Recap the action and our interviews from day one of the Champions League of Darts as the likes of MVG, Mensur Suljovic, Gary Anderson and Rob Cross got their campaigns under way.
CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW DAY TWO OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE OF DARTS
Scroll down for all the stats from day one, video highlights and interviews
Day one results
Afternoon Group Stage Matches (Best of 19 legs)
- Rob Cross 8-10 Mensur Suljovic (B)
- Peter Wright 10-7 Simon Whitlock (B)
- Gary Anderson 8-10 Daryl Gurney (A)
- Michael van Gerwen 10-2 Dave Chisnall (A)
Evening Group Stage Matches (Best of 19 legs)
- Rob Cross 10-8 Simon Whitlock (B)
- Peter Wright 7-10 Mensur Suljovic (B)
- Gary Anderson 10-3 Dave Chisnall (A)
- Michael van Gerwen 10-7 Daryl Gurney (A)
Day two schedule
Afternoon Session, BBC 2, 1315-1630 BST
Group Stage (Best of 19 legs)
- Mensur Suljovic v Simon Whitlock (B)
- Rob Cross v Peter Wright (B)
- Daryl Gurney v Dave Chisnall (A)
- Gary Anderson v Michael van Gerwen (A)
Evening Session, BBC 2, 1830-2200
Knockout Stages (Best of 21 legs)
- Semi-finals & Final
2240: Final interview of the day with world number one Michael van Gerwen as he reflects on his two victories and looks ahead to his clash with Gary Anderson on Sunday afternoon. Just click play below...
Averages
- Van Gerwen: 98
- Gurney: 90
180s
- Van Gerwen: 6
- Gurney: 2
Checkout %
- Van Gerwen: 31.58%
- Gurney: 66.67%
Highest Checkouts
- Van Gerwen: 42
- Gurney: 70
Averages
- Anderson: 94
- Chisnall: 89
180s
- Anderson: 5
- Chisnall: 2
Checkout %
- Anderson: 31.82%
- Chisnall: 30%
Highest Checkouts
- Anderson: 41
- Chisnall: 40
LEG 10
Anderson goes into the break with a four leg advantage as Chizzy takes advantage of three missed darts at doubles from his opponent.
Anderson 7-3 Chisnall
LEG NINE
Nine-darter alert as Anderson nails back-to-back maximums before hitting treble 20 with his seventh dart! Alas he follows it up with a single 19 before treble 18 leaves him eight. It's an anti climax as it takes him seven more darts to finish though!
Anderson 7-2 Chisnall
LEG EIGHT
Nine-darter alert as Anderson nails back-to-back maximums before hitting treble 20 with his seventh dart! Alas he follows it up with a single 19 before treble 18 leaves him eight. It's an anti climax as it takes him seven more darts to finish though!
Anderson 6-2 Chisnall
Averages
- Wright: 103
- Suljovic: 103
180s
- Wright: 3
- Suljovic: 2
Checkout %
- Wright: 26.67%
- Suljovic: 46.15%
Highest Checkouts
- Wright: 41
- Suljovic: 106
Averages
- Cross: 96
- Whitlock: 86
180s
- Cross: 3
- Whitlock: 2
Checkout %
- Cross: 25%
- Whitlock: 35.71%
Highest Checkouts
- Cross: 73
- Whitlock: 104
LEG 10
All square at 5-5 heading into the interval after Cross keeps his cool on double 10 after missing all three attempts at a double at his previous visit.
Cross 5-5 Whitlock
LEG NINE
A sluggish ninth leg should have been won by Cross but the world champion blows two attempts at a double before Whitlock checks out 19 for an 18-darter.
Cross 4-5 Whitlock
LEG EIGHT
The Hastings man is back on level terms with a second leg on the bounce, firing a third 180 after an opening 42 while he also had visits of 134 and 125 to boost his average towards 100.
Cross 4-4 Whitlock
LEG SEVEN
Cross produces his best darts of the match with a second 180 and a 73 checkout to cut the gap to just one leg.
Cross 3-4 Whitlock
LEG SIX
The Aussie bounces back from a poor visit of 41 with scores of 135 and 140 before checking out from 104 for a 15-darter.
Cross 2-4 Whitlock
LEG FIVE
Whitlock kicks off the leg with a maximum but the less said about the rest of the leg the better as he eventually gets down in 19 darts after Cross missed three attempts at a double.
Cross 2-3 Whitlock
LEG FOUR
Voltage opens his 180 account and follows it up with 121 and 136 to leave him 64, which he takes out in five darts.
Cross 2-2 Whitlock
LEG THREE
Whitlock rattles in the first 180 of the match en route to taking the third leg in 15 darts, holding his nerve on double seven at his final attempt.
Cross 1-2 Whitlock
LEG TWO
Voltage is back on level terms with a 16-darter, pinning double eight at the first attempt after missing two 16s on his previous visit.
Cross 1-1 Whitlock
LEG ONE, WHITLOCK TO THROW FIRST
A nice easy hold of throw for the Aussie in 17 darts although Cross was waiting on 61 had he missed his chance.
Cross 0-1 Whitlock
1845: Simon Whitlock is given the correct walk-on music this time as the players gear up for this must-win clash in Group B!
1825: The crowd has been 'treated' to an exhibition between Paddy Power and Raymond van Barneveld during the interval. I assume Barney won, but I didn't stay to see the result.
1740: Here are the head-to-head stats and updated tournament odds for each of tonight's match-ups, starting with Rob Cross v Simon Whitlock.
Second on the stage tonight is the two winners from Group A, Peter Wright and Mensur Suljovic.
Gary Anderson needs to bounce back when he faces Dave Chisnall, who will be licking his wounds after being thrashed by MVG earlier.
Finally the ruthless machine MVG will take on Daryl Gurney, who is aiming to pull off another shock.
1640: Let's now take a look at those updated tables afternoon the afternoon's games...with Gary Anderson clearly in trouble ahead of his match with Dave Chisnall tonight.
GROUP A
- Michael van Gerwen P 1 W 1 L 0 LegDiff +8 Pts 2
- Daryl Gurney P 1 W 1 L 0 LegDiff +2 Pts 2
- Gary Anderson P 1 W 0 L 1 LegDiff -2 Pts 0
- Dave Chisnall P 1 W 0 L 1 LegDiff -8 Pts 0
GROUP B
- Peter Wright P 1 W 1 L 0 LegDiff +3 Pts 2
- Mensur Suljovic P 1 W 1 L 0 LegDiff +2 Pts 2
- Rob Cross P 1 W 0 L 1 LegDiff -2 Pts 0
- Simon Whitlock P 1 W 0 L 1 LegDiff -3 Pts 0
RESULT: Michael van Gerwen 10-2 Dave Chisnall
Averages
- MVG: 111
- Chisnall: 95
180s
- MVG: 3
- Chisnall: 2
Checkout %
- MVG: 83.33%
- Chisnall: 50%
Highest Checkouts
- MVG: 102
- Chisnall: 40
LEG 12
And just like that's it's all over! MVG averages an astonishing 111 and misses just two darts at a double in an absolute rout!
MVG 10-2 Chisnall
LEG 11
This'll be over very soon as a third 180 for MVG sets up 12-darter although it's a shock to see him miss only his second double of the match.
MVG 9-2 Chisnall
INTERVAL
Wow. Just wow. MVG shows you don't need to pepper the 180s to get stats like these...
Averages
- MVG: 110
- Chisnall: 96
180s
- MVG: 2
- Chisnall: 2
Checkout %
- MVG: 88.89%
- Chisnall: 50%
Highest Checkouts
- MVG: 102
- Chisnall: 40
LEG 10
MVG fires his second maximum of the match and then takes out 102 with a 20-bullseye-double 16 combination! He's only missed one dart at a double would you believe, and he's averaging 110.
MVG 8-2 Chisnall
LEG NINE
There's just no stopping MVG when he's in this mood and three successive visits of 100+ sets him up for a 13-darter, with Chisnall way back on 183.
MVG 7-2 Chisnall
LEG EIGHT
Chisnall hits another 180 but he fails to reach a double from 88 and MVG punishes him with a two-dart combo from 39 to seal a 14-darter.
MVG 6-2 Chisnall
LEG SEVEN
Relief for Chizzy, who makes the most of his first maximum of the match to stop MVG's charge with a 15-darter.
MVG 5-2 Chisnall
LEG SIX
Five legs on the spin now for the Dutchman, who nails tops at the first attempt for a 13-darter, and Chizzy has still only had one shot at a double.
MVG 5-1 Chisnall
LEG FIVE
Yesterday Michael van Gerwen had the cheek to say a 10-1 win over Chizzy 'would be nice' and you wouldn't bet against it now. A relatively slow - by his standards - 16-darter puts him 4-1 up.
MVG 4-1 Chisnall
LEG FOUR
MVG is averaging 115 at the moment after a bullseye finish from 87 sees him complete a 12-darter! Even Chizzy at his very best could hardly stop this run of legs for the Dutchman.
MVG 3-1 Chisnall
LEG THREE
Ruthless from the world number one as he follows up his first 180 with visits of 140 and 134 before taking out 47 in two darts.
MVG 2-1 Chisnall
LEG TWO
MVG takes little time to restore parity as scores of 140 and 134 leave him 36, which he pins at the first attempt for a 13-darter.
MVG 1-1 Chisnall
LEG ONE, MVG TO THROW FIRST
Dave Chisnall hasn't beaten MVG in a televised event since the 2013 World Grand Prix but he's got off to a great start here with a 13-darter, helped along by visits of 140 and 126.
MVG 0-1 Chisnall
1600: Next up it's the tournament favourite Michael van Gerwen as he faces Dave Chisnall. Can Chizzy defeat him for the first time since February 2016 and for the first time on TV since 2013?!
Averages
- Anderson: 101
- Gurney: 95
180s
- Anderson: 3
- Gurney: 1
Checkout %
- Anderson: 36.36%
- Gurney: 54.55%
Highest Checkouts
- Anderson: 61
- Gurney: 158
LEG 10
Gurney opens up a two-leg lead going into the interval as three 100+ visits and another 0f 97 leaves him tops, which he nails at the second attempt for a 14-darter.
Anderson 4-6 Gurney
Averages
- Wright: 98
- Whitlock: 95
180s
- Wright: 3
- Whitlock: 4
Checkout %
- Wright: 37.5%
- Whitlock: 26.67%
Highest Checkouts
- Wright: 38
- Whitlock: 84
LEG 10
Wright opens up a two-leg lead heading into the interval but only after Whitlock busted five. Still all to play for though with both players very evenly matched.
Wright 6-4 Whitlock
LEG NINE
What a leg of darts! Wright hits his third 180 but Whitlock nails two of his own to take his tally to four. However the Aussie doesn't even get the chance to take out 46 as Wright, who also had visits of 140 and 145, takes out 36 in two for an 11-darter.
Wright 5-4 Whitlock
LEG EIGHT
It's Whitlock's turn to bounce back as he takes a scrappy eighth leg in 17 darts, checking out from 48 on double 16.
Wright 4-4 Whitlock
LEG SEVEN
Wright goes ahead for the first time as four more 100+ visits on the trot leaves him double 16, which he takes at the second attempt.
Wright 4-3 Whitlock
LEG SIX
Again Wright gets himself back on level terms after four successive visits of 100+ set up a finish on double 12. He's now averaging 97 compared to Whitlock's 90.
Wright 3-3 Whitlock
Averages
- Cross: 91
- Suljovic: 92
180s
- Cross: 3
- Suljovic: 1
Checkout %
- Cross: 62.5%
- Suljovic: 38.46%
Highest Checkouts
- Cross: 113
- Suljovic: 101
LEG 10
Suljovic heads into the interval on level terms by nailing the bullseye with his third dart from 81.
Cross 5-5 Suljovic
LEG NINE
Cross is way back on 200 when Suljovic pins double eight for a 15-darter.
Cross 5-4 Suljovic
LEG EIGHT
A third maximum for Cross is followed by a visit of 132 which sets up a shot at double 16, which he pins at the first attempt.
Cross 5-3 Suljovic
LEG SEVEN
Suljovic pulls a leg back thanks to a clinical 71 checkout, finished off on double top.
Cross 4-3 Suljovic
LEG SIX
Voltage is motoring along now and follows up a visit of 134 with a 133 checkout that sees him open up a two-leg lead.
Cross 4-2 Suljovic
LEG FIVE
Cross produces the first break of the match with a 14-darter helped along by his second 180 of the match.
Cross 3-2 Suljovic
LEG FOUR
Much better from Voltage who takes out 76 in two darts (T20, D8) to complete a 14-darter and get back on level terms.
Cross 2-2 Suljovic
LEG THREE
Last year's champ holds his throw comfortably enough on double eight with his opponent way back on 194. Still quite a slow start from both players scoring wise, with Suljovic averaging 86 and Cross just 79.
Cross 1-2 Suljovic
LEG TWO
Cross gets off the mark with his first maximum en route to levelling the scores in 16 darts.
Cross 1-1 Suljovic
LEG ONE, SULJOVIC TO THROW FIRST
Suljovic can't score above 60 in each of hi first three visits but then follows up the first 180 of the tournament with a checkout from 101 to win the opening leg.
Cross 0-1 Suljovic
1335: The defending champion and the world champion are now out on stage so let battle commence!
1332: Just for the record, the last time I attended a TV major was the day Gary Anderson hit a nine-darter at the World Matchplay so maybe that's a good omen for the crowds in Brighton this weekend.
1325: I've had to stop counting the crowd because the action is about to start but basically it's this lot who will share £50,000 between them if there's a nine-dart finish. Imagine that. Wonder if I'll get some even though I didn't pay for a ticket?
1310: Before the action gets under way it's worth reminding everyone that should there be a nine-darter in Brighton this weekend, it'll be the crowd who share the prize of £50,000 between them.
I'll find out how many are here later and do the maths!
1300: So Mensur Suljovic is the outsider to beat Rob Cross at 6/4 despite being the defending champion here with a perfect record of five wins from his five games last year.
The Austrian has also won his last two games against the world champ, including a 6-2 drubbing in the German Darts Championship quarter-finals earlier this month.
But I fancy Cross, who returned to form when beating MVG in the Brisbane Darts Masters in August, to remind a big TV audience this weekend of why he shot to stardom last year, and to do that he'll need to beat Suljovic.
1255: MVG's entourage are clearly not men to mess with.
1250: I apologise - my last update was a white lie. I wasn't at the Brighton Centre, I was still faffing around in my B&B on the beach front thinking I'd be able to get here quicker than I did. But after a jog in the drizzle, an aimless wonder through the corridors of the Brighton Centre, and some issues logging in, I'm finally settled.
1215: The action is just over an hour away here at the Brighton Centre, with world champion Rob Cross first up against last year's winner Mensur Suljovic.
This of course is Voltage's debut in the event following his astonishing rise to prominence in 2017 and while he perhaps hasn't been as hot this year, I still fancy he his chances of going far this weekend. As you hopefully read in my pre-tournament preview.
Anywhere, here are some pre-match stats to digest...
1200: Welcome to our live blog from the Brighton Centre as eight of the world's star names begin their quest for glory in the third staging of the BBC-televised Champions League of Darts.
The now retired Phil Taylor memorably won the first edition when he thrashed Michael van Gerwen twice across the weekend, including the final, while Mensur Suljovic defied pre-tournament odds of 40/1 to lift the trophy this time last year.
Live updates from the Brighton Centre will appear here but in the mean time why don't you check out my pre-tournament tips by clicking the image below.
You can also take a quick spin through the key stats of all eight players eyeing the top prize of £100,000 in this short video.
Here's the moment Mensur Suljovic beat Gary Anderson in last year's final.
And here's how Phil Taylor won the inaugural tournament so memorably against his nemesis Michael van Gerwen.
Saturday September 22
Afternoon Session
Group Stage Matches (Best of 19 legs)
Live on BBC 1 from 1315-1630 BST
- Rob Cross v Mensur Suljovic (B)
- Peter Wright v Simon Whitlock (B)
- Gary Anderson v Daryl Gurney (A)
- Michael van Gerwen v Dave Chisnall (A)
Evening Session
Group Stage (Best of 19 legs)
Live on BBC 2 from 1845-2215 BST
- Four Matches
Saturday afternoon's winning players face each other, and the losing players face each other in each group.
Sunday September 25
Afternoon Session
Group Stage (Best of 19 legs)
Live on BBC 2 from 1315-1630 BST
- Four Matches
Evening Session
Knockout Stages (Best of 21 legs)
Live on BBC 2 from 1830-2200 BST
Semi-Finals
- Winner Group A v Runner-up Group B
- Winner Group B v Runner-up Group A
Final (best of 21 legs)
- Winner SF 1 v Winner SF 2
CLICK HERE FOR FULL TOURNAMENT GUIDE INCLUDING PLAYER PROFILES
Champions League of Darts odds
Prices below are boosted by Sky Bet
- Michael van Gerwen 10/11 from 8/11
- Gary Anderson 9/2 from 7/2
- Rob Cross 6/1 from 5/1
- Peter Wright 8/1 from 7/1
- Mensur Suljovic 12/1 from 10/1
- Dave Chisnall 33/1 from 28/1
- Daryl Gurney 40/1 from 33/1
- Simon Whitlock 66/1 from 50/1