Premier League Darts Exeter: Nathan Aspinall puts in dominant display against Rob Cross to claim first nightly win | Darts News
- Jody
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Nathan Aspinall secured his first Premier League nightly win with a dominant 6-2 victory over Rob Cross in Exeter.
Aspinall got off to a blistering start in the final against Cross and made it count, taking a 5-0 lead with two breaks of throw.
His highlight came in the fifth leg as he hit a sensational 160 checkout, leaving ‘Voltage’ with no answer.
Cross came back to take two legs, sealing one with a brilliant 121 checkout, but it was too little too late as Aspinall stayed calm, held his nerve, and nailed tops for the win.
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The success marks the continued turnaround for Aspinall after struggling in the opening three weeks of the Premier League campaign.
“Obviously it was a slow start to the season. Last week was massive for me and I made a decision tonight to forget about double 16 because I have missed it so many times,” Aspinall said after his win.
“I am just very happy. The last two weeks I have dug really, really deep.
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“I have been down the first three weeks but the final and a win in the last two weeks, over the moon!
“I have been fighting with demons in my own head, but I think you have seen that I am a fighter.”
Results: Night Five, Westpoint, Exeter
Quarter-finals | ||
Luke Humphries | 6-3 | Michael van Gerwen |
Nathan Aspinall | 6-4 | Peter Wright |
Gerwyn Price | 1-6 | Rob Cross |
Luke Littler | 6-2 | Michael Smith |
Semi-finals | ||
Luke Humphries | 5-6 | Nathan Aspinall |
Rob Cross | 6-3 | Luke Littler |
Final | ||
Nathan Aspinall | 6-2 | Rob Cross |
Aspinall held off a huge Luke Humphries comeback to secure his spot in the final in a last-leg decider.
The world champion fought back from 5-1 down to level the match at 5-5 but Aspinall held on and took the win with another fantastic 160 checkout.
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In his quarter-final, Aspinall stood strong to ensure Peter Wright stayed pointless at the bottom of the table, a 6-4 win sealed with a purple patch of 136, 125, and 115 finishes.
Wright showed signs of a return to form as he took out a huge 156 checkout but ‘The Asp’ just proved too strong on the night.
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Cross downs Littler and Price on way to final
Cross booked his spot in the final with an interesting 6-3 win over Luke Littler.
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It was a game in which Littler rued missed chances at the doubles, Cross finding crucial breaks of throw to take control of the encounter.
The final leg was a comedy of errors on the doubles, both players missing many chances before Voltage finally wrapped things up on D2.
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Cross got his night going with a demolition job on Gerwyn Price, taking a 6-1 win in sensational style with a near 110 average.
After storming to a 5-0 lead, Price hit back with a brilliant 160 checkout to avoid the whitewash, but classy Cross claimed the next leg on D16 to set up his clash with Littler.
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Littler had put in a simply unplayable display against Michael Smith to set up his match with Cross, averaging nearly 114 on his way to a 6-2 victory.
The 17-year-old found a flurry of maximums and a brilliant 140 checkout, leaving Smith unable to do anything to counter despite playing well.
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Humphries had earlier ended Michael van Gerwen’s chance of a fourth straight night win in a row and halted his nine-match winning streak with a comprehensive 6-3 victory, three breaks of throw helping the world champion in a tough encounter.
What’s next?
Premier League Darts now heads to the Brighton Centre on Thursday March 7, with Humphries vs Price opening the night.
Fixtures: Night Six, The Brighton Centre, Brighton, Thursday March 7
Quarter-finals |
Luke Humphries vs Gerwyn Price |
Rob Cross vs Michael van Gerwen |
Nathan Aspinall vs Luke Littler |
Michael Smith vs Peter Wright |
Cross will then face Van Gerwen, with Aspinall up against Littler, and Smith taking on Wright.
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Premier League Darts continues on Sky Sports on Thursday March 7 as Brighton is the next stop on the 17-week extravaganza all the way through to the Play-Offs at the O2 Arena in London on Thursday, May 23. Stream Sky Sports Darts without a contract through NOW