Michael van Gerwen cuts a mud figure in Birmingham and loses to finalist James Wade | Sport

Premier League DartsA week after the lost final against Joe Cullen in Rotterdam, Michael van Gerwen made a splash in Birmingham. The Dutch leader of the Premier League lost with large numbers to finalist James Wade: 2-6.

Van Gerwen against Wade was the frontrunner against the last of the Premier League against each other tonight. Mighty Mikethis week winner in the Players Championshiphas been very strong on Premier League evenings in Birmingham in recent years, where he last lost in 2014, but he certainly did not continue that form tonight.

Van Gerwen scored very poorly with an average of 87.93. The doubles did not go down well either. Van Gerwen only hit two doubles out of thirteen chances. Wade’s figures were a lot better with an average of 99.00 and a discard percentage of 60 percent (6/10).

Wade therefore goes through to the semi-finals in Birmingham while Van Gerwen is sure that he will remain at 17 points after tonight. The question is whether Peter Wright (14 points) or Jonny Clayton (12 points) can top or match that number tonight.



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