Five things to consider when the PDC Premier League darts comes to Glasgow
OVO Hydro (Credit: Google Maps 2024)
The premier league of darts will be returning on Thursday 15 February and Glasgow’s OVO Hyrdo will be the venue as some of the best players in the world will come to Clydeside to throw.
Scotland’s own Peter Wright will face off against Michael van Gerwen, in the event featuring Luke Littler, Nathan Aspinall, Rob Cross, Michael Smith and Gerwyn Price
Some will be playing in the Players Championship in Wigan tonight, but here’s what we can expect so far:
1. Gerwyn Price’s return after controversial withdrawal
The controversial Welshman Gerwyn Price will be returning to the oche after storming off against Northern Irish player Brendan Dolan after blasting the “less than amateur conditions.”
The Northern Irish man was 4-2 up in the 6-leg match when Price stormed off, without specifying a reason for his withdrawal, later writing on social media that the conditions were “absolutely pathetic.”
The PDC responded saying that they understood the Welshman, nicknamed the ‘Ice Man,’ felt that the venue was cold.
Always the provocateur, this is not the first and is unlikely to be the last time Price will make headlines for more than just his playing.
Love him or hate him, Price is always guaranteed to put on a show however well he throws and with him only being a couple points off Littler and Van Gerwyn in second and third place respectively – it’s likely he’ll bring a bit of fight.
2. A Big Performance Needed for Peter Wright
Livingston born Peter Wright will need a big performance to regain some credibility after sitting at the bottom with Nathan Aspinall, both on zero points.
Ex-pro Wayne Mardle has suggested that the two-time PDC World Championship winner is in the worst form of his life and with him being knocked out the World Championship this year to the unseeded Jim Williams
Wright who has never won the Premier League of Darts (but came runner up in 2017) will be hoping that a Scottish home crowd can help to spur him onto some better performances than he has been producing lately.
You can read the Glasgow Standard’s Peter MacKay’s analysis on Wright’s game from yesterday here.
3. Luke Littler’s Glasgow Debut
Luke Littler has captured everyone’s imaginations after his shock run to the final of the World Championship this year, becoming the youngest member to do so at 16 years and 347 days.
Littler is raring from his victory last night in the Player’s Championship, firing a nine darter on his way to a 6-1 victory over Michele Turetta
It will be Littler’s first time playing in Glasgow as a professional arrows player and is breathing down Michael Smith’s neck in first with five points to his seven. But he’ll also be aware that Van Gerwen who is also on the same number of points, will have similar ideas.
Littler conceded that he’d had trouble understanding the accent after meeting his hero Sir Alex Ferguson, it’ll be interesting to see if his form can withstand 10,000 roaring Glaswegians.
4. Van Gerwen’s Title Defence but Glasgow Woes
Only two points off the top spot, Dutchman Van Gerwen will be vying to see if he can put in a performance that could see him retain his title.
The veteran is the most successful player in the tournament’s history, with the titles he won in 2022 and 2023 being the sixth and the seventh times he has won the competition respectively.
Despite winning the title last year, Van Gerwen was knocked out in the first round by Nathan Aspinall 6-5 at the competitions Glasgow leg
Darts News reported yesterday that the Dutchman had spent sometime at the weekend at Disneyland Paris with his family, getting in some vital rest before he ventures over to Glasgow in his venture for three titles in a row.
5. Michael Smith to Try and Continue Glasgow and Tournament Success
Michael Smith comes to Glasgow with the lead at the top of the table and perhaps with memories of when he won at the Hydro last year.
He also made it to the semi-finals in 2022, suggesting that Glasgow could be a good patch for him to try and maintain his lead at the top.
Smith has never won the tournament and despite coming runner up in 2018, he will be hoping that Glasgow will be an opportunity to put him in a good position to go one further.
