Premier League Darts: Peter Wright targets win in Aberdeen as top-four race heats up | Darts News

Peter Wright: “Now is the time to knuckle down and use the gold ones [darts] and blow everyone off the board”; Wright faces Joe Cullen on Night 11 of Premier League Darts in Aberdeen: watch live on Sky Sports Action on Thursday from 7pm

Peter Wright has vowed to stop ‘stupid’ tinkering of his darts ahead of the crucial Premier League run-in

The race for the top four is heating up in the Premier League… Darts.

Forget Tottenham’s tussle with Arsenal, Manchester United and West Ham for Champions League football next season, as the real battle concerns James Wade, Peter Wright, Joe Cullen and Gerwyn Price as their push for a play-off spot in the 2022 Cazoo Premier League Darts continues in Aberdeen on Thursday night.

Just seven points separate Wade in third and Price in sixth, with all four having claimed one night win so far this season. A second for any of the four – and the five points to go with it – on Thursday night would go a long way towards securing a top-four spot, with just five further nights to go before the play-offs in Berlin on June 13.

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Ahead of the Premier League’s visit to Aberdeen, we’ve dug out this classic from 2010 where Raymond van Barneveld hit a stunning nine-dart finish against Terry Jenkins.

Wright and Cullen are second on the oche on Thursday night in a showdown between fourth and fifth, while the night rounds off with a mouth-watering clash between Price and current table topper Michael van Gerwen.

Jonny Clayton opens proceedings against Gary Anderson, the Scot currently bottom of the table and in desperate need of a night win to move back into the mix, while Wade’s quest for back-to-back night wins begins against Michael Smith, still searching for a first, in the remaining quarter-final clash.

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In 2012, Phil Taylor hit a second Premier League nine-dart finish in Aberdeen against Kevin Painter.

Aberdeen has a track record too of serving up some Premier League fireworks, with two nine-darters thrown previously – Raymond van Barneveld in 2010 and Phil Taylor in 2012. Could we see a third thrown 10 years on from Taylor’s?

Thursday’s Premier League Darts will also feature a tribute to Nigel Pearson, who died aged 52 on Good Friday. Pearson commentated as part of Sky Sports’ coverage of the darts for over 15 years since joining in 2006.

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Sky Sports remembers commentator Nigel Pearson, who has died at the age of 52.

Wright vows to stop ‘stupid’ tinkering and win in Aberdeen

Peter Wright hopes a return to his World Championship winning darts will see him recapture his form and “blow everyone off the board” in the Premier League play-off race.

The world No 1 Wright, who has failed to win a night since the 2022 opener in Cardiff in February, says he is done with the constant chopping and changing of his darts.

“When I flew in from Munich this week I told myself to stop mucking around with all these darts,” Wright said. “I’m fed up with giving people chances.

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Hold on to the tissues because this one is a tear-jerker! Watch the most emotional moments in darts history, featuring Michael Smith, Peter Wright & Stephen Bunting.

“I’ve been switching my darts stupidly, that’s why the results have been up and down.

“One minute I’m averaging over a ton and the next second in the same night I’m averaging 80 – that lack of consistency doesn’t win you games.

“Now is the time to knuckle down and use the gold ones [darts] and blow everyone off the board.

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Take a look at all the best moments from Week 10 of the Premier League darts in Manchester.

“I’ve got some important stuff coming up; there’s not many weeks left in the Premier League to qualify for the play-offs and be on form for New York that’s coming up.

“There’s also the World Cup and I need to make sure I’m playing well so John (Henderson) doesn’t need to carry me!”

Wright, who brought the World Cup home to Scotland for a second time in 2021 alongside Henderson, is sure of a warm welcome to the stage in Aberdeen and has set his sights on winning “the whole night”.

“It’s great to have a homecoming as world champion and world No 1,” Wright continued.

“Joe (Cullen) is full of confidence but I’m out there to win, that’s my job. I think I will win that game and the whole night.”

Joe Cullen takes on Peter Wright in the second quarter-final of the night in Aberdeen

2022 Premier League
Night 11 – P&J Live, Aberdeen
Quarter-Finals
Jonny Clayton vs Gary Anderson
Peter Wright vs Joe Cullen
James Wade vs Michael Smith
Gerwyn Price vs Michael van Gerwen

Check out daily Darts news on skysports.com/darts, our app for mobile devices and our Twitter account @skysportsdarts. We’re back for more Premier League action from the AO Arena in Manchester on Thursday, April 14 – live on Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports Action from 7pm.