Peter Wright: ‘Your opponent is trying to take your living away – you have got to hate him’

02 Mar | BY Betway | MIN READ TIME |

In an exclusive interview, the colourful and occasionally controversial Scotsman says he must be ruthless when he meets an old rival in Exeter

Peter Wright is unfazed by Michael van Gerwen’s record-breaking form as he seeks to protect his unbeaten start to the 2016 Betway Premier League on Thursday.

Mighty Mike achieved a staggering average of 123.4 – the highest ever thrown in a televised match – in a 7-1 crushing of Michael Smith in Aberdeen last week to move to second in the table.

But with his position at the summit now under threat, Wright is adamant the world No. 1 can be stopped in Exeter.

“Michael [Smith] played into his hands by throwing really fast and not putting him under pressure at the right times by not scoring here or a ton-forty there,” said Snakebite.

“Yes, it was amazing [from Van Gerwen] – but there is always room for improvement to get into him a little bit more.

“I am feeling pretty confident. We normally have a good game so it should be amazing for the crowd and the TV audience – there might even be a few more records broken.”

The pair famously fell out at this week’s venue last year after the Dutchman labelled his opponent’s on-stage showmanship as “unprofessional”, to which Snakebite responded by calling his rival a “big baby”.

Wright says the feud is in the past, but maintains he will continue with his antics if they help to give him an edge.

“Everything is alright now, we actually get on pretty well,” he said.

“But obviously when you are up on stage you have got to hate that person because he is trying to take your living away.

“You have got to be ruthless with them and do whatever it takes to win.” wright Wright’s winning start to the season ended last week following his draw against Robert Thornton.

Surprisingly, he decided to alter his darts prior to the fixture, and revealed he intends to do so again this week in what is a constant search for perfection.

“When I turned up [in Aberdeen] the practice wasn’t going all that well, so to be honest I am actually quite happy with the way I dug in to get the draw against Robert as he’s a tough customer.

“The previous darts were 20g and a little bit too light, as I practice with 22g and a shorter barrel,” Wright said.

“I hit two nine-darters in one day with the other ones so I thought I’d give them a chance and took them up there.

“A lot of them dropped below the treble 20 and I couldn’t seem to get past it, so I’m not using those ones this week. I’ve had another set made up like the ones I used at the beginning of the tournament, only two grams heavier.

“I’ve been practising with them and missing loads of nine-darters with them – about 20 in two days.

“They are going well, so I’m looking forward to playing with them this week.”

Of course, darts are not the only thing that the flamboyant Wright will be changing before taking to the oche, although he admits that his chosen combination of hair and clothes colour for Exeter remain a mystery even to him.

“I’m not sure what the clothes will look like as there are some that are supposed to be being delivered down there, so I haven’t got a clue what I will be wearing at the moment,” he said.

“I’ve no idea on the hair colour, either, because that normally depends on the colour or pattern of the trousers – but I’m not thinking about that.

“I’m expecting a really good game because I have been practising really hard and really well.

“This is the best that I have ever played so it should be a cracking game.”

Click below to watch Peter Wright discuss his passion for entertaining the crowd and the dangers of having too much fun on stage.