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Brighton gets Premier League Darts tonight, which means one thing: a perfectly polite seaside city preparing itself for several hours of glorious sporting chaos. The quarter-final line-up has Luke Humphries against Jonny Clayton, Gerwyn Price versus Josh Rock, Luke Littler against Stephen Bunting, and Michael van Gerwen facing Gian van Veen. It is Night 10, the table is beginning to harden into something meaningful, and the sprint for the O2 suddenly feels less like a jog and more like everyone running for the last train.
Last year, Brighton belonged to Littler. He won Night Five there in March 2025, beating Jonny Clayton in the final, on an evening that also saw Luke Humphries and Rob Cross both hit nine-darters. So yes, the venue has recent form for absurdity, pyrotechnics and the kind of scorelines that make your group chat look like someone sat on their phone.
This year’s favourite is, unsurprisingly, Littler again. The issue, though, is that “most likely” and “most interesting” are not always the same thing. Littler is still the man everyone measures themselves against, but Manchester last week offered a reminder that he is not a one-boy touring production. Gian van Veen edged him in a decider there, and Price then steamrolled the night with three straight 6-2 wins to take the victory.
Which is why the sensible non-Littler pick is Price. Not because it is glamorous, and not because Brighton has secretly been waiting all year for a man from Markham in wraparound shades to turn up breathing fire, but because the draw is kind and the form is loud. Josh Rock has had a rough campaign near the bottom end of the standings, while Price has just surged into second after that Manchester demolition job. When Price is landing early doubles and walking with that chest-out certainty, he turns matches into arguments that end quickly.
The other danger to everyone is van Veen, whose season has had the pleasant menace of a player no longer interested in waiting his turn. He has already reached multiple nightly finals this season and arrives in Brighton after knocking out Littler in Manchester before finishing runner-up to Price. If van Gerwen cannot raise his level immediately, the all-Dutch quarter-final could become the night’s most revealing match.
So, no, I am not picking Littler. He may well win it, because that is what generational talents do, rudely and often. But Brighton feels primed for Price. He has momentum, a manageable opener against Rock, and the kind of snarl that suits this stage of the season, when every point starts to weigh a little more. Prediction: Gerwyn Price to win Night 10, with van Veen the lurking threat and Littler, for once, playing supporting actor in someone else’s Brighton show.
