Aspinall wins in Aberdeen as Littler seals top spot

Nathan Aspinall took the Premier League nightly win in Aberdeen to close on a play-off place while Luke Littler sealed top spot.

Aspinall is on the brink of qualifying after beating Chris Dobey 6-1 in the final on a dramatic evening which saw Gerwyn Price hit a nine-darter.

Dobey claimed a decider to win his semi-final 6-5 against world champion Littler, who earlier won a classic against world number one Luke Humphries that featured 14 180s.

Despite averaging 110.01, Humphries could not halt Littler, who averaged 115.96 to guarantee he would finish top of the league phase.

Defending champion Littler had already qualified for the four-man play-offs in London on 29 May alongside Humphries and Price.

Price hit his second nine-darter of the campaign but ended a 6-4 quarter-final loser to Stephen Bunting.

Aspinall moved above seven-time champion Michael van Gerwen into fourth spot with a 6-3 victory over the Dutchman before dispatching Bunting 6-1 and going four points clear after his final triumph.

If Van Gerwen does not claim the night win in Sheffield next week, Aspinall – who finished fifth in 2023 and 2024 – will claim the last play-off spot.

“All I have said to my family, I don’t want to come fifth again. I’ve put one foot in the finals. I play Michael [van Gerwen] again next week and the pressure is on him,” said the English player.

Littler against Humphries lived up to its billing as the pair delivered a breathtaking quarter-final.

Humphries hit nine maximums to his opponent’s five, but he could not halt Littler’s charge.

In a match that finished in under 12 minutes, there were a total of 40 100-plus visits – 21 from Littler and 19 for Humphries.

Humphries began by hitting six perfect darts, while Littler needed just 10 to win the third leg.

“Are you kidding me? This is an absolute joke,” said Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle in commentary.

For the second time in the Premier League this season, Price hit a nine-darter and lost.

He also produced a perfect leg when beaten by Littler in Manchester in April.

The 2021 world champion has the consolation of walking off with another set of 18 carat gold darts from sponsors BetMGM, worth an estimated £30,000.

There have now been five nine-darters in this year’s event. No previous edition of the competition has had more than two.

Van Gerwen remains without a night win in 2025 and in serious danger of missing out on the play-offs for only the second time.

His only absence from the finals since his debut season in 2013 came in 2020 when he finished sixth in the table.

While he matched Aspinall with a 97 average and 42% checkout, the Englishman got to the double twice as many times, and that proved crucial.

Final

Nathan Aspinall 6-1 Chris Dobey

Semi-finals

Nathan Aspinall 6-1 Stephen Bunting

Chris Dobey 6-5 Luke Littler

Quarter-finals

Michael van Gerwen 3-6 Nathan Aspinall

Gerwyn Price 4-6 Stephen Bunting

Chris Dobey 6-2 Rob Cross

Premier League Darts is played across 16 weeks in the league stage with quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final each night.

Each of the eight players is guaranteed to face the other seven in the quarter-finals in weeks one to seven and 9-15, with week eight and week 16 fixtures done off the table. It means we will get fourth v fifth in Sheffield on the final league-stage night, with the play-off spots potentially on the line.

Players earn two points per quarter-final win, an additional point if they win their semi-final, and five for winning the night.

The top four players after the group stage progress to the play-off night at London’s O2 Arena on 23 May, with first facing fourth and second against third in best-of-19-leg matches. The final, which is the best of 21 legs, follows.

Thursday, 22 May – Sheffield