Adrian Lewis which should all but end his play-off hopes. There was almost history made as Raymond Van Barneveld missed five darts to beat Phil Taylor for the first time in the Premier League in the second of their matches. Taylor also denied Andy Hamilton from making history by condemning The Power to three consecutive defeats in a night where Hamilton failed to get anything from his two matches.
It was Hamilton and Taylor who stood in front of the raucous Irish crowd first and the 16-time World Champion kicked off in style with a 107-checkout. Taylor then cruised to a 4-0 lead with only missing one dart at the double. It should have been five but Taylor missed two darts, allowing Hamilton on to the board. Taylor posted six perfect in leg seven but he didn't even get a dart at the double as Hamilton posted a great 106-checkout to make it 5-2. That became 5-3 a leg later before The Hammer missed four darts in leg ten, giving Taylor the 7-3 victory and revenge for Hamilton's 7-3 win over The Power in week six.
It was the battle of the Dutchman up next and Michael Van Gerwen fired in a colossal 152-checkout to go 2-0 ahead. But Van Barneveld wasn't going to be outdone and he smashed in a 156-checkout to break the 0. The next seven legs all went with throw, proving how crucial Van Gerwen's break in the opening leg was, making it 6-4. Van Gerwen managed to break again in the 11th leg to to make it two wins over his darting idol in the Premier League.
James Wade made it two wins over Robert Thornton as he maintains his second place in the league. Thornton posted a 118-checkout to ensure the opening four legs were shared and all against throw. In contrast, the next four legs all went with throw to make it 4-4. But Wade found a crucial break in the ninth leg and he soon made it 6-4 before Thornton missed a dart to force a deciding leg.
Hamilton returned to the oche to face Simon Whitlock in the fourth match and found himself 2-1 ahead after losing the opening leg. Hamilton then missed a dart to go 3-1 in front as Whitlock then reeled off four legs on the spin to turn the game on its head. Hamilton was able to stop the rot at 5-3 but the Australian then took the following two legs to win 7-3.
The penultimate match of the night was the most anticipated as Taylor and Van Barneveld once again locked horns. The first three legs went with throw before both players missed a dart at the double in the fourth leg, Van Barneveld would then miss a further two darts before crucially hitting double five with his final throw to go 3-1 ahead. All the effort to break the throw ended up being wasted as Taylor immediately broke back. But it wasn't vintage Taylor and he ended up missing four darts to make it 3-3, allowing Van Barneveld to break again. A 123-checkout from Taylor made sure he broke back for a second time only for Barney to slam a Shanghai 120-checkout to make it 5-3. Taylor missed more darts in the ninth leg but Barney squandered the opportunity to guarantee a point by missing the big three and hitting 19, ultimately busting-11. Taylor stepped in to hit double two. The Power again missed a dart at the double and this time Barney managed to take advantage to go 6-4 in front and a leg away from finally beating his nemesis in the Premier League. But The Dutchman missed four darts in the next leg which forced a nail biting final leg. Barney then missed his fifth chance to win the game and Taylor was unforgiving, taking out 111 to force a draw that he arguably didn't deserve.
The final match of the night wasn't as fast paced or thrilling as many hoped between Van Gerwen and Lewis, but it has gone some way to seal Van Gerwen's progression and Lewis' eviction. After both players missed a handful of darts to win the opening leg, Lewis found himself 2-0 in front. Van Gerwen got on to the board in style, with a 148-checkout. Wins in legs five and six saw the Dutchman level the game before another two legs saw Van Gerwen go in front for the first time at 5-3. Van Gerwen then missed a dart to gain a point before doing so in leg ten. Lewis managed to force a deciding leg but Van Gerwen broke the throw by taking out 108 to fall over the line. Table after week-11:
1. Michael Van Gerwen PL13 20 +27
2. James Wade PL12 16 +19
3. Raymond Van Barneveld PL12 15 +10
4. Phil Taylor PL12 13 +9
5. Robert Thornton PL11 11 +2
6. Simon Whitlock PL11 11 -8
7. Andy Hamilton PL12 10 -8
8. Adrian Lewis PL11 7 -19
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