BURNETT and WINSTANLEY to go the distance on the opening night

Three former World Champions and a former runner-up are in action Friday night (13th) as the 21st PDC World Championship gets underway from Alexandra Palace. Here is our guide to the best of the bets from the opening night.

The opening game of the night (19:00, SKY SPORTS) is between the three time World Champion (once in the BDO and twice in the PDC) John Part and a man making his PDC World Championship debut in Mareno Michels. Part is the 2/5 (boylesports/BETVICTOR) favourite in a game between two players who have met previously twice before with the Canadian having come out on top of the Dutchman on both occasions. Michels is a 9/4 (bet365/sportingbet/ladbrokes) chance as he looks to build on a decent year on the circuit.

The best bet might be to take the 6/4 (SKYBET/william hill) on the Dutchman taking the first leg as Darth Maple takes a little time to warm up these days.

The second battle of the evening is a qualifier between Ian Moss and Rob Sbazo with the dubious prize of a game against Phil Taylor awaiting the winner.

Bookmakers make Moss the 2/5 (sportingbet/BWIN) favourites as the Englishman qualified through the PDPA system. Sbazon qualified through the international system and the New Zealander can be backed at 5/2 (ladbrokes). The winner will face Taylor and the Power should have no problems with SKYBET going 1/100 that Taylor wins the game and paddy Power offering 1/9 that he wraps it up 3-0.

The remaining two games should be a lot closer, the first of which features Peter Wright up against Joe Cullen and this will be the third game of the evening (20:30).

Wright is the 1/4 (GENERAL) favourite for the game after an excellent season that has seen him shoot up to the top 16 in the rankings. Snakebite has reached the last four of the UK Open and the last 16 of the World Matchplay in 2013. Cullen has three quarter-finals on the circuit this year to his name though has often struggled to make the transition to the bigger events and has struggled in the World Championships going out in the opening round in the last three years.

The best bet could be a little interest in the overs (7.5) market in the 180s at 19/20 (boylesports). Wright is an explosive player who can fire in the big scores while Cullen is no mug who can take confidence from a 6-2 victory over Wright in November.

The closest game of the night is expected to come in the battle between two men who have experience of a World final, all be it in the BDO. Richie Burnett won the 1995 BDO World Championship while Dean Winstanley was a runner-up as recently as 2011 in the same event. Bookmakers are leaning to Winstanley to get the victory at odds of 10/11 (SKYBET) while the Welshman is evens (BOYLESPORTS/william hill). Both men needed five sets to progress to the second round in 2013 and it is possible that this one could also go the distance. SKYBET are going 7/4 that this game goes to five sets and this looks the best bet of the opening night between two players out of form.

BEST OF THE BETS

GOLD: Over 4.5 sets between Burnett and Winstanley, 7/4 (SKYBET)
SILVER: Over 7.5 180s between Wright and Cullen, 19/20 (BOYLESPORTS)
BRONZE: M Michels to win opening set v J Part, 6/4 (SKYBET/WILLIAM HILL)

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13/12/2013     © Frixo 2026