‘I don’t think it’s very smart’ – Van Gerwen slammed for pub night out with Premier League Darts rival

‘I don’t think it’s very smart’ – Van Gerwen slammed for pub night out with Premier League Darts rival

Michael van Gerwen has been questioned over a night out at an Irish pub with Luke Humphries just days before the pair clashed at the Belgian Darts Open — with former pro Vincent van der Voort warning his old compatriot against mixing business with pleasure during such a pivotal stage of the season.

Van Gerwen was in Dublin last Thursday for Night Seven of the Premier League, where he reached the semi-finals before losing to Luke Littler. But rather than heading straight into preparation mode ahead of the European Tour in Wieze that weekend, ‘The Green Machine’ and ‘Cool Hand Luke’ hit the bars together in the Irish capital.

The timing drew raised eyebrows given that just days later the pair met on the oche — and Humphries dispatched Van Gerwen 7-2 with a 105.96 average in the Belgian Darts Open semi-finals, with Van Gerwen visibly struggling to sustain his earlier levels as the night wore on.

Van der Voort, speaking on the Darts Draait Door Podcast, questioned the wisdom of socialising with a direct competitor during what he believes should be a year of total focus for the three-time world champion.

“But is it wise? He’s building, it’s a very important year and he’s saying that everywhere. And then you go out,” he said. “Personally, I don’t think it’s very smart, but it’s also not for me. I’d rather go out with my friends than with all those darters. They’re colleagues for a reason.”

Van der Voort was careful not to go too far, acknowledging that Van Gerwen had performed well in Dublin before the night out. “It’s not like Van Gerwen can never go out, right. But he reached the semi-finals and played well, so you can’t really say anything,” he added.

Nevertheless, he believes the socialising took a toll. “Because of that he’s wasting so much energy that it was gone in the semi-final in Wieze,” he said — pointing directly to the heavy defeat at the hands of the very man Van Gerwen had been sharing a drink with.

The wider picture remains a concern for Van der Voort, though he is broadly encouraged by Van Gerwen’s trajectory. “His form is definitely coming, but it’s hard work for him. If we carry on like this he’ll be at a really good level in the summer,” he said. “His absolute top form isn’t there yet, but he is working towards it. It’s the details that could make it easier.”

Those details matter enormously right now. Van Gerwen currently sits fifth in the Premier League table, just one point outside the play-off places, and tonight’s Night Eight in Berlin carries genuine significance. The fixture list has handed him another meeting with Humphries, and Van der Voort is in no doubt about the stakes.

“That’s a very important match, because with a defeat the gap could already become a bit too big,” he said. “This one has to be very important for him and he must focus solely on this night. There are no big tournaments afterwards, so this is what it’s about.”

For Van Gerwen, the Berlin trip to the Uber Arena represents an immediate chance for revenge after his Belgian Darts Open exit — and a chance to prove that any residual effects from the Dublin night out are well and truly behind him.