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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
Robert Thornton and Michael van Gerwen claimed triumphs in the first two Players Championships of 2013 in Wigan at the weekend.
The pair warmed up for the final night of McCoy’s Premier League action on Thursday by each collecting the recently increased first prizes of £10,000.
Thornton, who is chasing a Premier League play-off place when he meets van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld in Newcastle, took Saturday’s title with brilliant run at Robin Park.
The Scottish ace stormed to a 6-0 final success over Ronnie Huybrechts, averaging over 111 to seal his second Pro Tour victory of the year.
van Gerwen claimed his sixth floor tournament success on Sunday when he saw off Stuart Kellet 6-1 in the final.
‘Mighty Mike’ needs a point from his match with ‘The Thorn’ to finish top of the Premier League table in his debut season.
Further reports are available at the players’ official websites: www.robertthornton.co.uk / www.michaelvangerwen.tv
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Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld sealed McCoy’s Premier League play-off places, leaving James Wade, Robert Thornton and Simon Whitlock to battle it out of the final top four spot after a dramatic night in Liverpool on Thursday.
van Gerwen’s victory over Andy Hamilton saw the 24-year-old reach the semi-finals on his debut season with one week of league action remaining.
And the Dutchman, who triumphed 7-4 against ‘The Hammer’, has set his sights on becoming the only player other than Phil Taylor, who has also qualified for the play-offs, to finish top of the table.
“I was always confident of making the top four but I am proud to have done it,” admitted van Gerwen, the world number two.
“Now I want to finish first. That would be a great achievement because only Phil has done it.
“It will be amazing to play in the Play-Offs at the O2 in London. I lost out in the youth final there last year so I really want to go and win the Premier League.”
van Barneveld can still catch his compatriot after enjoying a 7-4 success against Adrian Lewis in Merseyside to cement his place in the semi-finals.
Whitlock’s victory over Wade kept him in contention while Thornton can still make the top four despite losing out Taylor.
Wade, who also lost out to Hamilton, sits in the fourth and final play-off spot ahead of the last night of the league phase.
By Chris Murphy
Remaining Fixtures (Newcastle, May 9) Andy Hamilton v Adrian Lewis Robert Thornton v Raymond van Barneveld Adrian Lewis v Simon Whitlock Phil Taylor v James Wade Michael van Gerwen v Robert Thornton Simon Whitlock v Raymond van Barneveld
Latest League Table
| After Week 13 | P | W | D | L | +/- | LWAT | Pts |
| Michael van Gerwen (Q) | 15 | 10 | 2 | 3 | +28 | 36 | 22 |
| Phil Taylor (Q) | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | +22 | 39 | 19 |
| Raymond van Barneveld (Q) | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | +18 | 36 | 19 |
| James Wade | 15 | 7 | 2 | 6 | +6 | 30 | 16 |
| Robert Thornton | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | +2 | 30 | 15 |
| Simon Whitlock | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | -6 | 31 | 14 |
| Andy Hamilton | 15 | 6 | 0 | 9 | -9 | 29 | 12 |
| Adrian Lewis | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | -29 | 21 | 7 |
Michael van Gerwen, James Wade and Raymond van Barneveld could secure their places in the McCoy’s Premier League play-offs when the tournament visits Liverpool on Thursday.
But Simon Whitlock and Robert Thornton can keep their bids to reach the top four alive with victories on the penultimate night of the league stage.
Table-topping van Gerwen needs just a point from his match against Andy Hamilton after missing the chance to cement his place in the finals, which take place at London’s O2 in a fortnight, with defeat to Whitlock last week.
The 24-year-old Dutch ace bounced back to win his fifth UK Open qualifier from the series of eight events on Sunday, however, and is determined to take that form to Merseyside.
He told the PDC’s official website: “Winning on Sunday was good preparation for me because I’ve got a couple of tough weeks ahead in the Premier League.
“Last week was disappointing for me and I don’t like losing, but it’s part of the game and you can’t win for 14 weeks in a row. I missed too many doubles but it’s a new game this week and I’ve got to make sure I win against Andy.”
Thornton will need to complete a historic double over reigning champion Phil Taylor in order to stay in contention for a play-off spot.
‘The Scotsman’, whose victory over ‘The Power’ in Brighton was his third in their last four televised meetings, would be the first player in the Premier Leagues eight year history to defeat the 16-time World Champion twice in one season should he repeat the feat in Liverpool.
‘The Thorn’ conceded that Taylor, who is looking to cement his top four position, will be out for revenge.
He’ll be out for my blood!” said Thornton.
“I’m just going to go up on stage and do my best and enjoy myself, and whatever happens will happen.
“You’ve got to thrive playing against the best players and I’ve done that for most of this season. If you don’t play at your best then they’ll run riot against you.”
Wade will qualify for the play-offs if he wins both of his matches on Thursday, as he takes on Whitlock and Hamilton, who both need wins and other results to go their way to stay in with a chance of a place in the finals.
van Barneveld faces Adrian Lewis, the only player that is mathematically out of the running for a top four finish, with the Dutchman hoping to seal his play-off place after missing out last year.
By Chris Murphy
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Michael van Gerwen topped the Order of Merit after winning five of the eight ranked Speedy Services UK Open qualifiers, as fellow Premier League stars James Wade, Robert Thornton, Simon Whitlock and Raymond van Barneveld all booked their places at the Bolton tournament.
van Gerwen won the final event of the 2013 series on Sunday, when the field of qualifiers for June’s finals were confirmed.
As one of the top 32 in the final Order of Merit, ‘Mighty Mike’ gains automatic entry to the third round on Friday June 7 along with reigning champion Thornton, Whitlock, van Barneveld, Paul Nicholson and Mark Webster.
Andy Jenkins qualified for the second round on Thursday June 6 as he collected £1,800 in prize money and returned to the top 64 in the world rankings.
Joining ‘Rocky’ in round two are Co Stompe, John Henderson and Arron Monk, while Wade, Chris Aubrey, Vincent van der Voort and James Hubbard all also qualified for the tournament and will compete in the first round on the Thursday.
Robert Thornton secured a brilliant McCoy’s Premier League double in Birmingham, where Simon Whitlock defeated Michael van Gerwen on Thursday evening.
Thornton kept up the heat on the top four with victories against Andy Hamilton and Adrian Lewis at the NIA.
“It was an important couple of wins for me,” admitted the Scotsman, who faces Phil Taylor next week in Liverpool.
“I have slipped up a bit in the last couple of weeks but I’ve kept myself in it and I’m looking forward to the challenge of reaching the play-offs.
“I’ve had the better of Phil in our last few matches so if that continues then I’ve got a great chance of closing the gap.”
Whitlock was denied a double when he lost out to Taylor after seeing off league leader van Gerwen earlier in the evening.
Raymond van Barneveld came out on top in his match against James Wade, while Lewis lost to Taylor in the other match of the night.
By Chris Murphy
Image courtesy of Lawrence Lustig/PDC
Further match reports and reaction can be found on the players’ official websites:
www.jameswade.co.uk www.simonwhiltock.tv www.michaelvangerwen.tv www.robertthornton.tv www.barneyuk.tv
Michael van Gerwen can secure his place at the McCoy’s Premier League play-off finals with a positive result in Birmingham, where James Wade and Raymond van Barneveld will be looking to move closer to cementing their places inside the top four.
Simon Whitlock and Robert Thornton are also in the race to compete in the tournament’s finale in May ahead of the twelfth night of action on Thursday.
League leader van Gerwen is hoping to celebrate his 24th birthday by obtaining the point that would guarantee his place at London’s O2 in next month’s finals night but his opponent Simon Whitlock knows the importance of securing victory to keep his own bid alive.
Whitlock
, who hit a nine-dart finish in last year’s play-offs and finished as runner-up, faces a double-header against world number two van Gerwen and the highest ranked player, Phil Taylor. But ‘The Wizard’ insisted that he is not daunted by the challenge.
“I’ve got the top two players in the world rankings but I’ll be looking to do some damage,” warned Whitlock, who has claimed back-to-back victories since surviving relegation.
“I know that I can beat both of these guys but you’ve got to play one match at a time. I need to get at least six points out of my next five matches to have a chance of reaching the play-offs but I’m going in the right direction.”
Second and third place will go head to head in Birmingham as Wade and van Barneveld clash at the NIA.
After the pair shared a draw in their previous meeting, Wade is confident of getting a result against the Dutch star.
“I won’t lose to him,” said ‘The Machine’, speaking to www.pdc.tv 
“We drew the last time we played and I was awful. I had gastroenteritis and hadn’t slept for two days and I still got a draw.
“He has been getting good results but I don’t think he is at his very best and I’m starting to get closer to mine so I look forward to playing him.”
Thornton takes on Stoke pair Andy Hamilton and Adrian Lewis and is looking to close the gap on the top four, or even climb back into it, after falling two points behind fourth-placed Taylor.
“My focus is on the reaching the play-offs now,” said the Scottish ace.
“That can only be achieved one game at a time though and it starts again with a tough match on Thursday.
“A win against Andy started what has been an amazing first season in the McCoy’s Premier League for me and hopefully another one can kick-start my play-off push.
“Whatever happens then I have to prepare for Adrian Lewis. It will be a difficult night but it could be a very sweet one if it goes right.”
Taylor and Lewis face each other in the evening’s other match.
By Chris Murphy
Images courtesy of Lawrence Lustig/PDC
Latest League Table
| P | W | D | L | +/- | LWAT | Ave | Pts | |
| Michael van Gerwen | 13 | 9 | 2 | 2 | +27 | 32 | 99.25 | 20 |
| James Wade | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | +19 | 28 | 96.78 | 16 |
| Raymond van Barneveld | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | +10 | 31 | 98.50 | 15 |
| Phil Taylor | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | +9 | 30 | 99.60 | 13 |
| Robert Thornton | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | +2 | 25 | 98.48 | 11 |
| Andy Hamilton | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | -8 | 23 | 94.56 | 10 |
| Simon Whitlock | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | -8 | 23 | 93.94 | 10 |
| Adrian Lewis | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | -19 | 18 | 91.46 | 7 |
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James Wade and Michael van Gerwen tightened their hold on McCoy’s Premier League play-off positions, while Simon Whitlock kept himself in the race on Thursday evening in Dublin.
Wade secured a 7-4 victory against Robert Thornton to move onto 16 points in second place behind van Gerwen, who increased his lead at the top to four points with two wins at the O2.
‘Mighty Mike’, who also claimed four points in Sheffield last week, upped his debut season tally to 20 with triumphs over Raymond van Barneveld and Adrian Lewis.
The Dutch star averaged over 106 in his 7-4 success against ‘Barney’, who shared a draw with Phil Taylor to boost his bid to stay in the top four.
Whitlock earned an impressive 7-3 victory over Andy Hamilton, who had lost out to Taylor in the opening match of the night.
van Gerwen, whose exploits included finishes of 152 and 158, admitted his delight at his Dublin double.
“This is the biggest crowd I’ve played in front of and it felt great,” said van Gerwen who also won a UK Open qualifier last Sunday.
“My confidence is high and I’m very happy with how I’ve done in this Premier League.
“I have great people behind me and I am enjoying everything at the moment.
“It is difficult playing two games but I’ve won them both times and now I just need to win once every week.”
The race for May’s finals night continues in Birmingham next Thursday.
By Chris Murphy
Image courtesy of Lawrence Lustig/PDC
Further match reports and reaction can be found on the players’ official websites:
www.jameswade.co.uk www.simonwhiltock.tv www.michaelvangerwen.tv www.robertthornton.tv www.barneyuk.tv
Latest League Table
| After Week 11 | P | W | D | L | +/- | LWAT | Pts |
| Michael van Gerwen | 13 | 9 | 2 | 2 | +27 | 32 | 20 |
| James Wade | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | +19 | 28 | 16 |
| Raymond van Barneveld | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | +10 | 31 | 15 |
| Phil Taylor | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | +9 | 30 | 13 |
| Robert Thornton | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | +2 | 25 | 11 |
| Andy Hamilton | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | -8 | 23 | 10 |
| Simon Whitlock | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | -8 | 23 | 10 |
| Adrian Lewis | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | -19 | 18 | 7 |
Michael van Gerwen is hoping to extend his lead at the top of the McCoy’s Premier League with another double-header in Dublin, where James Wade, Robert Thornton, Raymond van Barneveld and Simon Whitlock will bid to boost their play-off chances.
van Gerwen, who took four points from two matches in Sheffield last week, faces van Barneveld and Adrian Lewis on the eleventh night of action in what is proving to be a fabulous debut season for the young Dutchman.
Victories over Wade and World Champion Phil Taylor pulled ‘Mighty Mike’ two points clear of the chasing pack at the top of the table and the reigning World Grand Prix champion has his eyes set on increasing that advantage in front of 10,000 fans at the O2 Arena.
He told the PDC’s official website: “I’m top of the table now and I want to keep my place there.
“I’m really happy with how I’m playing and I’m very confident at the moment.
“Last week was a difficult night for me but I walked away with four points against Phil Taylor and James Wade, and it would be great to do it again in Dublin.
“I like to play Raymond, and I think it’s a game that everyone else likes to see at the moment too because we’ve had some great matches in the Grand Slam final and at the Premier League earlier this year.
“I’m looking forward to playing Adrian too because he beat me earlier this season, so it would be nice to win this time. It’s two big games for me in a great venue and I’m going to enjoy it.”
Second-placed Wade goes head to head with Thornton, who is currently occupying the final play-off spot.
van Barneveld faces the tough task of taking on van Gerwen and Taylor in the same evening, while Whitlock is hoping victory against Andy Hamilton can put him firmly in the race for May’s finals night.
“It’s another huge game against somebody above me in the table,” said the Australian, who won a UK Open qualifying tournament at the weekend.
“Andy is a tremendous player and really tough to beat because he is so gritty.
“I’ve got eight points at the moment and am probably going to need at least 15 or 16 to make the top four.
“There’s a lot of work to do but there’s still six games left for me to play and a lot can happen in that time.”
By Chris Murphy
Images courtesy of Lawrence Lustig/PDC
Updates from the McCoy’s Premier League will be available as usual via twitter: @modusdarts180 , Facebook and here at www.modusdarts.tv
Match reports and reaction can be found on the players’ official websites:
www.jameswade.co.uk www.simonwhiltock.tv www.michaelvangerwen.tv www.robertthornton.tv www.barneyuk.tv
Simon Whitlock and Michael van Gerwen both picked up Pro Tour victories in Wigan at the weekend.
Whitlock won Saturday’s UK Open Qualifier Five with an excellent final victory over van Gerwen, who went on to win Sunday’s event – his fourth success out of the six floor events played so far this year.
‘The Wizard’ produced some magic on Saturday to win through a tough field of players competing to gain entry for June’s UK Open.
He fought back from 5-1 down to defeat Ian White 6-5 in the quarter-finals before seeing off Peter Wright to reach the final, where he claimed an impressive 6-1 win against world number two van Gerwen.
“This is one of the best wins I’ve ever had. I’m absolutely thrilled to bits,” Whitlock told the PDC’s official website.
“I had a bit of luck earlier on but I played really well in the final and I’m over the moon.
“At 5-1 down against Ian White you don’t expect to win, but I somehow pulled one out of the bag and got there. You need a little bit of luck sometimes and I got that today, and I just rode with it.”
van Gerwen, whose run to Saturday’s final included a second victory in three days against World Champion Phil Taylor, clinched Sunday’s £6,000 first prize by edging past Kim Huybrechts in the final.
His best performance en route to glory was a 6-1 semi-final success over Michael Smith, with the Dutchman averaging over 112.
“I’m very proud of myself but I can still do better than this,” van Gerwen told the PDC’s official website.
“It feels so good to get another win. I’m very confident at the moment and that has a lot to do with it because I’m even winning bad games and I’m doing very well.
“I’m playing well and I’m happy with my form – in the semi-final against Michael Smith I threw some great darts. It was a fabulous game and I enjoyed it – but I still had to win the final and it was a very important win for me.”
Whitlock and van Gerwen will now turn their attentions back to the McCoy’s Premier League, which continues in Dublin on Thursday evening.
By Chris Murphy
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