Premier League Darts 2016 Results: Scores, Standings, Schedule After Aberdeen
Order of Merit leader Michael van Gerwen made history at the 2016 Premier League darts event in Aberdeen on Thursday, finishing his 7-1 win over Michael Smith with the highest recorded average in televised darts history.
Mighty Mike averaged an absurd 123.40, allowing his opponent just a single chance on the doubles to take the win in dominant fashion.
Phil Taylor edged Dave Chisnall to keep his strong form going, while world champion Gary Anderson grabbed his first win of the Premier League season against Raymond van Barneveld.
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Here's a look at Thursday's results, via Sky Sports Darts:
The latest standings:
The schedule for the rest of the Premier League darts campaign:
| Thursday, Mar. 3 | Night 5 | Exeter |
| Thursday, Mar. 10 | Night 6 | Nottingham |
| Thursday, Mar. 17 | Night 7 | Glasgow |
| Thursday, Mar. 24 | Night 8 | Liverpool |
| Thursday, Mar. 31 | Judgement Night | Cardiff |
| Thursday, Apr. 7 | Night 10 | Sheffield |
| Thursday, Apr. 14 | Night 11 | Belfast |
| Thursday, Apr. 21 | Night 12 | Bournemouth |
| Thursday, Apr. 28 | Night 13 | Birmingham |
| Thursday, May 5 | Night 14 | Manchester |
| Thursday, May 12 | Night 15 | Rotterdam |
| Thursday, May 19 | Play-Offs | London |
Recap
Van Gerwen put together one of the greatest performances in Premier League history on Thursday, firing his way to a win over Smith in just eight legs. As shared by the PDC's official Twitter account, he made some history along the way, finishing with an average of 123.40:
His numbers in the 7-1 trashing were nothing short of mind-blowing:
Van Gerwen had already earned at least a draw before Smith finally won his first leg, an opportunity he was basically gifted by the Dutchman, who missed three chances at double 18 in the seventh.
He opened the match with two 11-darters and a 12-darter—a clear sign the fans in Aberdeen were in for something special—and after six legs, he was still sporting an average of over 135.
Mighty Mike slowed down slightly in the final legs, bringing his average and checkout percentage down, but he was still given a standing ovation by the Scottish crowd as soon as the match was over. Even Premier League footballer Andros Townsend was impressed:
Per Live Darts, Van Gerwen knew he had such a performance in him:
Anderson's recent form has been spotty at best, but the defending world champion returned to his winning ways against Van Barneveld, giving the Dutchman just three frames in front of the Scottish fans.
Per the PDC's official Twitter account, the crowd was understandably ecstatic to finally see him grab his first win of the season:
Anderson broke throw in the sixth leg and never looked back, building a three-leg lead and eventually winning 7-3. He averaged well over 103, solid numbers for a player known for his ability on the doubles.
A 121 checkout set the tone in the first leg, but it was his scoring that made the difference on Thursday. Barney actually held the advantage on the doubles, but the Flying Scotsman only gave him five chances.
Meanwhile, Taylor needed all 12 legs to get past Chisnall, taking the win despite two misses on the doubles in the final leg. Chizzy grabbed the early lead through four legs and missed two chances on tops to grab a draw, allowing The Power to clear double 16 for the win.
Standings leader Peter Wright couldn't get past Robert Thornton, dropping his first points of the season in the 6-6 draw. His lead over Van Gerwen is now just a single point heading into Week 5.
All statistics are courtesy of the PDC's official website.
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