Playoff hopes boosted but Nathan Aspinall's Aberdeen win puts him in unwanted Premier League Darts company

Nathan Aspinall claimed a crucial win on Night 15 of the Premier League Darts in Aberdeen, keeping his playoff hopes firmly alive with just one week of the regular season remaining. The Asp breezed past Chris Dobey 6-1 in the final to bank five vital points — lifting him into fourth place in the table, four points ahead of Michael van Gerwen.

The win leaves Aspinall in pole position to grab the final playoff spot, but there's a twist in the tale: he faces Van Gerwen in the quarterfinals next week in Sheffield, a do-or-die showdown for both players.

While the result was emphatic on paper, the performance behind it raised eyebrows. Aspinall’s average on the night was just 94.72 — the fifth-lowest winning average for any night winner since the Premier League adopted its current eight-player, knockout-night format in 2022. In the final alone, his 92.77 average was noticeably below Dobey’s 98.39, showing just how much the scoreline flattered the outcome.

According to FEBsData, Aspinall now holds four of the ten lowest winning averages in the Premier League’s revamped era — more than any other player. Alongside his latest win, his performances on Night 12 in 2023 (95.78), Night 12 in 2024 (95.59), and Night 5 in 2024 (96.22) also appear in the bottom ten.

Joe Cullen still holds the top two spots on the list, with winning averages of just 90.54 and 93.43 on Nights 7 and 15 in 2022. Michael van Gerwen’s wins this year on Nights 3 and 11 also make the list, as does Jonny Clayton’s Night 10 win in 2023 and Gerwyn Price’s Night 2 success that same year.

While averages don’t tell the full story, they do reflect Aspinall’s ability to grind out results when it matters — even without producing his best. With a playoff spot on the line and Van Gerwen chasing from behind, next week’s clash in Sheffield is shaping up to be one of the most high-stakes matches of the Premier League season.