ASPINALL WINS NIGHT 10 OF PREMIER LEAGUE

By Aaron Nijjar  

NATHAN ASPINALL has clinched the Night 10 Premier League victory in Manchester with a hard-fought 6-4 win over Luke Humphries.  

‘The Asp’ climbed back off the canvas from 3-0 down to beat Humphries in the final.  

World No, 1 Humphries missed a dart to go 4-0 up, Aspinall came roaring back to win the next five legs on the spin before completing victory in the 10th leg. 

The Stockport ace dragged his average up from the mid-70s to 93.29 and threatened to seal victory in style with six perfect darts to start the leg at 5-4. 

But nerves hit at the crucial moment, the nine-darter came and went with Humphries even having darts to force a deciding leg before Aspinall finally hit double four to clinch it.  

Following his first nightly win of the tournament, Aspinall revealed he was close to walking away from the sport a few weeks ago. 

He said: “I’ve come out and admitted that I’ve got a few issues [with his throw/dartitis] and sometimes on TV it doesn’t look the prettiest but I’ve found a way to get through it. 

“I found a way to cope with it. It does affect me, but I am winning and I am winning tournaments.  

“It is one of those where you either quit and go home or own it and make it part of your game and that is what I decided to do. I am so happy, I am in a good place and I am winning. 

“Five weeks ago I said ‘I can’t be doing this anymore’ and then the past few weeks has proved why I’m still playing darts because I am one of the best players in the world. 

“I’ve been through an horrendous two years but I am a fighter, I am a warrior and people like Michael van Gerwen call me a Jack Russell.  

“I don’t know when I’m beaten and at the end of the day I am in a privileged position and I respect that.  

“I’ll keep fighting till the end I will never ever give up. The Premier League brings the best out of me. I am so happy, I’ve been through a lot of rubbish.” 

Two-time major winner Aspinall put in a superb performance to beat three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen in the semi-finals, averaging 101.31 in a convincing 6-2 win. 

European Darts Open champion Aspinall secured an eighth consecutive victory over Rob Cross in the quarter-final. 

Humphries hit the sixth-highest average in PDC televised history – 118.43 in a 6-1 demolition against Stephen Bunting in the quarter-final.  

‘Cool Hand’ then ground out a 6-4 win over world champion Luke Littler with neither player at their best. 

Gerwyn Price hit the fourth nine-darter of this year’s Premier League but lost to teen sensation Littler in the last eight.  

Former world champion Price hit five 180s to one for his opponent and was only just behind the teenager’s average of 103.93, but Littler ended a six-game losing streak to ‘The Iceman’.

Van Gerwen shrugged off injury concerns with an impressive 6-4 defeat of Chris Dobey. 

Aspinall is up to fourth in the standings, level on points with Price in third and Van Gerwen in fifth. 

Littler remains top but his lead has been trimmed to five points by Humphries. 

Image by Taylor Lanning.