WRIGHT HINTS AT MVG VISION ISSUE

PETER WRIGHT sensationally claimed Michael van Gerwen’s eyesight may be failing ahead of a potential third-round clash at Ally Pally.

‘Snakebite’ whitewashed Noa-Lynn Van Leuven 3-0 in round one of the World Championships, landing nine of his 16 doubles in a clinical display.

World No30 Wright then turned his attention to a potential blockbuster meeting with MVG and hinted the Dutchman is struggling to see the board as clearly as he once did.

Wright suggested the younger generation may be gaining an edge in darts simply because their vision is sharper.

He said: “I think their eyesight’s better than ours. I think that’s about it. I think obviously Gary’s on the glasses, contacts.

“I don’t know if Michael’s wearing contacts at the moment. I think MVG’s vision’s probably going, but he doesn’t admit it at the moment.

“So my plan as a tournament is try and win, try and play well. My focus is, I want to play Michael, but he’s got to win.

“I’ve got to win my next game. I’d love that for the TV crowd. I want to beat him. I think I’d bring an extra gear or two because you’ll need it against Michael.

“Just mentioning it, I’m buzzing. It’s like a shot going through my system. I want to play Michael.

“Michael will be like, bang. I’m playing Wrighty. We’ll both be battling out and it would be an amazing game. If we both get there.

“Potentially, Gary, one of the smoothest darts players and throws in the world. I want to play him after that.

“Then after, in the bottom of the group and no disrespect to them, you ain’t got a class of darts players that are in our group.

“I suppose the guys like myself, Gary, you’ve already achieved the impossible. Yes, you want to achieve again, but these youngsters are not achieving yet. So they’ve got that more fire in their belly than us.

“Every year I come here we have this conversation, but I’ll sneak away around and manage to get to the final, two times I’ve won. I’d rather [other] people put on the press and everything.

“You get dragged everywhere, while the other guys are practising. That’s good, keep them busy and then the old guys can sneak through.”

The two-time world champion also admitted he no longer wants to feature in the World Cup after representing Scotland on 11 occasions.

Wright won the international tournament on two occasions in 2019 and 2021 but no longer has the desire to compete.

He added: “To be honest, I’m not fussed. I told Gary last year I don’t want to play in the World Cup anymore because the past two years, I don’t think the way I’ve played in the World Cup, I deserve to be in it.

“Cameron Menzies was the better player in those two years and maybe, you know, I should have stepped aside.

“But it was just like the loyalty of wanting to win another one with a great Gary Anderson.”

Wright will face Arno Merk in round two of the Worlds on December 23.

Image by Taylor Lanning.