We're into the fifth of six consecutive days of Premier League Darts action.
There's a cluster of players involved in a battle for the four play-off spots.
Daryl Gurney isn't part of it. Another underwhelming showing, this time in a convincing defeat to
Michael Smith, leaves Gurney six points adrift with six games left. Posting sub-90 averages won't help pull off a miracle recovery. Despite defeat to
Gary Anderson ending a five-match unbeaten run,
Peter Wright remains in the
Premier League Darts playoff spots. He played well against Anderson; so there'll be no panic in the Snakebite camp.
For possibly the best Michael Smith summary of all time, here's Christopher Kempf, a.k.a Ochepedia:
https://twitter.com/ochepedia/status/1299448488099545090?s=20
Nuff said. At least Smith knows where to improve. As does
Nathan Aspinall, in fairness. He has an inherent ability to stick with players scoring big, and punishing them at the right time. The next step is bullying players who aren't playing their A-game - something Smith is quite adept at, incidentally. Out of context, a narrow defeat to Michael van Gerwen is no cause for concern at all. Yet the Dutchman was out of form, low on confidence, and 4-1 down. That should only add up to an Aspinall win, and the 2019 UK Open champion's got some amends to make.
Mighty Mike on recovery route
Glen Durrant continues to have an absolute dream of a Premier League Darts debut. Duzza sits four points clear at the top, and it's extremely hard to see him dropping out of the top four. But you can never relax in this competition, as there's always another world class player around the corner. This time it's Gary Anderson, who has proved that his heavy loss against
Gerwyn Price earlier in the week was an aberration. Anderson prefers players who play fast and, in his words, 'get on with it'. That's not exactly how Durrant rolls. This tortoise-versus-hare encounter could swing either way.
Michael van Gerwen isn't exactly back at his barnstorming best, but he's at least back in winning ways. A nervy success over Nathan Aspinall ensures that his play-off picture remains nice and clear, and may clear up some of the shakes. Gerwyn Price, meanwhile, is producing baffling stuff both on and off the oche. After a galling reverse against Glen Durrant, the last man he'd want to face is the one who beats him in the overwhelming majority of meetings. But here he is.
Click here for more information on the 2020 Premier League Darts, including the fixtures and prize money breakdown.
Schedule Premier League Darts
Saturday August 29
Milton Keynes – Marshall Arena
19:10 Daryl Gurney v Peter Wright
19:55 Michael Smith v Nathan Aspinall
20:40 Gary Anderson v Glen Durrant
21:25 Michael van Gerwen v Gerwyn Price