BULLY BOY SEES OFF MvG! 🏴 Michael Smith seals it in STYLE! A stunning 130 finish sees Michael Smith yet again secure a 6-4 success over Michael van Gerwen! Up next 👉 Jonny Clayton v Dimitri Van den Bergh 📺 bit.ly/PL23Live | #PLDarts QF
Smith defeats van Gerwen for the second week running as Clayton boosts play-off hopes with victory of Van den Bergh
PDCThursday, 11 May 2023 at 22:01
The semi-final line-up at Night 15 of the Premier League Darts in Sheffield is complete. After victories for Gerwyn Price and Chris Dobey earlier in the night, Michael Smith and Jonny Clayton completed the semi-final line-up thanks to wins against Michael van Gerwen and Dimitri Van den Bergh.
In a repeat of the World Championship Final and last week's semi-final, Michael Smith took on Michael van Gerwen in the third quarter-final of the night. Although Smith may have been victorious in both of those aforementioned match-ups, it was the Dutchman who took the opening leg. Taking out double 13, Bully Boy would immediately level up.
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A thunderous 154 finish would see MVG restore his lead at 2-1. The fourth leg was much nervier with both players missing darts at double before Smith finally nailed double 5 last dart in hand. More missed opportunities for van Gerwen in the next leg, as he missed five darts at tops and tens, allowed Smith a chance to move ahead, one he took gratefully,
Holding throw to move 4-2 up, Smith seemed to have awoken the beast. Van Gerwen came roaring back starting with five perfect darts and leaving 50 after nine. After cheekily going for the bullseye, 'Mighty Mike' eventually mopped double 8 to get back to 4-3.
Smith was again on hand to clean up after a van Gerwen leg in the next leg as he moved to a leg from victory. After van Gerwen saw two darts at tops come and go, Smith wired the bullseye for the match. Van Gerwen would return, pin the double and prolong the match though Smith would then rectify his near miss, pinning the bull for a match-winning 130 checkout.
In the final quarter-final of Night 15, Dimitri Van den Bergh took on Jonny Clayton with the Welshman looking to secure his top 4 status after Nathan Aspinall's earlier defeat. Van den Bergh has lost six of his last seven matches in the Premier League and that lack of confidence was showing as the Belgian missed a handful of darts at double 13 for the opening leg, allowing Clayton to punish and break throw.
A dart at the bull would come and go for Dimitri in the second leg and again Clayton pounced, this time on double 9 to go two up. Double 16 would then secure a third straight leg for the Welshman. Van den Bergh finally got on the board in leg five, as he mopped up 25 on double 8.
A scrappy set-up shot from Clayton then allowed Van den Bergh a shot at 80 and the Belgian, sensing his chance pounced, nailing the checkout in two darts to pull back to within a leg of his opponent. Clayton would then restore his two leg lead in emphatic style with a roof-raising 170.
Van den Bergh though fired right back with a big finish of his own, taking out 151 on double 17. a 52 checkout cleaned up on double 8 saw Clayton move one away from the semi-finals although the Welshman would pass up his first opportunity to seal the win, wiring double 18 for a 108 finish. After Van den Bergh punished to keep the tie alive, but it was nothing more than a consolation as Clayton secured a 6-4 win on double 8.
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