What drama in the Premier League of Darts final. In a match that couldn’t be surpassed in terms of tension, it went into the decider, in which Joe Cullen even had a match dart. But he forgave – and his opponent triumphed.
Three-time darts world champion Michael van Gerwen has won the prestigious Premier League for the sixth time, equaling the record set by icon Phil Taylor. The Dutchman narrowly beat English outsider Joe Cullen by 11:10 on Monday evening in Berlin. Van Gerwen, who will undergo hand surgery on Tuesday, pocketed 320,000 euros with the title.
Cullen throws a match dart past doubles
The dramatic endgame came to a head in the closing stages. First, van Gerwen managed a break at 9:9, which he gave up immediately. Cullen, making his Premier League debut, had a match dart in the decider but threw it just wide of doubles. Van Gerwen, on the other hand, used his first.
In the semi-finals, world number three van Gerwen, who recently had to be treated for carpal tunnel syndrome in his throwing hand, defeated Englishman James Wade 10:4. Cullen defeated defending champion favorite and main round winner Jonny Clayton (Wales) by the same score, throwing 180 eleven times – a record.
For the first time since the premiere in 2005, the final did not take place in Great Britain. Eight players had previously fought for points on 16 evenings, with only the top four advancing. A German player has never been there before.