2013 Premier League Darts

2013 Premier League Darts
Winner
Michael van Gerwen
Runner-up
Phil Taylor
Score
10–8
Date
7 February–16 May
Edition
9th
Number of players
10
Venues
15
Premier League Darts
< 2012 | 2013 | 2014 >

The 2013 McCoy's Premier League Darts was a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation; the ninth edition of the tournament. The event began at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast on Thursday 7 February, and ended at The O₂ Arena, London on Thursday 16 May. The tournament was shown live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland.

Englishman Phil Taylor was the defending champion and he reached the final again this year, but lost 10–8 against Dutchman Michael van Gerwen who won his first Premier League title.

Qualification

The qualification format was different from the last edition of Premier League Darts.^[1] The top four players from the PDC Order of Merit after the 2013 PDC World Darts Championship automatically qualified. Alongside them, six (instead of four) additional players were chosen on the basis of their performance in the past year or in earlier editions of the Premier League. After the first nine rounds, the bottom 2 players were relegated. All players played each other once at that point. The remaining eight then competed against each other in the final five rounds for the play-offs places. All games in the league stage were played "Best of 12 legs" (instead of "Best of 14 legs"), thus games could be drawn by 6–6.

Player	Appearance in Premier League	Consecutive Streak	Order of Merit rank	Previous best performance	Qualification
Phil Taylor	9th	9	1	Winner (2005–2008, 2010, 2012)	1st in the PDC Order of Merit
Adrian Lewis	6th	4	2	Runner-up (2011)	2nd in the PDC Order of Merit
James Wade	6th	6	3	Winner (2009)	3rd in the PDC Order of Merit
Michael van Gerwen	1st	1	4	—	4th in the PDC Order of Merit
Raymond van Barneveld	8th	8	8	Semi Finalist (2006–09, 2011)	Five-time World Champion/2012 Grand Slam of Darts Winner
Simon Whitlock	4th	4	5	Runner-up (2012)	2012 European Darts Championship Winner
Gary Anderson	3rd	3	11	Winner (2011)	2011 Premier League Darts champion
Andy Hamilton	2nd	2	6	Semi Finalist (2012)	2012 Premier League Darts semi-finalist
Wes Newton	1st	1	7	—	2012 European Championship finalist
Robert Thornton	1st	1	15	—	2012 UK Open Champion

Venues

The venues remained the same as in the last Premier League Darts edition.

^[2]

Belfast	Aberdeen	Bournemouth	Exeter	Nottingham
Odyssey Arena Thursday 7 February	AECC Thursday 14 February	BIC Thursday 21 February	Westpoint Arena Thursday 28 February	Capital FM Arena Thursday 7 March
Manchester	Cardiff	Glasgow	Brighton	Sheffield
Manchester Arena Thursday 14 March	Motorpoint Arena Thursday 21 March	SECC Thursday 28 March	The Brighton Centre Thursday 4 April	Motorpoint Arena Thursday 11 April
Dublin	Birmingham	Liverpool	Newcastle	London
The O2 Thursday 18 April	NIA Thursday 25 April	Echo Arena Thursday 2 May	Metro Radio Arena Thursday 9 May	The O2 Thursday 16 May

Prize money

The prize-money was increased to £520,000 from £450,000 in 2012.^[3]

Results

League stage

7 February Odyssey Arena, Belfast Score [4] Andy Hamilton 93.42 5–7 Robert Thornton 98.84 James Wade 87.32 7–4 Wes Newton 86.59 Raymond van Barneveld 102.02 7–4 Gary Anderson 93.77 Simon Whitlock 88.89 7–3 Adrian Lewis 91.20 Phil Taylor 97.05 6–6 Michael van Gerwen 97.93 Nights Average: 93.7 Highest Checkout: Simon Whitlock 121

14 February AECC, Aberdeen Score [5] Wes Newton 94.06 2–7 Raymond van Barneveld 100.19 Andy Hamilton 96.07 7–4 James Wade 91.54 Gary Anderson 96.05 7–5 Simon Whitlock 88.62 Adrian Lewis 89.41 3–7 Phil Taylor 98.69 Robert Thornton 97.51 6–6 Michael van Gerwen 98.28 Nights Average: 95.04 Highest Checkout: Andy Hamilton 120

21 February B.I.C., Bournemouth Score [6] James Wade 100.59 7–4 Adrian Lewis 91.50 Robert Thornton 92.88 6–6 Wes Newton 92.42 Simon Whitlock 101.80 2–7 Phil Taylor 107.33 Michael van Gerwen 104.21 7–3 Raymond van Barneveld 96.02 Andy Hamilton 99.26 7–5 Gary Anderson 92.07 Nights Average: 97.81 Highest Checkout: Andy Hamilton 152

28 February Westpoint Arena, Exeter Score [7] Robert Thornton 109.33 7–2 Gary Anderson 93.82 Andy Hamilton 93.63 2–7 Michael van Gerwen 95.88 James Wade 101.81 6–6 Phil Taylor 102.51 Wes Newton 85.66 7–3 Adrian Lewis 84.18 Raymond van Barneveld 99.47 7–3 Simon Whitlock 96.44 Nights Average: 96.27 Highest Checkout: Gary Anderson 124

7 March Capital FM Arena, Nottingham Score [8] James Wade 105.73 7–1 Robert Thornton 98.91 Raymond van Barneveld 102.24 7–5 Andy Hamilton 100.16 Adrian Lewis 97.70 7–4 Michael van Gerwen 93.25 Phil Taylor 97.66 5–7 Gary Anderson 95.76 Wes Newton 97.54 5–7 Simon Whitlock 99.14 Nights Average: 98.81 Highest Checkout: James Wade & Raymond van Barneveld 121

14 March M.E.N. Arena, Manchester Score [9] Michael van Gerwen 101.52 7–4 Wes Newton 98.14 Adrian Lewis 91.89 6–6 Gary Anderson 95.86 Simon Whitlock 97.80 7–4 James Wade 97.49 Raymond van Barneveld 95.08 6–6 Robert Thornton 98.78 Phil Taylor 93.81 3–7 Andy Hamilton 101.40 Nights Average: 97.18 Highest Checkout: James Wade 170

21 March C.I.A., Cardiff Score [10] Andy Hamilton 91.34 7–4 Simon Whitlock 91.68 Gary Anderson 96.82 1–7 Michael van Gerwen 107.22 Robert Thornton 94.40 5–7 Adrian Lewis 95.51 Wes Newton 93.07 2–7 Phil Taylor 101.72 James Wade 96.17 6–6 Raymond van Barneveld 95.84 Nights Average: 96.38 Highest Checkout: Michael van Gerwen 164

28 March S.E.C.C., Glasgow Score [11] Adrian Lewis 88.70 7–4 Andy Hamilton 87.85 Simon Whitlock 90.77 1–7 Robert Thornton 107.65 Phil Taylor 102.94 7–3 Raymond van Barneveld 102.96 Gary Anderson 95.31 5–7 Wes Newton 87.53 Michael van Gerwen 104.43 4–7 James Wade 98.51 Nights Average: 96.67 Highest Checkout: Robert Thornton 157

4 April The Brighton Centre, Brighton Score [12] Adrian Lewis 100.25 2–7 Raymond van Barneveld 100.59 Phil Taylor 97.35 4–7 Robert Thornton 103.15 Wes Newton 89.82 5–7 Andy Hamilton 91.27 Gary Anderson 100.64 3–7 James Wade 98.59 Michael van Gerwen 102.78 7–3 Simon Whitlock 88.01 Nights Average: 97.25 Highest Checkout: Simon Whitlock 130

11 April Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield Score [13] Robert Thornton 97.67 4–7 Simon Whitlock 95.76 Adrian Lewis 87.83 2–7 James Wade 103.91 Michael van Gerwen 103.90 7–3 Phil Taylor 99.65 Andy Hamilton 95.66 5–7 Raymond van Barneveld 94.65 James Wade 90.81 5–7 Michael van Gerwen 90.99 Nights Average: 96.08 Highest Checkout: Andy Hamilton 124

18 April The O2, Dublin Score [14] Andy Hamilton 95.44 3–7 Phil Taylor 105.43 Raymond van Barneveld 99.72 4–7 Michael van Gerwen 106.82 Robert Thornton 91.11 4–7 James Wade 95.38 Simon Whitlock 95.41 7–3 Andy Hamilton 89.86 Raymond van Barneveld 95.83 6–6 Phil Taylor 94.60 Michael van Gerwen 90.74 7–5 Adrian Lewis 89.15 Nights Average: 95.79 Highest Checkout: Michael van Gerwen 158

25 April NIA, Birmingham Score [15] Phil Taylor 105.24 7–2 Adrian Lewis 92.53 Simon Whitlock 99.54 7–5 Michael van Gerwen 101.09 Robert Thornton 91.22 7–4 Andy Hamilton 87.31 Raymond van Barneveld 104.20 7–2 James Wade 97.00 Phil Taylor 103.35 7–4 Simon Whitlock 100.63 Adrian Lewis 86.92 5–7 Robert Thornton 92.67 Nights Average: 96.81 Highest Checkout: Robert Thornton 152

2 May Echo Arena, Liverpool Score [16] Michael van Gerwen 97.11 7–4 Andy Hamilton 95.49 James Wade 93.32 4–7 Simon Whitlock 98.26 Robert Thornton 98.88 2–7 Phil Taylor 100.92 Raymond van Barneveld 102.06 7–4 Adrian Lewis 98.13 James Wade 98.90 2–7 Andy Hamilton 100.90 Nights Average: 98.4 Highest Checkout: Phil Taylor 164

9 May Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle Score [17] Andy Hamilton 97.27 5–7 Adrian Lewis 100.88 Robert Thornton 97.51 4–7 Raymond van Barneveld 99.55 Adrian Lewis 96.40 6–6 Simon Whitlock 94.22 Phil Taylor 97.73 6–6 James Wade 99.82 Michael van Gerwen 105.35 7–1 Robert Thornton 100.75 Simon Whitlock 93.13 4–7 Raymond van Barneveld 92.60 Nights Average: 97.52 Highest Checkout: Adrian Lewis 170

Play-offs (16 May)

The O2, London

	Score
Semi-Finals (best of 15 legs)
Raymond van Barneveld 102.08	4–8	Phil Taylor 104.68
Michael van Gerwen 97.59	8–4	James Wade 99.59
Final (best of 19 legs)
Michael van Gerwen 103.29	10–8	Phil Taylor 104.10
Nights Average: 100.89
Highest Checkout: Phil Taylor 164

Table and streaks

Table

#	Name	Pld	W	D	L	LF	LA	+/-	LWAT	100+	140+	180s	A[18]	HC	C%[19]	Pts
1	Michael van Gerwen	16	11	2	3	102	68	+34	40	185	156	57	100.09	164	38.65%	24
2	Raymond van Barneveld	16	10	3	3	98	74	+24	41	215	142	68	98.88	161	60.72%	23
3	Phil Taylor	16	8	4	4	95	73	+22	40	249	113	30	100.37	164	41.14%	20
4	James Wade	16	7	3	6	88	82	+6	30	233	101	58	97.12	170	61.43%	17
5	Robert Thornton	16	6	3	7	81	88	−7	32	216	128	53	98.2	161	40.78%	15
6	Simon Whitlock	16	7	1	8	81	90	−9	33	215	106	44	95.01	140	40.30%	15
7	Andy Hamilton	16	6	0	10	82	93	−11	29	180	115	42	94.77	152	38.48%	12
8	Adrian Lewis	16	4	2	10	73	100	−27	25	185	112	43	92.57	170	33.14%	10
9	Wes Newton	9	2	1	6	42	56	−14	15	109	58	26	91.65	132	36.52%	5
10	Gary Anderson	9	2	1	6	40	58	−18	20	125	72	28	95.57	124	27.97%	5

Last updated: 19 April 2013
Source: Match reports from the results section.

Bottom two eliminated after Week 9. Top four qualified for the Play-Offs after Week 14.
NB: LWAT = Legs Won Against Throw. A = Average C% = Checkout Percentage HC = High Checkout. Players separated by +/- leg difference if tied. If leg difference is equal the table is sorted by the player's LWAT. If it is still tied, ranking is determined by average.

Streaks

Player	League Stage																					Play-Offs
	1st Phase										2nd Phase
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		10		11		12		13		14			SF	F
Michael van Gerwen	D	D	W	W	L	W	W	L	W		W	W	W	W	L		W		W			W	W
Phil Taylor	D	W	W	D	L	L	W	W	L		L		W	D	W	W	W		D			W	L
Raymond van Barneveld	W	W	L	W	W	D	D	L	W		W		L	D	W		W		W	W		L	Eliminated
James Wade	W	L	W	D	W	L	D	W	W		W	L	W		L		L	L	D			L
Robert Thornton	W	D	D	W	L	D	L	W	W		L		L		W	W	L		L	L		Eliminated
Simon Whitlock	W	L	L	L	W	W	L	L	L		W		W		W	L	W		D	L
Andy Hamilton	L	W	W	L	L	W	W	L	W		L		L	L	L		L	W	L
Adrian Lewis	L	L	L	L	W	D	W	W	L		L		L		L	L	L		W	D
Wes Newton	L	L	D	W	L	L	L	W	L		Eliminated
Gary Anderson	L	W	L	L	W	D	L	L	L

Last updated: 10 May 2013

NB: W = Won D = Drawn L = Lost

Positions by round

Player	Round
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
Michael van Gerwen	5	6	2	2	4	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Raymond van Barneveld	2	1	3	3	1	1	2	4	3	3	3	3	3	2
Phil Taylor	6	2	1	1	3	5	3	2	5	5	4	2	2	3
James Wade	3	7	5	5	2	3	4	3	2	2	2	4	4	4
Robert Thornton	4	3	6	4	5	4	6	5	4	4	5	5	5	5
Simon Whitlock	1	4	7	8	7	7	7	8	8	7	6	6	6	6
Andy Hamilton	7	5	4	6	6	6	5	6	6	6	7	7	7	7
Adrian Lewis	10	10	10	10	10	10	8	7	7	8	8	8	8	8
Wes Newton	8	9	9	7	9	9	10	9	9	Eliminated
Gary Anderson	9	8	8	9	8	8	9	10	10

References