Nathan Aspinall beat Michael Smith 6-4 in the final to win night 12 of Premier League Darts in Rotterdam.
Aspinall showed his fighting qualities for a comeback semi-final triumph over world champion Luke Humphries.
And he maintained the momentum against Smith to claim his second night victory and move above Michael van Gerwen into third place in the table.
Humphries returned to the top on a night where players complained of breezy conditions in the big arena.
Stockport thrower Aspinall won five consecutive legs to overcome Humphries 6-4 in the semi-finals on his way to a second success of the campaign after victory in Exeter on night five.
“I’ve got a reputation of being behind, digging deep and winning games. My opponent might be 4-0 up but in my head I’m better so if you can win four legs, so can I. That was a big win against Luke Humphries tonight,” Aspinall told Sky Sports.
“Me and Smithy are really good mates. We’re going on holiday together next week so it might be a bit awkward.”
Aspinall led 5-3 before Smith hit a stunning 170 checkout in the following leg. But after missing three match darts, the Asp wrapped up victory with double eight.
The 2023 world champion Smith won a last-leg decider against Gerwyn Price to reach the final.
Home favourite Van Gerwen was unhappy with the wind in the Rotterdam Ahoy Arena as he went down 6-4 to Humphries in the quarter-finals.
Teenager Luke Littler had topped the table and started brightly in his opener against Smith with a 164 checkout but his opponent edged the finishing to claim a 6-3 win.
Rob Cross suffered his sixth successive opening-round defeat as he went down 6-3 to Price.
And Peter Wright recorded his lowest TV average of 77.48 as he remains rooted to the foot of the table after a 6-2 loss to Aspinall.
Premier League Darts night 12 results
Michael Smith 6-3 Luke Littler
Rob Cross 3-6 Gerwyn Price
Peter Wright 2-6 Nathan Aspinall
Michael van Gerwen 4-6 Luke Humphries
Michael Smith 6-5 Gerwyn Price
Nathan Aspinall 6-4 Luke Humphries
Michael Smith 4-6 Nathan Aspinall
Premier League Darts table
Premier League Darts format and points system
Premier League Darts is played across 16 initial 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 1-7 and 9-15, with weeks 8 and 16’s 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 a best-of-19-leg match. The final, which is the best of 21 legs, follows.
If players are level on points after the 16 weeks then places are decided by nights won and then matches won.
Premier League Darts night 13 order of play
Luke Littler v Gerwyn Price
Luke Humphries v Nathan Aspinall
Peter Wright v Michael van Gerwen
Michael Smith v Rob Cross
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
