Listen to the Love the Darts podcast on Spotify as Emma Paton, Mark Webster and Devon Petersen review the 2023 Premier League season; We're back for the World Cup of Darts at Frankfurt's Eissporthalle from June 15-18 as Australia defend the title
Saturday 27 May 2023 08:48, UK
As the Premier League season draws to a close, Mark Webster and Devon Petersen join Emma Paton on the Love the Darts podcast to pick their end-of-season awards.
It comes after Michael van Gerwen became Premier League champion for a record seventh time at the O2 on Thursday night as he fended off world champion Michael Smith before beating the red-hot Gerwyn Price in the final.
Webster: "I'm going to go with Gezzy (Gerwyn Price) winning in Cardiff, I thought the atmosphere was good, it was a little table-turner for Gezzy, he was a little bit emotional at the end saying it was nice to have the fans on his side. I think he won people over this year.
Petersen: "I think seeing Chris Dobey win in Newcastle was great, he's a local boy, he's Newcastle through and through.
Webster: "I really like Berlin. The first time we went there I thought 'this isn't the best' but the finals was amazing, it was a good night.
"The German fans, when we go out there and play Euro Tours it's a great atmosphere, they really embrace it.
Petersen: "Berlin as well. The way the game has transformed and moved to Europe as well, they've accepted it massively.
"They find themselves in a position where everything is about the darts, just the way they interact with the players on stage is fantastic."
Webster: "I liked the 170 from Dobey on Night One, just to say 'I mean business'. He did it in a final against Michael van Gerwen as well.
"It had been a rollercoaster week for Chris Dobey, we'd have forgiven him if he had gone to Belfast and gone through the motions and not won.
"He only won the Masters on the Sunday and got picked on the Monday, to win the night and with a 170 in there was fantastic.
Petersen: "I think the Van Gerwen 170 on the final night, the 139 and 170 was the one that won the game because Price obviously never came back from there."
Webster: "I think when Jonny (Clayton) got that Berlin bear and said it looked like me, cheap shot. I got some revenge on social media last week.
"I also liked when they were doing introductions on finals night, and they went 'I'm Gerwyn Price, I'm Michael Smith, I'm Jonny Clayton' and Michael said 'You know who I am'.
Petersen: "Jonny as well, doing the axe throwing and looked so surprised when he could hit the board."
Webster: "I think when Price beat Dobey in Brighton, you're witnessing something that is phenomenal.
"It was one of those where if he had 150 left you'd think he'd just hit three bullseyes. It was incredible. For me, it was thinking 'how do these guys play like that?'.
Petersen: "I think the semi-final against Michael Smith, it feels like we see a repeat of the World Championship final every time, it's like a sparring session."
The annual World Cup of Darts will expand to 40 teams from the previous 32 in a revamped format which will feature a group stage and doubles matches throughout four days of action at Frankfurt's Eissporthalle from June 15-18 as Australia defend the title.
In a radical change to previous years, the tournament will see Iceland, Ukraine and Bahrain set to make their debuts.
Catch all the action from the World Cup of Darts from June 15-18 - live on Sky Sports.