James Wade secured the final McCoy’s Premier League semi-final spot, as Michael van Gerwen finished top of the table following the final night of league action in Newcastle on Thursday evening.
The pair will now meet in the play-off’s on finals night, which take place at London’s O2 next week.
Wade shared a draw with world number one Phil Taylor with a gutsy display. A point proved to be enough for ‘The Machine’ to progress after Robert Thornton suffered two defeats and Simon Whitlock took a point from his two matches, ending the pairs’ semi-final aspirations.
“It was nervy but I did enough and that draw was bigger than any win I’ve had all season,” Wade told www.pdc.tv “I feel fresh now and I’m ready for the Play-Offs.
“Michael’s a brilliant player, but I’m also pretty good myself and I think it’s the most even Premier League ever. I don’t think anybody could pick a player to win it.
“I still haven’t played great, and apart probably from five games where I played well and in other games I rode my luck and got through them. I’ll prepare right for the Play-Offs and I’m looking forward to it.”
van Gerwen became the only player other than Taylor to end the season as the league leader after producing a thrilling performance to defeat Thornton.
“It was a big target for me and it’s a very special moment for me,” said van Gerwen. “It means a lot to me and you can see how difficult it is to finish top because nobody has ever done it other than Phil.
“It was important to win tonight with a very good game, and I can look forward to playing James in the semi-finals now. He’s a quality player who knows exactly how to win games, but I just want to play my own game, like I did tonight.”
Raymond van Barneveld finished in second place after securing two victories in Newcastle. ‘Barney’ will face Taylor next Thursday as he bids to reach the final for the first time.
By Chris Murphy
