Michael van Gerwen has been slammed by darts pundit Wayne Mardle as ‘not good enough’ after the Dutchman failed to make the play-offs of the Premier League for just the second time in his career.
It all came down to the final night in Sheffield for MVG, where he faced Nathan Aspinall in the quarter-final in his last chance to reach the play-off stage at the O2 next week.
After recent results, including The Asp’s win against Van Gerwen in the quarter-finals last week, a win for Aspinall would confirm his place at the O2.
MVG, on the other hand, not only had to beat Aspinall, but win the entire night - something the Dutchman has failed to do all season - to overtake him in the table.
Michael van Gerwen was knocked out of the Premier League after losing 6-2 to Nathan Aspinall on Thursday night
Michael van Gerwen
As expected given the form of both players, Aspinall ran out 6-2 winner to confirm his place next week, as Van Gerwen hit just 22 per cent at the double.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Aspinall spoke candidly on his win: "There was a lot of emotion after walking off stage. I had to take myself away.
"I spoke so highly of Michael all week that he could go and win the night. I don't know what's going on but he didn't look himself again tonight.
“Even on that stage, he was giving up."
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Nathan Aspinall said Michael van Gerwen was 'giving up'
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Mardle agreed with Aspinall’s assessment of MVG, pointing his poor run of form back to the Dutchman pulling out of night nine, Berlin, in the Premier League.
"I feel for Michael. The man is a champion, a winner. It is only the second time he has not made the playoffs. He has said it, he has not been good enough at times.”
“I don't know how he feels within, he has just looked off. To not have won a week, he won four last year, that is a real blow for him.
"He came into this as the third favourite behind the Lukes and it was all going okay. Then it kind of took a turn for the worse.
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"I don't know how bad the injury was, but since missing Berlin he hasn’t played as well in my opinion."
However, the night belonged to Luke Littler yet again, who won a record sixth night, breaking his own points tally record while he was at it.
He faced Luke Humphries in the final, in another dramatic clash that many expect will be replicated in next week’s final.
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Luke Littler beat Luke Humphries in the final
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During the match, Cool Hand suffered from a rare blunder in which he miscounted, checking out 140 with a double-double at the top of the board to finish - only to find out he had just 120 remaining.
Not that it mattered, as the world No1 returned to the oche to check out the 120 in proper fashion without breaking a sweat.
He was comfortably beaten by Littler, a menace on the doubles all night and had only missed one prior to the final, who produced a 155 and 170 checkout to complete the victory.
It was another entertaining night of darts, as Humphries, Littler, Aspinall and Gerwyn Price gear up for the all-important finals night next week to crown this year’s champion.
