Michael van Gerwen has labelled comments from World Darts Championship semi-final opponent Chris Dobey as 'nonsense', after earning his own place among the final four. The three-time champion dispatched Callan Rydz 5-3 in a blockbuster match at Ally Pally on New Year's Day. Ahead of the game Dobey had suggested that he would prefer to play Van Gerwen rather than the high-flying 26-year-old, who he is a teammate of in a local North East darts league.
“It’ll probably be a bit easier playing Michael [van Gerwen] than it will Callan [Rydz]," Dobey told the media.. Van Gerwen had a typically blunt response. “People when they win, they talk a lot of nonsense," he told SportsBoom. Mighty Mike was able to progress over Rydz despite the Geordie sensation'ss impressive performance. The Riot hit more 180s, recorded a higher three-dart average, and even won more legs during their meeting.
“Did he have more 180s than me? Really? I don’t care. What’s the stats mean… three-five,” said Van Gerwen. “This is why the World Championship is a very dangerous tournament. I think Gerwyn Price was the better player over [Chris] Dobey. The set format is totally different than leg format, but a lot of people don’t see it that way. But I’ve been in this game for quite a long time so I can judge it.".
