Michael van Gerwen has stormed clear at the top of the Premier League courtesy of victory on Week Five in Exeter.
The defending champion won the final four legs of his final with Gerwyn Price in last week's competition to move into first place, and he now sits six points clear of the rest of the field.
Van Gerwen did not necessarily have to be at his best on Thursday night with neither of Price, Nathan Aspinall or Jonny Clayton averaging higher than 96.22.
That allowed the Dutch to prevail by scorelines of 6-3, 6-4 and 6-3 respectively, the final only becoming competitive when Van Gerwen squandered darts for a 5-2 lead.
DOMINANCE IN DEVON! 🟢
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) March 2, 2023
It's Van Gerwen's night again, as the Dutchman secures back-to-back nightly wins, extending his lead at the top of the table with a 6-3 success over Jonny Clayton in the final!
📺 https://t.co/kx9ccUMQvU | #PLDarts Final pic.twitter.com/H8mLpocLc5
However, a 106 checkout in the eighth leg helped him re-establish a two-leg lead before he got over the line with a 61 finish in the next leg.
While Van Gerwen will remain at the top of the standings regardless of how he fares in the next edition, second to sixth spot are separated by just two points.
Michael Smith and Aspinall are on the same points, the latter defeating the world champion in their quarter-final tie, while Price completes the top four.
Peter Wright remains bottom having lost his opening match for the fifth successive week, this time to Clayton who emerged victorious 6-5 despite averaging three points fewer than his opponent.
Darren Plant
