Michael van Gerwen had another night to forget in front of his home crowd as Raymond van Barneveld condemned the defending champion to a second Premier League defeat in as many days in Rotterdam.
Having suffered a 7-5 loss to Peter Wright on Wednesday, Van Gerwen failed to bounce back as he ran into his inspired compatriot Van Barneveld.
The Dutch King ? pic.twitter.com/SXnGHMHaBY
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) April 19, 2018
Barney followed up his victory over Simon Whitlock, which ended a four-match losing streak, by beating Van Gerwen 7-5 to breathe new life into his slim play-off hopes.
The 50-year-old now sits sixth, four points off fourth-placed Michael Smith, while Van Gerwen’s advantage at the summit was cut.
?????#LoveTheDarts #Unibet180 pic.twitter.com/reaT2py2mL
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) April 19, 2018
Gary Anderson moved one point behind the Dutchman, level with Rob Cross, after winning three times in Holland.
The Scot continued his fine form by beating Daryl Gurney 7-3 with a 109.73 average.
Wow. Another incredible night at the Ahoy Arena.A bit frustrated I couldn’t kill off the game against Peter from 5-2 up. But fair play to him for battling back and the draw was a fair result.Once again the Dutch fans were incredible. What an occasion! ⚡️? pic.twitter.com/34KBOeJRFI
— Rob Cross (@RobCross180) April 19, 2018
World Champion Cross was denied a share of top spot as Wright fought back to claim a 6-6 draw.
Whitlock’s play-off aspirations blew up in smoke following 7-1 defeats to both Smith and Gurney.
