Luke Littler 'A'... Peter Wright 'F' - Paul Nicholson grades 2024 Premier League Darts campaign

Now that the league phase of the 2024 Premier League Darts is over, it is time to take stock. Paul Nicholson has been a keen viewer and the former major winner has given each player a grade.

Having topped the table on his Premier League Darts debut, it's perhaps unsurprising that Luke Littler is given the best grade, an A. "Some people thought, myself included, that it might be a little early to include The Nuke in this, but boy were some of us very wrong!" Nicholson assesses. "I am not really sure how he could have handled this better. Ask yourself, realistically, what more could he have done to impress the sporting world since the start of February? Nothing much more. For that reason he gets a straight A in his grade, and the only reason it isn’t an A+ is because he hasn’t won every night, and let’s face it, that will never happen."

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Luke Humphries, also on debut finished second in the table. "Like Littler, this debut campaign has been sensational. Humphries has amassed four nightly wins, including Leeds most recently and a three-week spree that got him into the Play-Offs with nights to spare," says Nicholson. "His standard has been befitting a world number one and his burgeoning rivalry with the other Luke is intriguing to say the least."

Michael van Gerwen and Michael complete the playoff lineup, and although both will be content Nicholson admits he expected a little more. "We all know how good Michael van Gerwen is at this marathon format and has once again put himself in the frame to win," analyses the Asset. "I look at how Michael himself would grade the campaign. He would be very honest in giving it a less than perfect B even if he too made the Play-Offs with time to spare."

"I think this has been a slow-burning season for Michael Smith and only now is he starting to turn the corner a little," Nicholson continues. "He has done enough to get into the Play-Offs, but he would still not be have been happy with fifth going into Night 16."

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At the very bottom of the final standings of Premier League Darts we find Peter Wright. "With only two wins from 17 games played, Peter knows full well that Premier League Darts is a cruel place to be when you aren’t quite on it," Nicholson reviews.

"Its easy to sit here and scribble criticism at the two-time world champion, but we tend to forget just how high the standard has been in this 15-week spell, and when you are minutely off the top, people will squash you. Peter has done it to others over the last ten years," concludes Nicholson. "You try to crush a snake and they will bite back. If he wants to, you might want to be somewhere else when he’s motivated to get the venom out."

Final standings Premier League Darts after groups phase:

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LEAGUE TABLE! 📊 Confirmation of the final standings following Night 16, as Michael Smith claims the last remaining Play-Off place.

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