Derry man Daryl home and hosed
DARYL GURNEY ensured survival in the Unibet Premier League with a homecoming win over Rob Cross as Gerwyn Price was eliminated at The SSE Arena in Belfast on Thursday.
Derry’s Gurney was making his first big-stage appearance in Northern Ireland as he stepped out at The SSE Arena, and produced a gutsy performance to end any threat of elimination from the event.
Cross led 2-0 and 3-1 before seeing Gurney hit back to level in leg eight, as the World Champion paid for a miss at double 16
Gurney then took out 119 to move 5-4 up, with Cross responding in 11 darts only to see the home favourite claim the game’s final two legs, ending the contest with a superb nine maximums.
Michael Smith eliminated Gerwyn Price with a 7-2 victory over the Welshman, whose debut Premier League season will end in Liverpool on Judgment Night next week.
Gary Anderson extended his unbeaten run to five games with a 7-5 defeat over Mensur Suljovic which leaves the Austrian in the thick of the elimination battle.
Michael van Gerwen maintained his two-point lead at the top of the table with a 7-2 romp against Dutch rival Raymond van Barneveld.
Van Gerwen said: “My finishing was good and I didn’t make a lot of mistakes, so I’m happy with this win.
RESULTS: Mensur Suljovic 5-7 Gary Anderson, Michael Smith 7-2 Gerwyn Price, Raymond van Barneveld 2-7 Michael van Gerwen, Daryl Gurney 7-5 Rob Cross.