Aspinall wins Premier League night in Manchester

Nathan Aspinall delighted his home crowd in Manchester as he claimed his first nightly win of the year to move into the Premier League play-off places.

The 33-year-old from Stockport came back from 3-0 down to beat world number one Luke Humphries 6-4 in the final.

After Humphries missed a dart to go 4-0 up, Aspinall came roaring back to win the next five legs on the spin before completing victory in the 10th leg.

A lively night at the AO Arena also saw a nine-darter from Gerwyn Price and the sixth-highest average in PDC televised history - 118.43 - from Humphries in the quarter-finals.

It was more of a battle for Humphries in the semi-finals as he ground out a 6-4 win over world champion Luke Littler with neither player at their best.

Meanwhile, Aspinall put in a superb performance to beat three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen in the semi-finals, averaging 101.31 in a convincing 6-2 win.

He started slowly in the final, though, and Humphries raced into a 3-0 lead.

But Aspinall hung in and an 11-dart break of throw for 3-2 started the comeback.

The 2023 World Matchplay champion dragged his average up from the mid-70s to 93.29 and threatened to seal victory in style with six perfect darts to start the leg at 5-4.

But nerves hit at the crucial moment, the nine-darter came and went with Humphries even having darts to force a deciding leg before Aspinall finally hit double four to clinch it.

"It wasn't a pretty game in the final but I have never, ever, ever been so nervous as on those last darts," Aspinall told Sky Sports.

"I am in Manchester. What support I've had tonight. They were absolutely unreal. I wanted to win so much for the crowd.

"I've been through an horrendous two years but I am a fighter, I am a warrior and people like Michael van Gerwen call me a Jack Russell.

"I don't know when I'm beaten and at the end of the day I am in a privileged position and I respect that. I'll keep fighting till the end I will never ever give up."

Aspinall has struggled with dartitis and injury in recent years but is now up to fourth in the standings, level on points with Price in third and Van Gerwen in fifth.

Littler remains top but his lead has been trimmed to five points by Humphries.

Sparks flew in the quarter-finals.

Price was trailing Littler 5-1 in the quarter-finals when he recorded his first nine-darter, and the fourth overall, of this year's competition.

The Welshman followed Humphries, Rob Cross and Littler in achieving the perfect leg.

Price hit five 180s to one for his opponent and was only just behind the teenager's average of 103.93, but Littler ended a six-game losing streak to the 2021 world champion and tapped his watch at the end as if to say 'about time'.

Humphries faced Stephen Bunting on the back of his opponent winning his first points of the campaign following a night victory a week ago, and lifting the International Open title on Sunday.

But 2024 world champion Humphries produced a special display, with his 118.43 average the third highest in a Premier League match.

Van Gerwen shrugged off injury concerns with an impressive 6-4 defeat of Chris Dobey.

Cross was two away from his own nine-darter in the second leg of his tie against Aspinall, who reeled off four in succession to triumph 6-2 for an eighth successive win over his fellow Englishman.

Final

Nathan Aspinall 6-4 Luke Humphries

Semi-finals

Michael van Gerwen 2-6 Nathan Aspinall

Luke Littler 4-6 Luke Humphries

Quarter-finals

Chris Dobey 4-6 Michael van Gerwen

Nathan Aspinall 6-2 Rob Cross

Luke Littler 6-3 Gerwyn Price

Stephen Bunting 1-6 Luke Humphries

Premier League Darts is played across 16 initial weeks in the league stage with quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final each night.

Each of the eight players is guaranteed to face the other seven in the quarter-finals in weeks one to seven and 9-15, with week eight and week 16 fixtures done off the table. It means we will get fourth v fifth in Sheffield on the final league-stage night, with the play-off spots potentially on the line.

Players earn two points per quarter-final win, an additional point if they win their semi-final and five for winning the night.

The top four players after the group stage progress to the play-off night at London's O2 Arena on 23 May, with first facing fourth and second against third in a best-of-19-leg match. The final, which is the best of 21 legs, follows.

If players are level on points after the 16 weeks then places are decided by nights won and then matches won.

Thursday, 17 April - Rotterdam