Premier League Darts Cardiff LIVE RESULTS: Michael Smith batters home hero Price in final after beating Luke Littler

Gerwyn Price 0-2 Nathan Aspinall

Break consolidated by Aspinall - with some poor, poor finishing for Price.

He faffs around and fails to take out 56, then 20 then 5.

Aspinall fails amongst that to take out double 4 but he's afforded another visit and takes it this time.

View of SunSport’s Rob Maul inside Cardiff’s Utilita Arena

As expected, a tremendous reception for Gerwyn Price there as he walked on to the oche.

His entrance music has changed. It used to be ‘Ice, Ice, Baby’ by Vanilla Ice.

But for his homecoming, as he wears a red shirt, he has changed it to ‘Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey.

Let’s hope he does not produce a vanilla performance in front of his home crowd.

Gerwyn Price 0-1 Nathan Aspinall

BREAK OF THROW!

That's shut this crowd up!

Aspinall opens with a 180 amongst the boos - incredible start from him.

He has a shot at 170 with Price on 160 but fails to take it out, hitting 90 instead.

Price can't take out the big one either, leaving Aspinall three darts at 80.

He hits 20 before almost busting himself, narrowly missing T20. But he takes his one dart at tops and the break with it.

No5 vs No4

So, a chance for these two to meet Rob Cross.

"Wales, Wales, Wales", the cry as the players have a quick throw at the board.

Gerwyn Price topped the table last year and looked sure to win it all, before falling short in the final.

Aspinall seems to have his measure in the big matchups - will that happen here.

Price to throw first.

Onto the next then....

And it's home favourite Gerwyn Price taking on Nathan Aspinall!

Price the first to be called on and there's a huge ovation for the Welshman.

A beaming smile on his face as he walks on waving to the crowd.

Aspinall's reception not quite as welcoming to say the least....

View of SunSport's Rob Maul inside Cardiff's Utilita Arena

That was a shockingly bad start to this year’s Premier League.

We had blackout issues here in the press room, the TV screen kept cutting out, and there was no sound either.

Well, we didn’t miss much, did we?

Peter Wright was very poor, averaging just 85. One of his worst ever displays in this event.

The players missed 19 doubles between them over nine legs.

Peter Wright 3-5 Rob Cross

BREAK OF THROW!

A 109-out from Rob Cross and he's two clear now!

Wright was left on 131 but couldn't convert, with Cross handed the initiative on 109.

Again, he only has one dart in hand after his first two, to take out D16.

Like the leg before it, that was all he needed to clinch the leg.

5-3 in this first to six - he just needs to hold throw here.

Peter Wright 3-4 Rob Cross

Excellent from Rob Cross!

Wright gets the first chance at a finish with 125 but hits the bull with his first throw and is loose with his second.

He leaves 60, leaving Cross with a chance to take out 70.

Cross is left with one dart at D16 and takes it, as the crowd continues to get on his back.

Peter Wright 3-3 Rob Cross

A messy, messy leg. But that was a big chance for Cross!

Wright fails to take out 76, leaving Cross with a chance to take out 74.

He only gets one dart at his favoured D18 but can't convert.

Wright then fails to take out 10, leaving Cross with three darts to break the throw.

He hits 18, then comes inside the board to hit 9 instead of the double.

Wright comes back and cleans up for 2-2.

Peter Wright 2-3 Rob Cross

Phew! Another hold and a big one at that!

Cross was dancing round the board, failing to take out 8 and 4, before needing two goes at D1.

Wright was again at 159 at that stage but put the pressure on with a good 127 to leave 32.

But three darts in hand enough for Cross to close out the leg.

Peter Wright 2-2 Rob Cross

Better from Wright who looked comfortable holding his own throw there.

He takes out 65 with Cross still above 100 in doing so.

It falls to a single dart at D20 which he takes out and that looked a lot more comfortable.

His average has popped up to 84, too. Though Cross is at 109.

Still on throw...

Peter Wright 1-2 Rob Cross

Snakebite averaging 75 so far - he's left high and dry on 274 with Cross down at 54.

Cross securing his first 180 of the night to kick down to that number and opts for 14, D20.

SunSport's Rob Maul reporting the boos for Rob Cross were incredibly loud as he walked on but it's not fazed him as he holds his throw.

Peter Wright 1-1 Rob Cross

Wright starts with a 41 which highlights again his tentativeness.

He's perhaps fortunate that Cross doesn't capitalise at all when the door was left open for him.

Wright battles his way down to 37 which he takes out with 5, 16 and D8.

Peter Wright 0-1 Rob Cross

A 13-dart leg from Rob Cross to take the opening leg.

Peter Wright left well behind on 249 - a strange opener from Snakebite.

Cross taking out 32 under no pressure and is up and running in this first to six battle.

Ready for a start

Rob Cross to throw first - game on!

The men that matter tonight

1) Luke Humphries (England) -- 2024 World Champion
2) Michael van Gerwen (Holland) -- Seven-time Premier League champion
3) Michael Smith (England) -- 2023 World Champion
4) Nathan Aspinall (England) -- English 2023 World Matchplay champion
5) Gerwyn Price (Wales) -- 2021 World Champion
6) Rob Cross (England) -- 2018 World Champion
8) Peter Wright (Scotland) -- 2020 & 2022 World Champion
31) Luke Littler (England) -- 2024 World Championship finalist

The views of SunSport's Rob Maul inside Cardiff's Utilita Arena

It is Rob Maul here in Cardiff.

I am told it is a sell-out crowd at the Utilita Arena and the fans, many of whom have come in fancy dress, are supporting Gerwyn Price.

The Iceman gets a lot of stick by fans, particularly at Ally Pally, but this is one night in the calendar when he knows he will have the full support of the punters.

His family have turned up in force, including his two daughters.

It will be interesting to see what reception that Luke Littler gets. The 17-year-old may not have experience such a hostile crowd as this.

HERE. WE. GO.

Apt on a night like tonight.

But the players in quarter final one have emerged and are being called onto stage!

Peter Wright up first with a nice tough with a Welsh shirt and green and red hair!

Rob Cross looks focused making his walk.

What's at stake?

League Points per night

• Night Winner: 5 points + £10,000 bonus
• Runner-Up: 3 points
• Semi-Finalists: 2 points

Premier League Prize Fund

• Winner £275,000
• Runner-Up £125,000
• Semi-Finalists £85,000 each
• Fifth in League Table £75,000
• Sixth in League Table £70,000
• Seventh in League Table £65,000
• Eighth in League Table £60,000
• Nightly Winner Bonus £10,000 x16
  

Total: £1,000,000

Last time out

The pair last met back in August of last year in Australia.

Peter Wright fans, you won't want to be reminded that the Scot was whitewashed 7-0 in the Masters semi final on that occasion.

He's got a bit to prove here, Wright. He'll be keen to make a positive start here.

First up

Wow! The atmosphere is sensational ahead of the start!

It's the battle of two former World Champs coming up first.

And Rob Cross - who has been away from this for the past couple of years - goes into the first quarter final as the favourite.

• Peter Wright 5/2
• Rob Cross 2/7

15 mins to kick off

Not long to go now until we're underway in Cardiff with Peter Wright vs Rob Cross kicking us off.

And it is a clash of two former world champions with two-time champ Wright against 2018 champ Cross.

Here we go!

Litter's podcast ban

But Crouch's co-host Chris Stark, who appeared as a darts dancer during the World Championship at the Ally Pally, says the 17-year-old should be protected from media attention.

He said: “Do you think that’s part of the problem that he’s had this massive success at 16. He’s managed to get this far on his own without all the attention.

“A lot of the criticism is that suddenly he’s out doing all interviews. Maybe the best thing we could do as a podcast is almost run a campaign to say, we are not going to get you on the podcast.

“We are going to be the only media outlet to say we don’t want Luke on because we want him to concentrate on his darts.

“This amount of weird attention that appears you must have seen it galvanise some players and people but it does have a negative effect as well.

“Maybe that’s we do with Luke. We give him a couple more years, win the Worlds at some point, then invite him on the podcast after that.

“Until then we operate a policy of everyone should leave Luke Littler alone.”

Littler BANNED from Crouch podcast

Peter Crouch has BANNED Luke Littler from his podcast so he can concentrate on darts.

The lanky ex-England striker also wants to lock wife Abbey Clancy in a “dark room” until she hits a nine-dart perfect leg!

Crouch said: “I’d love Luke Littler on, I’d like to speak to him. You have people who burst on the scene at 16.

“I was watching the darts, they had a list of people who have won things at 16. Obviously it was before he lost [the final]."