Cross to face MVG in Premier League opener

World darts champion Rob Cross will face world number one Michael van Gerwen on the opening night of the 2018 Unibet Premier League.
Rob Cross will be making his debut in the 2018 Unibet Premier League. Picture courtesy Lawrence Lustig/PDCRob Cross will be making his debut in the 2018 Unibet Premier League. Picture courtesy Lawrence Lustig/PDC
Rob Cross will be making his debut in the 2018 Unibet Premier League. Picture courtesy Lawrence Lustig/PDC

St Leonards-based Cross and reigning Premier League champion van Gerwen will lock horns in Dublin on Thursday February 1.

The two men contested a classic semi-final at the recent William Hill World Darts Championship, which Cross eventually won after a nerve-shredding sudden death leg.

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Ten of the world’s top players will compete in the Premier League, a 16-week roadshow event to be broadcast live on Sky Sports and worldwide.

The season will include Judgement Night after nine matches where the bottom two players in the table are eliminated after the players have faced each other once in the league phase.

The remaining eight players will then continue their battle to secure places at May’s Play-Offs in London, where the top four from the final league table will compete for the title.

The fixtures for the opening nine nights were announced this afternoon (Tuesday). The matches from week 10 onwards will be confirmed following Judgement Night.

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Cross, the new world number three, will face Simon Whitlock on the second night in Cardiff before another tasty encounter against second-ranked Peter Wright on night three in Newcastle.

Rob Cross’s 2018 Unibet Premier League fixtures

February 1: 3Arena Dublin - Michael van Gerwen

February 8: Motorpoint Arena Cardiff - Simon Whitlock

February 15: Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle - Peter Wright

February 22: Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin - Raymond van Barneveld

March 1: Westpoint Arena, Exeter - Gary Anderson

March 8: First Direct Arena, Leeds - Michael Smith

March 15: Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham - Mensur Suljovic

March 22: The SSE Hydro, Glasgow - Gerwyn Price

March 29: The SSE Arena, Belfast - Daryl Gurney

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