The Nuke Makes History in Cardiff: Littler Claims Night 7 Win Over MvG

The 2025 Premier League rolled into Cardiff, the vibrant capital of Wales, for its only visit to the country on this year’s PDC calendar. A packed-out crowd was in full voice for home favourite Gerwyn Price, who entered the night fresh off a Night 6 triumph in Nottingham—his latest victory over Luke Littler pushing him up to third in the standings.

Littler with the Night 7 trophy on the Cardiff stage

Quarter-Final 1: Chris Dobey 6-2 Stephen Bunting

The evening began with a bottom-of-the-table clash between 7th-placed Chris Dobey and 8th-placed Stephen Bunting. Both had endured tough campaigns—Dobey hadn’t won since Night 1 in Belfast, while Bunting remained pointless after six nights.

A nervy opening saw both players struggle on the outer ring, and they were level at 2–2 after four scrappy legs. But from that point on, the match slipped away from Bunting. He missed multiple darts at a double in legs five, six, and seven, allowing Dobey to take full advantage and race into a 5–2 lead.

With the result all but sealed, 'Hollywood' finished in style, producing a brilliant 11-darter featuring back-to-back 180s to wrap up a 6–2 victory—the best leg of the match.

Match Stats:

Dobey: 90.27 average, 3x 180s, Checkout %: 37.5% (6/16)

Bunting: 87.05 average, 4x 180s, Checkout %: 11.76% (2/17)

A doubling disaster from Bunting condemned him to a seventh consecutive defeat, while Dobey picked up just his third match win in seven nights.

Quarter-Final 2: Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Luke Humphries

The second quarter-final featured a clash between 2nd and 4th in the standings. While Van Gerwen was yet to reach a Night final, he held a strong quarter-final record—winning five of his previous six. Humphries, meanwhile, had already claimed two Night victories and trailed table-topper Luke Littler by just a single point.

Humphries flew out of the blocks, racing into a 3–0 lead with clinical checkouts of 121 and 70, denying Van Gerwen a single dart at a double during the early blitz.

MvG responded with a blistering 10-darter to get on the board, but Humphries hit back immediately with a 14-dart leg to restore his cushion at 4–1. However, the tide began to turn. Van Gerwen fired in an 11-darter, and with Humphries faltering on double 18 and double 9, the Dutchman capitalised to reel off the next two legs and level at 4–4.

Now in full flow, Van Gerwen nailed a 13-dart break to lead for the first time, then wrapped up the comeback with a clinical 25 checkout to seal a 6–4 win—his fifth leg in a row from 4–1 down.

Match Stats:

Van Gerwen: 104.04 average, 4x 180s, Checkout %: 54.55% (6/11)

Humphries: 101.93 average, 3x 180s, Checkout %: 44.44% (4/9)

Van Gerwen extended his quarter-final win tally to six from seven, snapping a dominant recent record from Humphries, who had won nine of their previous ten meetings. For 'Cool Hand', it marked a third consecutive quarter-final exit—having led the table by eight points just two weeks earlier, he now slipped to second.

Quarter-Final 3: Luke Littler 6-3 Nathan Aspinall

Luke Littler arrived in Cardiff as league leader, while Nathan Aspinall was aiming to narrow the gap on the play-off places, sitting sixth in the standings.

Both players made a sluggish start, with missed doubles keeping the early legs tight. After four, they were locked at 2–2. But ‘The Nuke’ found another gear, taking out back-to-back legs with clinical finishing to move 4–2 ahead.

Littler continued to outscore Aspinall in the seventh leg but missed three darts at double, allowing ‘The Asp’ to punish the errors with a smooth 88 checkout to close the gap to 4–3.

Any hope of a comeback was swiftly extinguished. Littler opened the next leg with six perfect darts and finished a 100 checkout in style—using two double tops—to re-establish control. He then wrapped up victory with a superb 12-darter to seal a 6–3 win.

Match Stats:

Littler: 102.21 average, 6x 180s, Checkout %: 50% (6/12)

Aspinall: 88.73 average, 0x 180s, Checkout %: 30% (3/10)

Aspinall, for the second week running, exited at the quarter-final stage with a sub-par display, failing to hit a 180 and averaging in the high 80s. Littler’s victory extended his lead at the top of the table to three points, while Aspinall remained in sixth—four points off the play-off spots.

Quarter-Final 4: Rob Cross 6-5 Gerwyn Price

Gerwyn Price entered his Cardiff homecoming fresh off a Night 6 triumph in Nottingham, climbing to third in the standings. Rob Cross, while yet to reach a final, had quietly built a strong quarter-final record—keeping himself within reach of the play-off places.

Price’s night began in nightmare fashion as he quickly fell 3–0 behind, struggling to settle under the spotlight. He finally got on the board with a steady 15-dart hold before breaking in style with a 12-darter to cut the gap to 3–2. He narrowly missed double 16 for a 143 checkout that would have levelled the match, allowing Cross to escape and move 4–2 ahead. 'Voltage' then held cleanly to make it 5–2, seemingly cruising toward victory.

But the drama was far from over.

Price mounted a spirited fightback, rattling off three consecutive legs to force a decider, much to the delight of the Cardiff crowd. With the momentum behind him and 36 remaining, he missed one dart at double 18 for a sensational comeback win.

Then came the hammer blow.

Cross stepped up and silenced the Welsh faithful with a spectacular 170 checkout—the biggest finish of all—to steal the match 6–5 in stunning fashion.

Match Stats:

Cross: 89.40 average, 3x 180s, Checkout %: 40% (6/15)

Price: 97.10 average, 1x 180, Checkout %: 50% (5/10)

Cross made it five quarter-final wins in seven nights to sit just two points off the top four in a quietly consistent campaign. For Price, it was a bitter pill to swallow—missing out on a dream home win and now looking over his shoulder, with Michael van Gerwen closing in.

Semi-Final 1: Michael van Gerwen 6-1 Chris Dobey

Michael van Gerwen entered the semi-final still chasing his first final appearance of the campaign, while Chris Dobey was hoping to reach his second, having made the Night 1 final in Belfast.

MvG wasted no time asserting control, racing into a 3–0 lead with clinical finishing—including a superb 112 checkout—as Dobey failed to register a single dart at a double during the opening stretch.

Dobey briefly halted the onslaught with a 14-dart break to make it 3–1, but van Gerwen responded instantly with a 14-dart break of his own. He then moved within one leg of victory via a scrappy 21-dart hold, again Dobey unable to get a shot at the outer ring.

The final leg mirrored the messiness of the sixth, as van Gerwen missed five match darts, only for Dobey to waste two chances at tops to stay alive. Eventually, MvG stumbled over the line on double 1 after missing a sixth match dart—far from vintage, but enough to reach his first final of the season winning 6-1.

Match Stats:

Van Gerwen: 91.53 average, 3x 180s, Checkout %: 31.58% (6/19)

Dobey: 82.28 average, 1x 180, Checkout %: 33.33% (1/3)

Despite a scruffy finish, van Gerwen finally converted a semi-final into a final appearance, while Dobey’s lacklustre showing saw him remain rooted in 7th.

Semi-Final 2: Luke Littler 6-2 Rob Cross

Luke Littler came into the semi-final chasing a fourth straight final appearance, while Rob Cross was still searching for his first of the campaign.

‘The Nuke’ came out firing, racing into a 3–0 lead by capitalising on early missed doubles from Cross and finishing clinically in what was a commanding start.

Cross finally got on the board in style, producing an 11-dart break after going seven darts into a perfect leg. He then held throw to close the gap to 3–2, punishing Littler’s missed darts at double to swing the momentum his way.

But just as a comeback looked on the cards, Littler shut the door. The World Champion reeled off the final three legs in ruthless fashion, landing back-to-back 15-darters before sealing the win with a classy 13-darter, capped by a 120 checkout.

Match Stats:

Littler: 107.67 average, 6x 180s, Checkout %: 54.55% (6/11)

Cross: 99.80 average, 4x 180s, Checkout %: 33.33% (2/6)

With this dominant display, Littler extended his lead at the top of the table and reinforced his control over Cross in their head-to-head, now winning 11 of their 13 encounters. Cross, meanwhile, remained without a final appearance in the PL in 2025.

🏆 The Final: Luke Littler 6-4 Michael van Gerwen

Night 7 saw Luke Littler reach his fourth consecutive final, chasing a third nightly title of the campaign. For Michael van Gerwen, this marked his first final appearance of the season.

The match burst into life straight away. Littler broke in the opening leg before van Gerwen responded immediately following a missed dart from the teenager. The trend of breaks continued, with Littler firing in a superb 12-darter to move 2–1 in front.

Then came a moment of pure magic.

Littler electrified the Cardiff crowd with a perfect nine-darter, finishing 141 in sensational style via T20–T17–D15. It was a historic moment—the first televised nine-dart finish ending on double 15, and ‘The Nuke’ erupted in celebration.

He almost backed it up in the next leg, narrowly missing the bull for a 170 finish, but MvG cleaned up 85 to halt the charge. The Dutchman then broke in 11 darts to level at 3–3 and prevent Littler from running away with it.

Littler responded by pinning 89 on the bull to retake the lead, but van Gerwen replied once more with another break, making it 4–4 and setting up a best-of-three showdown.

Both players missed a dart at double in leg nine before Littler finally found a 25 checkout to edge back in front. In a fitting conclusion, the 18-year-old sensation produced an 11-darter, aided by his 9th and 10th 180s of the final to wrap up the game in style.

Match Stats:

Littler: 112.50 average, 10x 180s, Checkout %: 42.86% (6/14)

Van Gerwen: 101.41 average, 4x 180s, Checkout %: 50% (4/8)

Littler became the first player to win three nights in the 2025 campaign, further extending his lead at the top. While MvG fell short of the title, he climbed into third place and looked well placed to continue his upward momentum.

Updated Premier League Table After Night 7

Luke Littler’s impressive third night win has extended his lead at the top of the Premier League standings to 21 points, giving him a solid 6-point cushion over second-placed Luke Humphries. Meanwhile, Michael van Gerwen surged into third place with his first final appearance of the campaign, overtaking Gerwyn Price, who drops to fourth.

Rob Cross is now within striking distance of the playoffs, reducing the gap to just 2 points following a crucial win over Price, his direct rival for the top four. However, Nathan Aspinall remains in sixth despite continued struggles, with another lackluster performance in which he averaged in the 80s.

Chris Dobey secured his first points since Night 1 with a win, but both he and Stephen Bunting remain rooted at the bottom of the table. Bunting, in particular, has endured a tough start, still pointless after seven nights.

Position	Name	Points
1st	Luke Littler	21
2nd	Luke Humphries	15
3rd	Michael van Gerwen	13
4th	Gerwyn Price	12
5th	Rob Cross	10
6th	Nathan Aspinall	8
7th	Chris Dobey	5
8th	Stephen Bunting	0

Night Eight Fixtures—Thursday, 27th March

Utilita Arena, Newcastle

Quarter-Finals

Luke Littler v Stephen Bunting

Gerwyn Price v Rob Cross

Luke Humphries v Chris Dobey

Michael van Gerwen v Nathan Aspinall

Final Thoughts

Luke Littler’s victory in Cardiff marked his third Night win in just seven weeks, further solidifying his dominance at the top of the Premier League standings. His victory not only extended his lead to 6 points but also earned him a £10,000 winner’s bonus and the prestigious gold darts from BetMGM, valued at an estimated £30,000.

The highlight of the night came with Littler’s stunning 9-darter, the third of the season, which underscored the exceptional standard of play on display. Michael van Gerwen, though defeated in the final, will surely take confidence from his strong performance and will be keen to claim a Night win in the coming weeks to close the gap on the top spots.

As the battle for the top four playoff spots intensifies, sixth place and higher now look tightly contested. Meanwhile, Chris Dobey and Stephen Bunting remain in search of form, still languishing at the bottom without significant movement in the standings. The coming weeks will prove crucial for those players fighting to stay in the race.

Upcoming Tournaments:

• European Darts Trophy (ET2)—March 21st-March 23rd in Lokhalle, Gottingen, live on PDC.tv

• Players Championship 9 & 10—March 31st & April 1st in Mattioli Arena, Leicester, live on PDC.tv

• Premier League Night 8—Thursday, 27th March at Utilita Arena, Newcastle, live on Sky Sports

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