Van Gerwen's bizarre socks superstition!

MIGHTY Michael van Gerwen admits he pulls his socks up during his games but doesn’t know why!

The dynamic Dutchman has made the bizarre confession about the odd superstition during his Unibet Premier League games.

Now MVG actually does have to pull up his socks to overtake Rob Cross at the top of the table when they meet tonight (Thurs) in Cardiff.

He said: “I used to flick my hand with my watch and I used to crack my fingers.

“Pulling my socks up is just something I do – I don’t know why. Sometimes it helps, so I can’t really complain!

“Maybe it gets my focus on the dartboard for a second to re-concentrate and gets yourself going again.

“Maybe it helps, maybe not? I don’t do it on purpose, I just want to do the thing I love – play darts at a high level.”

Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle believes it is the biggest blockbuster clash of the tournament so far.

He said: “There’s no doubt about it, Cross is the Premier League man of the moment. He’s won six of his last seven and seven out of his last nine matches and is top of the table on points now, rather than leg difference.

“He’s lost two, but he’s winning and not drawing. Rob Cross for me is looking like the main challenger to Michael van Gerwen.

“There was one that was going to come out of the pack but could he now go on and win the league phase? That would be some doing and he would be the third man in history to do it, with Phil Taylor and Van Gerwen having topped it in previous years. Michael has never not won the league.”

But Mardle admits that he’s worried about the form of Scot Peter Wright who is way below his best right now.

He added: “I don’t like the way Wright is playing. He has not won in his last five – all right, he has drawn three of them. But the other weekend he changed two sets of darts four times during a PDC Tour event. He’s clearly not happy with what he’s doing and what he’s using.”

Night 12 - Thursday April 18, 7pm Sky Sports.
Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff

Mensur Suljovic v Daryl Gurney

Rob Cross v Michael van Gerwen

Michael Smith v Gerwyn Price

Peter Wright v James Wade 

Words: Phil Lanning

Images: Taylor Lanning