30 YEARS OF AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM IN DARTS

Wright: “I still have MVG in pocket!”

08/04/2021 By Thomas Deveney

By Phil Lanning

PETER WRIGHT hit back at Michael van Gerwen saying that he’s still got the Dutchman in his pocket.

The Livingston-born star got his Unibet Premier League title bid back on track with a 7-4 win over fellow Scot Gary Anderson.

But Wright, 51, had a cheeky dig at MVG after the Dutch ace had suggested the Scot “was in his pocket” the previous night. 

Wright admitted: “I love Michael to bits. He’s fantastic. We’ve got to have banter in the sport. Good on him.

“But he’s only got me in the pocket once. But does he remember the two times I beat him before that? He’s still in my pocket…I think!”

Wright had struggled badly in his defeat to Van Gerwen on night two but he revealed it was mainly down to not feeling well after arriving in Milton Keynes.

He added: “Maybe I had a bad McDonald’s I don’t know. I just felt really ill all afternoon. I felt ill against Jonny (Clayton) but nowhere near as bad and then just all day yesterday felt like throwing up all the time even like drinking tea or water. It was horrible, I didn’t even wanna go up on stage.

“There was no excuse, I wanted to go up and try and give Michael a game but I knew the way I was feeling I had no chance. 

“Michael didn’t play nowhere near like he can either. He was obviously trying to batter me and it wasn’t happening but it’s always like that when someone’s not playing well against you.”

Wright admitted that he was relieved to feel an improvement but expected a harder game from his World Cup-winning team-mate Anderson.

He added: “I didn’t feel well until Wednesday afternoon. I was praying it would go away otherwise I thought I’d be bottom of the Premier League, favourite to go out.

“But lucky enough I eat the right things and picked up the right darts, I don’t know!

“Gary played fantastic yesterday and the day before. So I was expecting him coming out all guns blazing and for me to walk off with another hiding. But obviously he had a night like I did last night, he wasn’t on it.”

Images by Taylor Lanning.