VAN GERWEN WINS OPENING PREMIER LEAGUE NIGHT

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN won the opening night of the Premier League after beating Gian van Veen in the final at Newcastle.

‘Mighty Mike’ averaged 97.81 to overcome his Dutch compatriot 6-4 in the event showpiece.

World No.4 Van Gerwen broke his duck in the weekly invitational tournament, having failed to claim a nightly victory last year.

The three-time world champion also bounced back from his shock first-round exit at the World Masters last week to claim the £10,000 top prize.

Van Gerwen admits there is still room for improvement and insists the Premier League is not his main priority.

He said: “It’s definitely a good start, but without even playing my A-performance I still won it.

“I had some fantastic finishing in the right moments and whenever I had to perform on my own leg I did it.

“That makes you win games. It’s about f****** time I win something.

“There is still a lot to work on and I know I can do better than this, but it just gives you confidence.

“Winning games is the best medicine to perform better.

“It’s always nice to respond well. Of course, in the Masters I had some issues at home with my kids and everything.

“So I had to deal with that. I am also a father, so to bounce back here with the win in the Premier League at Newcastle means a lot to me.

“It’s a nice start and it gives you confidence because it is going to be a long 16 weeks.

“My main priority is not the Premier League, it is the ranking tournaments.

“So I always said after the World Championship the Premier League is the second biggest tournament for us players.

“But for me personally the UK Open and Matchplay are more important.”

Van Gerwen rattled off six legs on the spin to beat Stephen Bunting 6-2 in their opener.

MVG was clinical on the doubles, converting six of his seven attempts to overcome Luke Humphries 6-2 in the semi-final.

Van Veen knocked Luke Littler out with a 6–4 victory in the quarter-final and repeated the scoreline in defeating Jonny Clayton.

‘The Nuke’ saw his 25-match unbeaten run in PDC Premier events come to an end, with his previous loss having been a second-round exit to James Wade at the European Championship on October 25.

Humphries got his campaign off to a winning start after surviving match darts to edge Gerwyn Price 6-5 at the Utilita Arena.

Clayton averaged a blistering 109.81 to dispatch Josh Rock 6-2 in the last eight.

Image by Kieran Cleeves.