Time for more of THE CHAMPIONSSSSS....League of Darts.
Unlike its football equivalent, the Champions League of Darts hasn't featured any pointless one-sided thrashings. In fact, Gerwyn Price's
10-5 defeat of Rob Cross was the most emphatic win of day one. The evening in particular featured some real crackers, and there's plenty of excitement in store.
Day two begins with the end of the group stage. That'll be packed with tension. right? Well, the first game won't. Peter Wright is
already through; Rob Cross is already out. Still, the world number two fighting to restore pride against a man on the cusp of winning the group isn't bad. Cross just couldn't find his A-game on day one, and deserves to go home. Wright, meanwhile, had a proper Jekyll and Hyde day, and yet still won twice. Voltage finding his electrifying top form would at least help him go out in style. Snakebite won't want a nasty shock - he'll just want to avoid a semi-final with Michael van Gerwen.
What the first Group B game lacks in drama, the second game more than makes up for. There was a touching moment pre-tournament as Daryl Gurney revealed that Gerwyn Price had chipped in towards his charity fundraising efforts. There'll be no love lost on the oche, however. There has been needle between the two before, and Price will be his normal charismatic, antagonistic self. A newly-shaved Gurney was miles better against Rob Cross than against Peter Wright, and more of that ruthlessness could help him dump the Welshman out.
Gary Anderson won't be competing for the title this evening in Leicester. It means that we'll definitely have a fourth Champions League of Darts winner. That
plays nicely into Michael van Gerwen's hands. The Dutchman has averaged three figures in his first two games and, while James Wade pushed him hard, he has remained indomitable. Anderson squandered chances against Michael Smith and Wade, and was punished. He'll head home, but could still trouble Mighty Mike like he did in their Brighton group-closer a year ago.
Like Price and Gurney, Michael Smith and James Wade now face a winner-take-all bout. Smith will be encouraged by good performances on day one, even if he did get van Gerwened (a verb which here means 'to get outgunned by a shiny-headed Dutch phenomenon'). Wade, having won one and lost one narrowly, has made sure that his fate is in his own hands.
The winner of Group A will play Group B's runner-up on Sunday evening, with the Group A table-topper meeting Group A's number two. Then the two semi-final winners will meet, and after a showpiece final we'll discover the identity of the fourth Champions League of Darts winner.
Click here for more information on the Champions League of Darts as darts debuts on TV in Leicester.
PDC Champions League of Darts schedule
Day two, afternoon session
13:30 Rob Cross v Peter Wright (Group B)
14:30 Daryl Gurney v Gerwyn Price (Group B)
15:30 Michael van Gerwen v Gary Anderson (Group A)
16:30 Michael Smith v James Wade (Group A)