Tim Pusey wins third ANZ Premier League night after thrilling final, Simon Whitlock still outside the play-off places
PDC
Tim Pusey won the third night of the 2026 ANZ Premier League. The Australian beat compatriot Mal Cuming 5-4 in a thrilling final and moved into the top four of the standings with his victory. It was Pusey’s second nightly title in the competition, after he also came out on top in Wellington last year.
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Pusey had to dig deep to secure the win at Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena. He needed a deciding ninth leg in both the quarter-finals and the final. A successful double 10 eventually earned him the A$1,000 top prize and five valuable points in the standings.
"I'm on top of the world. The crowd loved it and I loved it," Pusey said afterwards. "It was very tight, but they lifted me up and I got there in the end.”
Pusey escapes elimination several times
The Australian began his night with a hard-fought win over Ben Robb. Pusey had chances to finish the match earlier but missed three match darts. He eventually managed to seal the victory.
Raymond Smith, who had started the third night at the top of the standings, awaited him in the semi-finals. That match was another tough test, but Pusey came out on top once again. He then booked his place in the final against Cuming, who had also enjoyed an excellent tournament.
PUSEY CONQUERS CUMING IN THRILLER! 🎯 Tim Pusey has held his nerve in a nail-biting final, edging Mal Cuming 5-4 to claim his second ANZ Premier League nightly title in a dramatic Melbourne showdown! 📺 https://t.co/Dogi6ykEH5 #ANZPL | Night Three https://t.co/NkqCuk5e9Z
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) October 10, 2026
As in his opening match, Pusey had to go all the way. The two Australians could not be separated, making a deciding ninth leg necessary.
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Pusey kept his nerve in the decider. He finished the match with his second dart at double 10 to claim his second nightly title in the ANZ Premier League.
Cuming impresses with whitewash win over Whitlock
Mal Cuming also enjoyed a successful night. The experienced Australian reached the final of an ANZ Premier League night for the first time in his third appearance.
Cuming opened with a convincing 5-2 win over Jonny Tata. He then produced a standout result in the semi-finals, thrashing defending champion Simon Whitlock 5-0.
Whitlock had beaten Brody Klinge 5-3 earlier in the evening, but never found his rhythm against Cuming.
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Raymond Smith also reached the semi-finals. The league leader survived a scare in his quarter-final against Joe Comito. Comito had three match darts but failed to take any of them, allowing Smith to snatch a 5-4 win.
It was Comito’s tenth consecutive defeat in the ANZ Premier League. After three nights, both he and Brody Klinge are still waiting for their first win.
Pusey looks forward to returning to New Zealand
Pusey’s win in Melbourne has brought him firmly into the battle for a place on finals night. The Australian is now among the top four players in the standings.
The next night takes place in Auckland on Friday. It is the only event this season to be held in New Zealand. The matches will be played at the Te Paepae Theatre, part of the recently opened New Zealand International Convention Centre.
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For Pusey, it will be a return to the country where he claimed his first ANZ Premier League nightly title last year. He is looking ahead to the next event with confidence.
"I can't wait for Auckland. I won in New Zealand last year, so let's do it again. I think the crowd likes me more than the Kiwis!” the Australian joked.
In the quarter-finals on the fourth night, Pusey will face Brody Klinge. Ben Robb and Simon Whitlock will also meet, while Mal Cuming takes on Raymond Smith. Jonny Tata faces Joe Comito.
Read also
Results: ANZ Premier League, Night 3
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| Simon Whitlock | 5-3 | Brody Klinge | QF |
| Mal Cuming | 5-2 | Jonny Tata | QF |
| Tim Pusey | 5-4 | Ben Robb | QF |
| Raymond Smith | 5-4 | Joe Comito | QF |
| Mal Cuming | 5-0 | Simon Whitlock | SF |
| Tim Pusey | 5-3 | Raymond Smith | SF |
| Tim Pusey | 5-4 | Mal Cuming | FINAL |
ANZ Premier League standings after 3 of 5 nights
| Rank | Name | Nightly titles | Matches won | Leg difference | Points |
| 1 | Raymond Smith | 1 | 5 | +8 | 9 |
| 2 | Tim Pusey | 1 | 5 | +4 | 8 |
| 3 | Mal Cuming | 0 | 4 | +8 | 7 |
| 4 | Jonny Tata | 1 | 3 | -3 | 5 |
| 5 | Simon Whitlock | 0 | 2 | -7 | 4 |
| 6 | Ben Robb | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | Brody Klinge | 0 | 0 | -5 | 0 |
| 8 | Joe Comito | 0 | 0 | -5 | 0 |
Lucas MichaelDarts Journalist
Lucas Michael is a darts journalist and reporter based in Cambridge, UK, and has been part of the DartsNews team since 2025. He covers professional darts through reports, analysis, round-ups, and live coverage, with a focus on clear context and accurate reporting across the PDC calendar.
A key part of his work is liveblogging major tournaments throughout the year, providing real-time updates, match coverage, and contextual reporting across the professional circuit. He also reports regularly from events on site and has covered the PDC World Darts Championship from the venue, delivering first-hand insight throughout the tournament.
Within the newsroom, Lucas works closely with the editorial team and supports coverage alongside Chief Content Officer Samuel Gill and reporter Kieran Wood.
Lucas holds a BA (Hons) in Sports Journalism. In his work, he places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating content promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- I'm a big Clayton fan, but he's got this completely wrong. Qualification criteria exists for a reason - so just as failing to make the top 32/64 for the Euro championships/PT Finals means you miss out, so does not lifting a title for this one.26sForFun12-10-2026
- The players who deliberately slow the game down are usually boring and win very little in the way of silverware. Horrible to watch.MrYnyslas197112-10-2026
- [“The Gentle” then used a sweeping and questionable phrase...] You anglocucks are hilariously finished in every sense of the word.Critical99911-10-2026
- I love Jonny but I disagree. The Grand Slam was always supposed to be "champion of champions" type competition. If the top 16 are guaranteed participation in everything there will be so much less jeopardy involved in qualifying and each major tournament will lose its unique flavour which the PDC has worked hard trying to develop. I enjoy following the qualification races towards the end of the year, and while consistency should have its rewards, the truth is Jonny hasn't reached a major final all year or won a single event on the Pro Tour. Being consistent is one thing, but that alone should have consequences as the sport's elite should not be prepared to accept consistently strong performances, their foremost motivation should be to win and this should be what separates them from the rest, not the consistency of their performances. Jonny is expecting that losing should be enough; it shouldn't be, at least not as far as the Grand Slam is concerned.Deduce635811-10-2026
- Well being honest,it doesn't matter what level you play at, there's always someone who slows it down to suit themselves,and extra swig of water, replacing flights, asking the ref what the score is. It happens wherever. I'm not saying it's professional,but I'm sure we've all seen it beforerick6711-10-2026
- Agree completely. Not sure how a ranking event can have a criteria not based on rankings. And he right on popularity. In the UK second only to football.BandB11-10-2026
- Doesn't matter who's in it,it's boringrick6710-10-2026
- Assuming you qualify as one of the "muppets" in question. Classist too. And since you're so clearly interested in academia, look up "linguistic descriptivism" while you're at it. Oh, and better stay away from the working class sport of darts and maybe offer your insightful analysis to, let's say, croquet instead?Deduce635806-10-2026
- The consequences of being uneducated and grammatically challenged. "To all THOSE muppets not THEM " Everytime I see Arsepinall, I have an image of him wearing a cap, standing behind the counter of a fast food establishment.richieburnettrocks05-10-2026
- I don't understand Littler's reason for playing this tournament.rick6705-10-2026
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