Premier League Darts LIVE: Nathan Aspinall WINS Night 10, Luke Littler crashed out in semis, Price hits epic NINE DARTER
NATHAN ASPINALL has beaten Luke Humphries to claim silverware on Night 10 after a thrilling final in Manchester!
Aspinall surrendered FIVE match darts before eventually securing a 6-4 victory over Humphries.
While Luke Littler got dumped out of the competition in the semi-final.
Elsewhere, Gerwyn Price took home £30k gold darts after hitting a superb NINE DARTER against the teenage sensation in their quarter-final.
- TV channel: Sky Sports Action
- Live stream: NOW/Sky Sports app
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Littler's proud gran
Despite his opponent managing a nine-dart finish, Littler clinched a 6-3 victory to secure a spot in the semi-finals.
And he did so in front of his proud gran.
The World Champion's grandmother, 81, had never seen him play live in the Premier League before.
She was seen giving him a hug and appeared emotional as he walked to the stage before his match against Price.
Littler's dad, Anthony Buckley, shared a picture of the moment on social media at the end of the evening and wrote: "Finally got me mum to the darts tonight at Manchester 81 years young to watch her grandson our Luke TheNuke Littler walk on as a world champion and get a win meant the world to me."
Aspinall reacts to his victory
Night 10 winner, Nathan Aspinall told Sky Sports: “I’ve had a fantastic couple of weeks. But I’ve never been as nervous as I was with that last dart!”
“I wanted to win this so much in front of friends and family.”
His first nightly victory of the season came in front of esteemed company too, having earlier spotted Man Utd legend Wayne Rooney was in the arena.
He joked: "One of the drivers told me he was coming down.
"I don’t think he is coming to watch me!
“That is the thing with darts at the moment, it’s attracting so many big names to come and watch us play.
"I think they appreciate the talent and the pressure that we are under night after night."
Nathan Aspinall vs Luke Humphries recap
Humphries advanced to face local favourite Nathan Aspinall in the final.
The Stockport star dropped just four legs in total as he tore through Rob Cross and Michael van Gerwen.
And he showed no signs of stopping in the final either, getting the better of Humphries 6-4 with an average of 93.29.
The Asp even came close to getting a perfect leg of his own, but missed his first dart on his third visit after taking an age over the high-pressure moment.
The battle of Lukes
Littler should’ve gone 4-2 up in a critical moment.
But his scoring deserted him towards the end and Humphries more than made him pay.
Three legs on the spin at 4-3 down, Humphries just had too much for the teenager in the end.
He sent Littler packing with a ruthless bout of finishing down the stretch, winning three consecutive legs to seal the match 6-4.
The Nuke was one dart away from a historic nine-darter earlier in the contest.
Michael van Gerwen vs Nathan Aspinall recap
Nathan Aspinall dominated the match with 6-2 victory over Michael van Gerwen in the semi-final.
One-way traffic all match – he could’ve won it 6-0 if his doubles didn’t desert him.
That last leg saw Aspinall setting up to leave 40 with Van Gerwen back on 263 – that summed up how superior the local lad was.
It was a superb show from Aspinall who progressed into his third nightly final!
Stephen Bunting vs Luke Humphries
Luke Humphries secured a 6-1 victory over Stephen Bunting on Night 10 of Premier League.
Humphries dismantled the form man even after losing the first leg.
Six legs on the spin after that, including five 180s and a quite ridiculous 118.43 average too.
A real show of emotion at the end too as he punches the air in delight. Which after this week is great to see.
Credit: PA Luke Littler vs Gerwyn Price recap
Gerwyn Price had a moment to savour after hitting a spectacular nine-darter in the seventh leg.
The Welshman badly needed it too as he trailed 5-1 heading into the leg.
Price left himself with a 141 checkout after throwing six darts, and he finished off by hitting T19, T20, D12.
He followed that up by winning the next leg after Littler missed bullseye when attempting a Big Fish check-out.
But the world champion recovered by winning the next leg to win the match 6-3.
Nathan Aspinall vs Rob Cross
Nathan Aspinall delivered a commanding performance against Rob Cross, securing a 6–1 victory.
Aspinall's consistent scoring and precise finishing allowed him to dominate the match, advancing to the semi-finals.
He was absolutely perfect on his doubles – six out of six on his doubles.
Chris Dobey v Michael van Gerwen recap
In the first match of Night 10, Michael van Gerwen faced Chris Dobey.
Van Gerwen began the match with high scoring and clinical finishing, quickly establishing a significant lead.
Chris Dobey managed to claim a single leg but was largely outplayed, struggling to find his rhythm against Van Gerwen's relentless pressure.
Van Gerwen's precision on the doubles was a key factor, converting opportunities efficiently to close out the match.
Van Gerwen secured a victory with 6-1 despite recently recovering from a neck injury that had forced him to withdraw from previous events.
Credit: Reuters
MVG’s freak injury
Michael van Gerwen suffered an injury putting his SHIRT ON!
The three-time World Champion pulled out of last week’s Premier League in Berlin and the International Darts Open this past weekend in Riesa.
Former UK Open finalist Vincent Van der Voort, a close friend of Van Gerwen, was with him throughout the ordeal and spoke candidly on the Dutch podcast Darts Draait Door about what unfolded.
He said: “Michael hurt himself in the afternoon—it was really unfortunate.
“He was trying on some shirts for his sponsor, and as soon as he put one on, he said something didn’t feel right. He could barely move his neck.”
It did not appear to impact him as he took out 111 in the opening leg and then eliminated Chris Dobey 6-4 from the opening game.
Premier League darts night 10
FULL RESULTS
Quarter-Finals
Chris Dobey 4-6 Michael van Gerwen
Nathan Aspinall 6-2 Rob Cross
Luke Littler 6-3 Gerwyn Price
Stephen Bunting 1-6 Luke HumphriesSemi-Finals
Michael van Gerwen 2-6 Nathan Aspinall
Luke Littler 4=6 Luke HumphriesFinals
Nathan Aspinall 6-4 Luke HumphriesPrice's perfect leg
A highlight of the evening was Gerwyn Price's spectacular nine-dart finish during his quarter-final match against Luke Littler.
This flawless leg earned Price a £30,000 set of 18ct gold darts from sponsor BetMGM.
Despite this achievement, Price was defeated 6–3 by Littler, who ended a six-match losing streak against the Welshman.
The 2021 world champion is the fourth person in the competition to hit a nine-darter – a record in the Prem – emulating Littler, Luke Humphries and Rob Cross.
Next fixture
Night 11 will take place on Thursday, April 17 in Rotterdam Ahoy.
There will be a total of 16 Premier League nights before the culmination in O2 arena in London on May 29.
Quarter-Finals:
Chris Dobey vs Luke Humphries
Gerwyn Price vs Nathan Aspinall
Stephen Bunting vs Michael van Gerwen
Luke Littler vs Rob CrossInto the top four
It's been some night for Nathan Aspinall.
Winning the night, another trophy in a successful period, the £10,000 - all mean a lot.
But he's now into the top four as well, replacing Michael van Gerwen in those spots!
Littler's mixed night
Teenage sensation Luke Littler had a night of highs and lows.
After his quarter-final victory over Price, Littler faced Luke Humphries in the semi-finals.
Despite a strong start, Littler struggled with finishing, hitting just 4 of 21 checkouts, and ultimately lost 6–4.
Credit: PA
Classy Luk
Gerwyn Price hit a nine-darter against Luke Littler in the Premier League - but still lost.
Littler dominated proceedings on Night 10 in Manchester.
But Price had a moment to savour after hitting a spectacular nine-darter in the seventh leg.
The Welshman badly needed it too as he trailed 5-1 heading into the leg.
Price left himself with a 141 checkout after throwing six darts, and he finished off by hitting T19, T20, D12.
He followed that up by winning the next leg after Littler missed bullseye when attempting a Big Fish check-out.
But the world champion recovered by winning the next leg to win the match 6-3.
It is the first time that Littler, 18, has beaten the Iceman since a clash in Liverpool in April 2024 - ending a run of six defeats on the bounce.
The pair embraced after the nine-darter and Littler was delighted with his opponent's effort.
Good morning darts fans
It was some night of sport last night, from Justin Rose's superb Masters first round and Andre Onana's latest howlers.
But in Manchester it was the local lad who came up trumps in front of his home support.
No, not Luke Littler.
This time it was the turn of Nathan Aspinall, who produced a stunning comeback to beat Luke Humphries in the final to propel himself into the play-off spots.
In a quality night of darts, Gerwyn Price hit a 9-darter, Littler missed D12 for a 9 of his own and Humphries' quarter final win saw him post the third highest Premier League average EVER!
It was one of those nights.
Onto Night 11
And another cracking card awaits as we head abroad again, this time to Rotterdam.
It's really hotting up for those top four spots, too. Some tasty clashes to look forward to.
Night 11 - April 17, Rotterdam Ahoy
Quarter-Finals
Chris Dobey vs Luke Humphries
Gerwyn Price vs Nathan Aspinall
Stephen Bunting vs Michael van Gerwen
Luke Littler vs Rob CrossPrice's 9
Gerwyn Price hit a nine-darter against Luke Littler in the Premier League - but still lost.
Littler dominated proceedings on Night 10 in Manchester.
But Price had a moment to savour after hitting a spectacular nine-darter in the seventh leg.
The Welshman badly needed it too as he trailed 5-1 heading into the leg.
Price left himself with a 141 checkout after throwing six darts, and he finished off by hitting T19, T20, D12.
He followed that up by winning the next leg after Littler missed bullseye when attempting a Big Fish check-out.
Price is right
The £30,000 gold darts from sponsors BetMGM will be making their way to Gerwyn Price.
The fourth recipient already this year!
More from Aspinall
He added: "I said to my sports psychologist and my hypnotherapist two days ago that I’d make the final and see what happens.
"Yes, it wasn’t a pretty game in the final but I have never been so nervous on the last dart.
“I’m in Manchester, what a support I’ve had tonight!
“I wanted to win so much for the crowd. So many people were here supporting me."
Trophy time
Nathan Aspinall was absolutely thrilled to be handed his nightly trophy on Sky Sports!
What a night!
I can say it now, the Premier League has been a touch stale for me in a couple of the recent outings.
But what a night tonight.
Gerwyn Price 9-darter, Luke Littler missing D12 for a 9-darter of his own, Luke Humphries hitting the third highest average in Premier League history and Nathan Aspinall winning his first night on home turf.
Cracker.
Aspinall reacts
Night 10 winner, Nathan Aspinall told Sky Sports: "I’ve had a fantastic couple of weeks. But I’ve never been as nervous as I was with that last dart!"
“I wanted to win this so much in front of friends and family."
Final stats
Aspinall's average was way, way down after three legs.
He went onto win six of the next seven legs to see it climb into the 90s and it was a proper dogged performance.
Not that you should expect anything less!
