And a distinct lack of big fish are landed at the Ahoy
The rapturous reception that’s become routine when the Premier League roadshow rolls into Rotterdam awaited Michael Van Gerwen. But what was less certain was whether the right reaction would rock the Ahoy Arena after his gut-wrenching semi-final loss last week. The answer was a big fat ‘nee’.
Around 10,000 fans were chanting “Barney Army” (don’t know who they’re on about) and if that wasn’t enough to get the players’ juices going, there’s the fact that you’re guaranteed to go out to a semi-finalist at worst, such is the format these days.
Which would surely suit Chris Dobey in the curtain-raiser against Jonny Clayton. The Geordie has, like so many before him, found the Premier League an unforgiving kind of place, yet has dealt with the relentless pressure better than most newcomers. Still, that didn’t stop the Ferret from taking the spoils 6-4.
The partisan crowd aside, there was one fixture that really stood out: a rerun of last week’s final between Gerwyn Price and Michael Smith. At the start of the evening, Wayne Mardle had said on Sky Sports that Price “is the best player in the world right now”, yet also reminded us in timely fashion that he’d never made the playoffs. But since when has a 102-average been enough to win a darts match in Rotterdam anyway? Not on this night, that’s for sure.
Next it was a bit like Forest v Leicester, although that’s probably being kind to Dimitri Van den Bergh‘s victory over Peter Wright. None of that mattered, however, as the hottest ticket in Rotterdam was about to reach scorching point – enter MVG. And yet his encounter with Nathan Aspinall was almost as much a struggle as its predecessor, the odd glimpse of class peaking outwards from behind the curtain every now and then.
But surely all those thousands of Dutch folk would have something to cheer on. Well, shiver me timbers, if the Ahoy didn’t have the privilege of seeing their number one in a one-leg shootout. Unfortunately for them it was over and out for the Green Machine, but the semis still had much to offer – how about a Welsh derby for starters? The form book was kept firmly intact with this one, and how, with Price annihilating compatriot Clayton 6-1.
Sheesh! It looked unlikely that the winner of Van den Bergh v Aspinall would put even so much as a chink in the Iceman’s armour, but it was Stockport’s finest who was left to give it a crack in the final. As for the outcome, let’s just say Mardle was probably nearer the moon with his prediction.
We started with alliterations so let’s end with some as well. Every Dutch darts fan dreams of drama these days, and damn me if Rotterdam didn’t deliver… at times.
The Early Whistle 