Michael Smith impresses and wins first Premier League night in Cardiff
World champion Luke Humphries went down against Littler in the quarter-finals on an entertaining opening night for this season's Premier League.
Catch up on all the action:
Quarter-finals
Peter Wright 3-6 Rob Cross
Rob Cross was first to qualify for the semi-finals of the first evening of the Premier League. The 2018 world champion was too strong for 2020 and 2022 world champion Peter Wright.
Wright did not exceed 83.78 average in nine legs and will need to improve to avoid finishing bottom in the prestigious competition, as he did last year.
The Scot was still able to win his own first three legs, partly because Cross did not give much gas, but after the first break that made it 5-3, there was no turning back. Cross threw out 109 and reached match point.
In the ninth leg, Cross needed five match darts for the decision and saw Wright miss another dart on tops for a break back.
Gerwyn Price 6-4 Nathan Aspinall
Last year's losing finalist Gerwyn Price reached the semi-finals in front of his own crowd. The Welshman was too strong for 2020's losing finalist Nathan Aspinall.
Aspinall managed to get a break ahead in the first leg to loud boos from the Welsh supporters. During a game of missing dimes, Aspinall was the luckiest, seeing Price miss seven darts on the double to lead 2-0.
Price stepped up a gear and was helped to a 3-2 lead by a break. The match seemed to be played when Price took a 5-3 lead and was allowed to start the ninth leg himself, but misses allowed Aspinall to post a break back.
Aspinall succumbed to the pressure and failed to win the equalising leg. Price threw Shanghai-20 for the win and a place in the last four.
Michael van Gerwen 5-6 Michael Smith
Defending champion Michael van Gerwen did not start the Premier League season well. The seven-time winner lost his quarter-final match 6-5 to Michael Smith.
Van Gerwen escaped a 3-0 deficit early and instead managed to make it 2-2. Smith set the pace in the match and grabbed another break in the fifth leg after Van Gerwen missed an arrow on tops.
In the eighth leg, Van Gerwen managed to make up another two-leg deficit and got to start the ninth leg himself. Helped by his fifth 180 of the match, Van Gerwen went out in 13 arrows and got to match point.
Smith kept his own tenth leg and an eleventh leg had to bring a decision.
Van Gerwen was allowed to start that one. Both men did not return home and Smith became the lucky one by throwing out 60 after Van Gerwen completely wasted his chances from 130.
Luke Littler 6-2 Luke Humphries
Luke Littler (17) managed to beat world champion Luke Humphries for the second time in a week. Littler, who still lost the World Cup final to Humphries in January, was too strong for his 11-year-old compatriot, just like last week at the Dutch Dart Masters.
Littler shot out of the starting blocks and grabbed a 4-1 lead after a break. At 5-2, the world champion was taken out of his concentration for the second time by a whistler in the crowd and that cost him the match. Littler remained icily cool and threw out 85 for the win.
Semi-finals
Rob Cross 2-6 Gerwyn Price
Gerwyn Price managed to reach the final of the first evening of the Premier League 2024 in his hometown. He was too strong for Englishman Rob Cross 6-2 in the semi-final.
The first five legs all went with the arrows. Price managed to grab the first break of the match in the sixth leg to take a 4-2 lead. When he managed to keep his own seventh leg fairly simple, nothing seemed to stand between him and a final place.
The eighth leg also went to the Welshman, who is missing from The Masters this weekend. He threw out 87 and finished with the bullseye for a place in the final.
Michael Smith 6-5 Luke Littler
Michael Smith reached the final of the opening night of the Premier League at the expense of prodigy Luke Littler. The 2023 world champion once again needed 11 legs to brush aside his opponent.
Littler was scoring superbly with a 105.31 average, but Smith was cool on the doubles at the important moments (50%).
Smith led by a break in the sixth leg, but he surrendered it a leg later. Three 180 scores in Littler's last four legs were not enough for the win.
Smith neatly held his own legs and qualified for the final.
Final
Gerwyn Price 2-6 Michael Smith
Michael Smith has won the first evening of the Premier League 2024. The losing 2018 finalist was too strong in the final, winning 6-2 against Gerwyn Price, who had to settle for second place in his hometown.
Price still managed to keep his own first leg, but then lost five legs in a row. His own seventh leg grabbed that one too, after which Smith was allowed to start the eighth leg to decide the match.
Smith stepped up at the right moment and hit his third match dart.
Smith gets five points for his victory. Price will have to make do with three points. The losing semi-finalists, Rob Cross and Luke Littler, get two.
The Premier League continues next week in Berlin. This weekend, The Masters takes place.
