THE Betway Premier League season takes place from February to May across 16 successive Thursday nights.

The opening nine weeks see the ten players face each other once in the league phase, before the bottom two players in the league table following Judgement Night are eliminated.

The remaining eight players face each other once more in the remaining six league nights, before the top four players progress to compete in the Play-Offs.

League Table

Final 2017 League Table P W D L +/- Pts
Michael van Gerwen (Q) 16 10 4 2 +32 24
Peter Wright (Q) 16 10 3 3 +30 23
Phil Taylor (Q) 16 8 3 5 +7 19
Gary Anderson (Q) 16 7 4 5 +12 18
Dave Chisnall 16 6 4 6 -5 16
Raymond van Barneveld 16 6 2 8 -10 14
James Wade 16 5 3 8 -13 13
Adrian Lewis 16 6 1 9 -14 13
Jelle Klaasen (E) 9 1 1 7 -16 3
Kim Huybrechts (E) 9 0 3 6 -23 3

2017 Betway Premier League
Night One - Thursday February 2
Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle

Kim Huybrechts 5-7 James Wade
Raymond van Barneveld 7-5 Adrian Lewis
Phil Taylor 7-3 Dave Chisnall
Gary Anderson 6-6 Michael van Gerwen
Peter Wright 7-4 Jelle Klaasen

Night Two - Thursday February 9
Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham

Adrian Lewis 7-2 Dave Chisnall
James Wade 6-6 Phil Taylor
Jelle Klaasen 3-7 Gary Anderson
Peter Wright 3-7 Michael van Gerwen
Kim Huybrechts 6-6 Raymond van Barneveld

Night Three - Thursday February 16
First Direct Arena, Leeds

Gary Anderson 5-7 Peter Wright
Adrian Lewis 4-7 James Wade
Phil Taylor 7-4 Raymond van Barneveld
Michael van Gerwen 7-4 Jelle Klaasen
Dave Chisnall 7-4 Kim Huybrechts

Night Four - Thursday February 23
The Brighton Centre

Dave Chisnall 3-7 Jelle Klaasen
Michael van Gerwen 6-6 Adrian Lewis
Gary Anderson 6-6 James Wade
Phil Taylor 6-6 Kim Huybrechts
Raymond van Barneveld 6-6 Peter Wright

Night Five - Thursday March 2
Westpoint Arena, Exeter

Dave Chisnall 7-2 Raymond van Barneveld
Jelle Klaasen 6-6 Kim Huybrechts
Gary Anderson 6-6 Phil Taylor
Adrian Lewis 2-7 Peter Wright
James Wade 5-7 Dave Chisnall
NB: Fixtures amended with Michael van Gerwen unavailable due to a back injury.

Night Six - Thursday March 9
The SSE Hydro, Glasgow

Adrian Lewis 7-4 Phil Taylor
James Wade 5-7 Peter Wright
Kim Huybrechts 5-7 Michael van Gerwen
Jelle Klaasen 5-7 Raymond van Barneveld
Dave Chisnall 3-7 Gary Anderson

Night Seven - Thursday March 16
Rotterdam Ahoy

James Wade 7-3 Jelle Klaasen
Peter Wright 7-4 Dave Chisnall
Raymond van Barneveld 7-2 Gary Anderson
Kim Huybrechts 3-7 Adrian Lewis
Phil Taylor 4-7 Michael van Gerwen

Night Eight - Thursday March 23
The Manchester Arena

Michael van Gerwen 7-4 James Wade
Kim Huybrechts 2-7 Gary Anderson
Peter Wright 5-7 Phil Taylor
Jelle Klaasen 5-7 Adrian Lewis
Raymond van Barneveld 7-5 Michael van Gerwen
NB: Fixtures amended after absence of Michael van Gerwen on Night Five.

Judgement Night - Thursday March 30
Motorpoint Arena Cardiff

Phil Taylor 7-5 Jelle Klaasen
Gary Anderson 7-3 Adrian Lewis
Raymond van Barneveld 7-2 James Wade
Michael van Gerwen 7-1 Dave Chisnall
Peter Wright v Kim Huybrechts - Not Played
NB: Kim Huybrechts withdrew from Night Nine for family reasons. As Kim Huybrechts had already been eliminated, Peter Wright was awarded a 7-0 victory.

Night Ten - Thursday April 6
3Arena, Dublin
James Wade 5-7 Michael van Gerwen
Raymond van Barneveld 3-7 Phil Taylor
Dave Chisnall 6-6 Peter Wright
Adrian Lewis 7-3 Gary Anderson
James Wade 2-7 Raymond van Barneveld

Night 11 - Thursday April 13
Echo Arena, Liverpool

Gary Anderson 6-6 Dave Chisnall
Michael van Gerwen 6-6 Peter Wright
Adrian Lewis 7-4 Raymond van Barneveld - Nine-Darter from Adrian Lewis
Phil Taylor 5-7 James Wade
Peter Wright 2-7 Gary Anderson

Night 12 - Thursday April 20
The SSE Arena, Belfast

Dave Chisnall 7-3 Adrian Lewis
Phil Taylor 7-4 Gary Anderson
Peter Wright 7-3 James Wade
Michael van Gerwen 7-2 Raymond van Barneveld
Dave Chisnall 7-2 Phil Taylor

Night 13 - Thursday April 27
Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham

James Wade 7-4 Adrian Lewis
Dave Chisnall 6-6 Michael van Gerwen
Phil Taylor 3-7 Peter Wright
Gary Anderson 7-4 Raymond van Barneveld
Adrian Lewis 0-7 Michael van Gerwen

Night 14 - Thursday May 4
The Sheffield Arena

Peter Wright 7-2 Adrian Lewis
Raymond van Barneveld 5-7 Dave Chisnall
James Wade 3-7 Gary Anderson
Michael van Gerwen 3-7 Phil Taylor

Night 15 - Thursday May 11
GE Oil & Gas Arena, Aberdeen

Dave Chisnall 6-6 James Wade
Phil Taylor 7-5 Adrian Lewis
Peter Wright 7-1 Raymond van Barneveld
Michael van Gerwen 7-4 Gary Anderson

Play-Offs - Thursday May 18
The O2, London

Semi-Finals
Michael van Gerwen 10-7 Gary Anderson
Peter Wright 10-9 Phil Taylor

Final
Michael van Gerwen 11-10 Peter Wright

Prize Fund

Winner £250,000
Runner-Up £120,000
Semi-Finalists £80,000
League Leader's Bonus £25,000
Fifth Place £65,000
Sixth Place £55,000
Seventh Place £50,000
Eighth Place £45,000
Ninth Place £30,000
Tenth Place £25,000
Total £825,000

 

RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD created the longest winning run of the 2017 Betway Premier League as he swept past James Wade in Cardiff on Thursday, where Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Phil Taylor also picked up two points.

Dutch star Van Barneveld, the 2014 Premier League champion, has risen into the top four with his recent run of form to claim three straight wins, and continued that with a ruthless display against Wade.

Van Barneveld limited Wade to just one dart at a double as he won the opening five legs without reply, before the left-hander finished 36 and 70 to take two of the next three.

However, the Dutchman - who had claimed his sixth leg with a superb 12-darter - took the ninth on double seven to secure another two points in his bid to secure a Play-Off spot in May.

"That's four wins on the trot so I'm very happy," said Van Barneveld. "It's so tight in the league table so I had to focus and you have to play well against everyone.

"James didn't play as well as he could and I was surprised at that but I'm happy with the win."

Reigning Premier League champion Van Gerwen returned to the top of the table with an impressive 7-1 win over Dave Chisnall, averaging 104.25 and hitting 50 percent of his darts at a double.

The Dutchman had lost his first game of the season a week ago against Van Barneveld, but showed no mercy as he defied five 180s from Chisnall with a dominant display.

"I had to play well tonight and I'm happy that I did," said Van Gerwen. "The pressure was on me because I want to be back on top of the table where I belong and where I've worked hard for.

"When you lose a game, like last week, you're upset but tonight I enjoyed it again. I'm a happy man and I'm already looking forward to next week."

Two-time Premier League winner Anderson hit finishes of 143 and 170 in a superb 7-3 win over Adrian Lewis, averaging 107 as he came from 2-1 down to claim his third win in four games.

"I didn't think the performance was as good as the average, but I'll take it!" said Anderson. "There were some good scores and some bad scores - the 170 felt like it came from nowhere and I took out the 143 too.

"We all want to get into the Play-Offs. When the tournament starts you don't want to be in the bottom two, and once you get past tonight it's a fight for the top four and everyone's trying for it."

Six-time Premier League champion Taylor also had to come from behind before he saw off Jelle Klaasen 7-5 in a deciding leg.

Klaasen - who had been eliminated before his ninth league match - raced into an early 4-1 lead before Taylor, aided by an 11-darter, turned the game around to claim his second successive win.

"It's another two points for me and they could all prove crucial at the end of the season," said Taylor. "It could prove the difference for getting into the Play-Offs - if I'd lost I think I'd have struggled to qualify.

"I think Jelle's injury affected him, at the beginning he was faring well but during the game he was struggling and he wasn't the same player. Fair play to him, it must be very frustrating but he's battled on."

The night had seen just eight players in action, with Kim Huybrechts - who had already been eliminated - absent to remain in Belgium with his terminally ill mother, meaning that Peter Wright was awarded a 7-0 victory in his intended opponent's absence.

"All our thoughts are with Kim and his family," said Wright, who made an appearance on stage in front of the sell-out Cardiff crowd before the event and signed autographs for fans.

"You have a fantastic crowd in Cardiff, the atmosphere is amazing and I'm gutted that I'm not playing. I was looking forward to trying to win tonight but unfortunately I've got to get back on the practice board."

The Betway Premier League continues with the visit to Dublin's 3Arena next Thursday, as the second phase of the season begins with five games.

Betway Premier League
Night Nine - Thursday March 30
Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
Phil Taylor 7-5 Jelle Klaasen
Gary Anderson 7-3 Adrian Lewis
Raymond van Barneveld 7-2 James Wade
Michael van Gerwen 7-1 Dave Chisnall
NB: Peter Wright awarded 7-0 win following Kim Huybrechts' withdrawal.