Darts PDC World Championship 20th Dec

Thursday night is the final night of first round action in the PDC Championships and it features a couple of players (in Huybrechts and Van Gerwen) who could be key players in the event this year.

Things get underway with Mark Walsh taking on Darren Webster (who you will be pleased to know is not one of the Coronation Street Websters). Walsh is the 2/5 (pinnacle) favourite while Webster is 5/2 (boylesports). Walsh has had a solid if unspectacular year on the tour while Webster is a long way off his better days (though he does have a quarter-final appearance here in 2007). The best way to play this is in the handicap market where you can get 4/5 (bet365) on Walsh to cover -1.5. This would pay if Walsh won this game 3-0 or 3-1 and it would be a shock if he was to not win this one well.

The second game of the evening is a battle of the qualifiers as Paul Lim takes on the fabulously named Modh Latif Sapup with Lim the 2/5 (boylesports) favourite. A lesser writer would make a joke about going out an a Lim(b) here however I shall swerve that as much as I like to swerve matches involving qualifiers.

Up next is the match between Kim Huybrechts and Scott Rand. Huybrechts is the 5/12 (pinnacle) favourite for the match while Rand is a 9/4 (Coral/william hill) chance. The Belgian has had a great year on the tour finishing runner-up in the Players Championship Finals and reaching the semi-finals of the European Championship and the last eight of the World Championship. The 27-year-old is one of the best young talents in the game and should have too much for the journey man Rand. Rand got through the first round here last year when he beat Andy Smith without dropping a leg though he came unstuck in the second round when losing 4-1 to Colin Lloyd. His season has been largely unspectacular and Cool Hand should be powerless to stop the Hurricane. Yet again the handicap market is the way to play this with the Belgian 5/6 (bet365) to cover -1.5 on the handicap which pays out if Huybrechts wins this 3-1 or 3-0.

Vincent van der Voort is up next and he takes on Stuart Kellett. The Dutchman is 4/6 (general) to see off Kellett who is an 11/8 (Coral) shot. Van der Voort is having a solid if somewhat unspectacular year on the tour and was somewhat knocked back by a health scare earlier in this campaign. Luckily he was just found out to be lactose intolerant and after being put on a suitable diet was able to return to action.

The Dutch Destroyer is known for his fast darts and this promises to be a quick game to make sure you have the tea ready before hand. His opponent Kellett qualified after winning the World Championship qualifier in November where he beat John Bowles (who has already progressed into round two) 5-1 in the final. These two met in a European Tour event where just one leg was the difference with the Dutchman winning 6-5. Kellett looks capable of winning at least one set so take the 2/5 (Skybet ) on this game to go over 3.5 sets.

The final of the match is highly-fancied Michael Van Gerwen taking on the winner of the game between Lim/Sapup. Expect the classy Dutchman to coast through this one with little trouble.

BEST OF THE BETS

GOLD: Huybrechts to cover -1.5 on handicap v Rand, 5/6 (bet365)
SILVER: M Walsh to cover -1.5 on handicap v D Webster, 4/5 (bet365)
BRONZE: Van der Voort and Kellett to go over 3.5 sets, 2/5 (Skybet)

Go To bet365

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07/01/2013     © Frixo 2024