Friday 13 March 2015 11:18, UK
Michael van Gerwen held his nerve longer than Phil Taylor at the Premier League Darts in Nottingham, says Wayne Mardle.
The Dutchman went top of the table on Thursday night at the Capital FM Arena after a 7-3 victory blighted with nervousness from both players.
The opening seven legs went against throw as the world’s top two players struggled to assert themselves until Van Gerwen hit an eighth-leg 10-darter to finally hold – which Mardle believes was the springboard to victory.
“Taylor just looked so edgy because he was playing Van Gerwen,” said the Sky Sports expert. “Yet Michael didn’t look too edgy towards the end, and he alluded to the eighth leg. That was it – that was the hold of throw and it took a 10-darter to do that.
“Michael was then on a bit of a roll and feeling good about himself. There was a dart at double 10 that Taylor threw that was full of nerves and I think that’s when Michael knew the writing was on the wall – it was going to be game over really soon.
“That dart was poor, it was nervous and wasn’t thrown well. It was thrown in hope rather than propelled there.”
Winning
There was a dart at double 10 that Taylor threw that was full of nerves and I think that’s when Michael knew the writing was on the wall – it was going to be game over really soon.
Van Gerwen extended his six-match unbeaten run in the Premier League, adding to the UK Masters title he picked up last weekend, by handing Taylor his first loss in this competition.
Mardle thinks that the Netherlands thrower’s dominance at the top of the darting world made Taylor, the sport’s greatest ever player, extra nervous ahead of their meeting.
“It’s not just about being top of the pile in the Premier League,” he said. “It’s about Michael being world No 1, he’s winning everything at the moment and Taylor isn’t. Phil wanted to put that right, this was his earliest opportunity to do so in a major. He didn’t take his opportunity because Michael wouldn’t let him.
“At 3-3 you’re thinking it could go any way. At 5-3 there was only one way that was going. Van Gerwen just carries on with it. I was chatting to him behind the scenes, he’s relaxed and just getting on with it.
“He averaged 107.61 and the game was riddled by mistakes – he could have won the first three legs and made a few errors on the doubles but comes out winning 2-1. Taylor never settled, Van Gerwen did eventually.”
“Michael looked more comfortable on the oche, on the stage, and it’s not very often you say that about anybody when Taylor is their opponent.”
