World No 1 Luke Littler rallied from the brink to claim Premier League Night Seven in Dublin, reeling off six straight legs to beat Gerwyn Price 6-5 in a last-leg classic at the 3Arena.
Littler had earlier beaten Stephen Bunting 6-3 to reach the semi-finals, then survived three match darts to down Michael van Gerwen 6-5 in a sensational semi. MVG hit a 170 finish to lead 5-3, but the 19-year-old fought back to force the decider and clinched the win by hitting double 5 when throwing first.
In the final, Littler looked out of it as Price raced to a 5-0 lead. Price missed five match darts in total, including a shot at his customary tops when 5-1 up, and Littler survived eight match darts across the night (three from Van Gerwen, five from Price) before completing the comeback. Littler acknowledged how improbable the turnaround felt: “I have no idea how I have done that… I was gone. When Gerwyn Price was on tops… he doesn’t usually miss.”
Price had earlier dismantled Luke Humphries 6-1 in the semis, averaging north of 109, hitting five 180s and converting 6/9 on doubles to deny Humphries a first nightly win of 2026.
The night’s quarter-finals also saw Van Gerwen receive a bye after Gian van Veen withdrew due to kidney stones. Van Veen’s withdrawal gave Van Gerwen a direct semi place and two league points; Van Veen will be penalised with a minus-six leg difference. Josh Rock was comprehensively beaten by Price in the quarters as the Welshman averaged over 103.66 and limited Rock to just four darts at double.
Littler’s quarter-final win over Bunting produced a 101.41 average for Bunting’s opponent line, while Littler averaged 105 with four 180s and a 60% checkout rate in that match.
Wayne Mardle reflected on the volatility of the format, noting that while Littler “shouldn’t have won that,” the short-night format often produces dramatic, unpredictable outcomes where nicking one can be decisive.
Night Seven results (selected)
– Quarter-finals: Van Gerwen (bye), Luke Littler 6-3 Stephen Bunting, Gerwyn Price 6-0 Josh Rock, Luke Humphries 6-3 Jonny Clayton
– Semi-finals: Luke Littler 6-5 Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price 6-1 Luke Humphries
– Final: Luke Littler 6-5 Gerwyn Price
Littler’s Premier League nightly wins now span 2024–2026, with Dublin added to his list of victories. The win cements his position just behind league leader Jonny Clayton; Clayton remains top of the table but only three points clear of Littler as the contest heads to Night Eight.
Looking ahead, Night Eight takes place in Berlin on March 26 at the Mercedes‑Benz Arena. Scheduled quarter-final pairings:
– Jonny Clayton vs Josh Rock
– Luke Humphries vs Michael van Gerwen
– Luke Littler vs Stephen Bunting
– Gerwyn Price vs Gian van Veen
The Premier League continues its weekly run through May, with Luke Humphries defending the overall title.