Van Gerwen ends bad Premier League series, but loses to Littler | Darts

The 34-year-old Van Gerwen was not given the victory against Smith. Despite an average of more than 110, he faced a 3-1 deficit after four legs. Van Gerwen then finished better and fought back into the race.

In the eighth leg he broke Smith and equalized: 4-4. Van Gerwen, who ultimately recorded an average of 105.79, won two legs in a row and secured victory.

With the victory over Smith, Van Gerwen broke a dramatic series of four Premier League defeats in a row. A match later, Van Gerwen did not come close to his best game. He achieved an average of 94.62 against Littler and could only keep up with the seventeen-year-old top talent.

Littler will have the chance to win a Premier League match for the first time later on Thursday evening. He will face Nathan Aspinall, who was too strong for Peter Wright 6-2.