Nathan Aspinall beat Michael Smith, Luke Humphries, and Peter Wright to move up to third in the Premier League table; Watch the Premier League Darts every Thursday night up until the Play-Offs at London's O2 on Thursday, May 23 - live on Sky Sports
Friday 19 April 2024 10:42, UK
Nathan Aspinall gave his hopes of clinching a play-off spot a huge boost with a 6-4 victory over Michael Smith on Night 12 of the Premier League in Rotterdam.
Aspinall entered the final just one point ahead of Smith in the Premier League table but kept his advantage with a clinical display to move him up to third on 23 points, sitting behind Luke Humphries and Luke Littler who both sit on 26 points.
Michael van Gerwen then sits in fourth on 22 points, with Smith two points off the play-offs on 20.
It is Aspinall's second nightly win after his victory in Exeter and he was on song with his treble-hitting in the final, taking a 4-2 lead against his play-off rival.
Smith fought back to bring the game to 5-4 as he reeled in the Big Fish but the Asp stayed in control, clinching the match dart on D8.
Following his win, Aspinall was careful to not get too fair ahead of himself as he feels he still needs some crucial points to seal a play-off spot at the O2 Arena in London on May 23.
"Last year I missed out on nightly wins and I was on 24," he said.
"We said 26 [points] about three or four weeks ago but looking at that table it could be a push I think but it's fantastic.
"Credit to all the lads. In my opinion they made this Premier League exciting, the most enjoyable one that I've been involved in and there's a lot to play for still.
"All of us get on. There's a lot of banter in the back room. I just missing my mate [Chris] Dobey.
"I think if you win the Premier League this year you've done well."
Aspinall's moment of the night came in the semi-final as he pulled off an epic comeback to defeat world champion Luke Humphries 6-4 in the second semi-final of the night.
Humphries took control early on and two breaks of throw gave him a quick 4-1 lead.
However, Aspinall battled valiantly and finally found his groove, winning five legs on the spin to make it to a final against the man also battling it out for a play-off spot.
The Night 12 winner started with a 6-2 thrashing of Peter Wright who was well off his game, competing with his lowest-ever TV average of 77.
Aspinall was on top throughout the whole encounter, sealing the deal with a massive 110 checkout, the moment of the match.
Fellow finalist Smith started his night with a cool, calm, and collected performance as he took a 6-3 victory over Luke Littler.
Littler got off to a perfect start as he broke Smith's throw with a sensational 164 checkout but Smith showed his class to fight back, taking three legs in a row on the way to sealing his semi-final spot.
He then held his nerve to seal his spot in the final with a 6-5 final-leg decider against Gerwyn Price.
It was a high-quality clash as both players were solid on the trebles but Price's doubling let him down, Bully Boy clinching the win on tops and his fourth spot in the final in the 2024 Premier League.
Elsewhere, Humphries held off a Michael van Gerwen fightback in front of his hometown crowd to secure a 6-4 win in the final quarter-final of the night.
The world No 1 looked in control as he took a 5-2 lead but the Dutchman fought hard to bring the score back to 5-4, Humphries staying calm under pressure to pin D12 and silence the crowd.
Price also put in a solid performance in his quarter-final against Rob Cross to take some crucial points in a 6-3 victory.
The majority of the match went with the throw as both players averaged around 100 until the Iceman found a crucial break to go 5-3 up, nailing D10 for the match.
The Premier League continues with Night 13 in Liverpool on Thursday April 25 at the M&SBank Arena, as Littler and Price collide in the opening match of the night.
Humphries and Aspinall then go head-to-head, with Wright up against MVG, and Smith facing Cross.
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