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RECORD-BREAKING LITTLER CLAIMS HISTORIC FIFTH NIGHTLY WIN IN BIRMINGHAM

Luke Littler confirmed his BetMGM Premier League Play-Off qualification with a record-breaking fifth nightly win of the season in Birmingham on Thursday.

Littler created another slice of history at the Utilita Arena, as he became the first player to claim five nightly wins in the same season since the current format was introduced in 2022. The reigning champion defeated his great rival Michael van Gerwen 6-4 to triumph in the West Midlands, having won through deciding-leg ties against Stephen Bunting and Nathan Aspinall earlier in the night.

"I'm very happy to get that fifth nightly win," reflected Littler, who now boasts a nine-point buffer at the top of the table with three league nights remaining. "Once I got over the finish line against Stephen I was confident, but I got away with it against Nathan in the semi-finals. "It was a cracking game against Michael, and that win puts me nine points ahead of Luke, so I'm confident I will finish top of the table. "It's getting down to the nitty gritty in the race for the Play-Offs, but I'm still looking at trying to break my points record from last year, so that's my target now."

Littler fought back from 4-2 down to defeat Bunting in the evening's opener, before surviving a match dart in the penultimate leg of his semi-final showdown against Aspinall.
The 18-year-old also trailed Van Gerwen 3-1 in the Night 13 showpiece, but a terrific mid-match burst saw him complete the comeback. Littler surrendered a 4-0 lead against the Dutchman on Night 12, although he made amends in the West Midlands, averaging 102.5 to clinch the £10,000 nightly bonus. Littler's 120 finish in leg five turned the tide, and the Warrington wonderkid won his remaining four legs in 16, 12, 14 and 16 darts to rubber-stamp his place at the season-ending Play-Offs.

Despite missing out on a first nightly win of the campaign, Van Gerwen moved into the Play-Off positions with battling wins over Rob Cross and Gerwyn Price respectively. The seven-time Premier League champion produced a clinical display to overcome Cross in the quarter-finals, before exploiting a below-par display from Price in the last four.

Price had delivered a stirring fightback from 5-3 down to deny Luke Humphries in a captivating quarter-final contest, defying a 107 average from the world number one to cement third spot in the table.
Elsewhere, Aspinall ran out a comfortable 6-3 winner against Chris Dobey in the evening's other quarter-final, but he was leapfrogged by Van Gerwen following the Dutchman's three-point haul.

The race for BetMGM Premier League Play-Off qualification continues in Leeds next week, as the First Direct Arena plays host to Night 14 on Thursday May 8. Leeds United fan Humphries claimed the nightly spoils in West Yorkshire last season, and the world number one will take on Van Gerwen in a blockbuster quarter-final clash. Table-topper Littler faces Aspinall, Bunting and Dobey collide in a repeat of the Night 11 decider, while Cross and Price lock horns in the evening's opener.

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