Tag: blogs

Darts’ biggest party is back in 2023 as the Premier League roadshow heads to a venue near you!; the SSE Arena in Belfast plays host as the first of 17 individual venues from Thursday February 2 with the Play-Offs returning to The O2 in London on Thursday May 25

Full schedule and TV times as Michael Smith takes Michael van Gerwen in a repeat of the World Darts Championship final on the opening night of this year’s Premier League.

This year’s tournament will see eight of the sport’s top stars contesting 16 mini-events during the season, with each league night comprising quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final over the best-of-11 legs.

The Premier League season gets under way at The SSE Arena in Belfast, with the opening night’s quarter-finals headlined by a blockbuster showdown between Smith and reigning champion Van Gerwen.

This will be the pair’s first meeting since their Alexandra Palace epic on January 3, which saw Smith land a history-making nine-darter en route to clinching his maiden World Championship crown.

Two-time world champion Peter Wright plays newly-crowned Masters champion Chris Dobey, who celebrated his first televised triumph in Milton Keynes on Sunday night.

Dimitri Van den Bergh marks his Premier League return with a clash against 2021 champion Jonny Clayton, while 2020 runner-up Nathan Aspinall plays Gerwyn Price – who famously landed two nine-darters in Belfast last year.

Night Two will take place at Cardiff’s International Arena on February 9, with Price pitted against Dobey on his homecoming, while Clayton makes his return to home soil with a tie against Smith.

Wright will headline Night Three at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro when he takes on Van den Bergh, with six-time champion Van Gerwen up against Aspinall in a repeat of October’s World Grand Prix final.

The sport’s biggest roadshow rolls into Dublin’s 3Arena on Thursday February 23, as Smith and Wright lock horns in a repeat of the 2022 World Championship final.

Night Five in Exeter will then see a repeat of two televised finals from 2022, with Van Gerwen meeting Price in a repeat of July’s World Matchplay decider, before Aspinall and Smith battle it out in a rematch of November’s Grand Slam showpiece.

Quarter-final fixtures for 14 of the 16 league phase nights are listed below in draw bracket order, with fixtures for Night Eight and Night 16 to be determined by league standings heading into each night.

All matches will be played over a best-of-11 legs format, with a £10,000 bonus on offer to each night’s winner.

2023 Premier League Fixtures

Night One – Thursday February 2
The SSE Arena, Belfast
Quarter-Finals
Dimitri Van den Bergh vs Jonny Clayton
Michael Smith vs Michael van Gerwen
Peter Wright vs Chris Dobey
Nathan Aspinall vs Gerwyn Price

Night Two – Thursday February 9
Cardiff International Arena
Quarter-Finals
Michael Smith vs Jonny Clayton
Nathan Aspinall vs Peter Wright
Gerwyn Price vs Chris Dobey
Michael van Gerwen vs Dimitri Van den Bergh

Night Three – Thursday February 16
OVO Hydro, Glasgow
Quarter-Finals
Nathan Aspinall vs Michael van Gerwen
Peter Wright vs Dimitri Van den Bergh
Gerwyn Price vs Michael Smith
Jonny Clayton vs Chris Dobey

Night Four – Thursday February 23
3Arena, Dublin
Quarter-Finals
Michael Smith vs Peter Wright
Gerwyn Price vs Dimitri Van den Bergh
Jonny Clayton vs Nathan Aspinall
Chris Dobey vs Michael van Gerwen

Night Five – Thursday March 2
Westpoint Exeter
Quarter-Finals
Michael van Gerwen vs Gerwyn Price
Nathan Aspinall vs Michael Smith
Dimitri Van den Bergh vs Chris Dobey
Jonny Clayton vs Peter Wright

Night Six – Thursday March 9
M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool
Quarter-Finals
Gerwyn Price vs Peter Wright
Michael van Gerwen vs Jonny Clayton
Chris Dobey vs Nathan Aspinall
Michael Smith vs Dimitri Van den Bergh

Night Seven – Thursday March 16
Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
Quarter-Finals
Dimitri Van den Bergh vs Nathan Aspinall
Jonny Clayton vs Gerwyn Price
Peter Wright vs Michael van Gerwen
Chris Dobey vs Michael Smith

Night Eight – Thursday March 23
Utilita Arena, Newcastle
Quarter-Finals
Fixtures based on league table following Night Seven

Night Nine – Thursday March 30
Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin
Quarter-Finals
Dimitri Van den Bergh vs Michael Smith
Nathan Aspinall vs Chris Dobey
Jonny Clayton vs Michael van Gerwen
Peter Wright vs Gerwyn Price

Night Ten – Thursday April 6
Utilita Arena, Birmingham
Quarter-Finals
Michael van Gerwen vs Chris Dobey
Nathan Aspinall vs Jonny Clayton
Dimitri Van den Bergh vs Gerwyn Price
Peter Wright vs Michael Smith

Night 11 – Thursday April 13
The Brighton Centre
Quarter-Finals
Dimitri Van den Bergh vs Michael van Gerwen
Chris Dobey vs Gerwyn Price
Peter Wright vs Nathan Aspinall
Jonny Clayton vs Michael Smith

Night 12 – Thursday April 20
Rotterdam Ahoy
Quarter-Finals
Chris Dobey vs Jonny Clayton
Michael Smith vs Gerwyn Price
Dimitri Van den Bergh vs Peter Wright
Michael van Gerwen vs Nathan Aspinall

Night 13 – Thursday April 27
First Direct Arena, Leeds
Quarter-Finals
Michael Smith vs Chris Dobey
Michael van Gerwen vs Peter Wright
Gerwyn Price vs Jonny Clayton
Nathan Aspinall vs Dimitri Van den Bergh

Night 14 – Thursday May 4
AO Arena, Manchester
Quarter-Finals
Peter Wright vs Jonny Clayton
Chris Dobey vs Dimitri Van den Bergh
Michael Smith vs Nathan Aspinall
Gerwyn Price vs Michael van Gerwen

Night 15 – Thursday May 11
Utilita Arena, Sheffield
Quarter-Finals
Gerwyn Price vs Nathan Aspinall
Chris Dobey vs Peter Wright
Michael van Gerwen vs Michael Smith
Jonny Clayton vs Dimitri Van den Bergh

Night 16 – Thursday May 18
P&J Live, Aberdeen
Quarter-Finals
Fixtures based on league table following Night 15

Play-Offs – Thursday May 25
The O2, London
Semi-Finals and Final

England sealed third in the 2023 Quad Series by beating hosts South Africa in Wednesday’s third-place play-off; the Roses suffered defeats to Australia and New Zealand to miss out on a place in the final

England head coach Jess Thirlby praised her side for showing “grit” to seal third place in the Quad Series but has admitted more “maturity” is needed ahead of this summer’s Netball World Cup.

The Roses came through a tightly contested third-place play-off against hosts South Africa to claim a first victory in their four matches at the tournament.

England had drawn with South Africa in the opening phase of the tournament, either side of defeats to champions Australia and runners-up New Zealand.

The competition marked the final opportunity for England – and their rivals – to prepare for the World Cup, which begins on July 28 in Cape Town.

“It was scrappy, it wasn’t the prettiest of wins,” Thirlby told Sky Sports. “But I think given the journey through the Quad Series that we’ve had, I thought it was a good way for us to finish and show the grit, in particular, that I think this team have become known for.”

“It’s been a good journey. We’ve just got to keep finding away to compete with those ranked above us.

“We’re respectful of the likes of New Zealand and Australia, but we’ve actually found ways to get a foothold against them, which is a little bit of new territory for us that we’ve got to grow a maturity around how to finish those games and punish them more.”

The Quad Series quickly followed England’s three-match home contest with Jamaica, against whom Thirlby’s side delivered an impressive 2-1 triumph.

England are ranked third in the word, a place ahead of Jamaica. Australia top the rankings from New Zealand, while South Africa are fifth.

“In the couple of weeks after this, there’s going to be so much information for us to take, and it’s important to acknowledge that,” Thirlby said.

“These games are here for a purpose. We put ourselves out in two back-to-back series, it’s a big ask of the group but it’s exactly what we needed ahead of the summer.”

The Quad Series brings to an end a congested period for England, which saw them miss out on a medal at a home Commonwealth Games in the summer, and then beat Uganda at home before losing 3-0 as they toured Australia in October and November.

“I don’t think I can combat all of the noise and the criticisms, but I will absolutely defend this group to the hilt,” Thirlby said.

“Their cohesion, togetherness and loyalty to one and other is unquestionable. They review wins and losses exactly the same way, which is exactly what any championship winning side that’s on track to try to learn to win more consistently should be doing.

“So this team for me, they’re the most together group that I’ve worked with and it’s an absolute joy to see their team resilience grow over the course of January.”

‘No ignoring Fadoju’ | ‘Wrap her up in cotton wool’

Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of England’s performances during the Quad Series was the continued emergence of Funmi Fadoju, who has established herself as a key player ahead of the World Cup.

Having made her senior international debut against Uganda in October, the 20-year-old defender looks set to become one of the biggest stars in the sport.

Her brilliance was on show against South Africa as a series of turnovers helped England to victory.

“There’s no ignoring Funmi Fadoju,” Thirlby said. “If there’s anyone to give a little bit more credit to, I think it’s Funmi today.

“She really picks her moments, with such maturity, to sense that intuition when in the game we need it the most.

“I just think her contribution was excellent, but those around her really allow her to flourish.”

Former England player Pamela Cookey agreed with Thirlby’s assessment that the Roses have found the ideal setup to allow Fadoju to thrive.

“This was the defensive team that we know and love,” Cookey said on Sky Sports.

“That support that Fadoju had from Geva (Mentor) at the back allows her to go and play out the front – she had Jade (Clarke) at centre and Layla (Guscoth) at wing defence.

“That combination is safe, it’s tried, it’s tested and we’ve seen them get so much ball, so once you put that on there, she can then fly.”

Former Roses player Tamsin Greenaway was also wowed by Fadoju’s performance, but expressed concern over England’s deficiencies in attack.

“Defensively, they were brilliant,” Fadoju said. “I can’t fault it all through the court, they are doing such a good job.

“But attack was static at times, the highest quarter was a 13-goal quarter. Even if that last quarter where Funmi got us about seven balls, we still only put 13 on the board.

“We’re going to have to look it and adjust. I think playing the strongest line-up just helps you get a good run.

“Defensively brilliant, and just wrap Funmi in cotton wool (until the World Cup).”