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PDC World Matchplay 2013 Day Four Premium Picks.
The second round starts here. And a new round, a fresh start. We’ve now got some form to go on, and an unsurprising list of names taking their place in the last 16. All the big guns are still standing, bar World Number 7 Wes Newton, who was dispatched by my pre-tournament tip of Jamie Caven. We’ve also got Andy Hamilton still running at a huge price when you see what he did to Ronnie Baxter last night – compare that to Adrian Lewis and you’d be hard pushed to say Lewis was the third favourite for the tournament out of the pair.
Raymond van Barneveld (8) Vs Justin Pipe (9).
Another match and another slow thrower for Raymond van Barneveld to cope with. Is Justin Pipe a better opponent for the Dutchman when it comes to speed? Probably not – Pipe is so precise it might just send Barney crazy.
Barney came through his first round match against Mensur Suljovic without any dramas at all. He averaged 99.84, the second highest of the round, took out a nice 121 finish in that match and hit three maximums in his 10-4. It’s typical of Barney, although I would have expected a few more maximums over those 14 legs. I think there’s more to come, and he’ll be looking at a potential quarter-final clash with Phil Taylor.
Justin Pipe has come out of a slump. A huge 10-4 win over Mark Webster, averaging 99.24 and hitting 6 maximums. With such powerful scoring, he didn’t need any high checkouts, and his highest checkout of 80 shows that. It’s a welcome return to form for Pipe, and he didn’t look like a man struggling for form. The fact he scored the four highest average of the round came as quite a surprise considering Pipe isn’t one for huge averages on TV, and he’s also not one for smashing in the maximums.
An interesting match to start the night, with both men looking in good nick heading into the match. There was only 0.6 between their averages in the first round, and both men won 10-4. The one surprise is that Pipe outscored Barney on the maximums, but I don’t think that will happen tonight. If both men bring the same game they brought in the first round, it’s going to be tough to call. The question is can Pipe remain consistent? We know Barney will be, but if the Pipe who averages 90 turns up, it could be over in the blink of an eye. That being said, Pipe looked good and there’s no reason why he can’t take Barney all the way, so we should see a lot of legs. If that’s the case, and we get 23 legs or more, the checkout line of 133.5 looks beatable, especially when we know Barney can take out 140+ finishes for fun.
Highest checkout in Van Barneveld Vs Pipe match over 133.5: Best price 10/11
Recommend: 2.5 units.
Simon Whitlock (5) Vs Kevin Painter (12).
Another interesting match coming off the back of what could be a close one, and it’s two men in completely contrasting form, and who had contrasting performances in the first round.
Simon Whitlock started spectacularly against Jelle Klaasen, almost blew it and then dug deep to record a 10-8 win. The average of 95.79 should have been a bit higher, but he did enoguh, hit 5 maximums and it was only his finishing that lacked, which is unusual for the Aussie. Whitlock’s game was all about the big scores and high checkouts, but as of late he hasn’t been putting in the big finishes, relying more on his opponents’ mistakes giving him the chance, or simply outscoring them throughout the leg negating the need to hit his usual 170 finish.
Like Whitlock, Kevin Painter was made to fight in his first round match against Jamie Lewis, and he wasn’t as comfortable as his 10-7 win would suggest. His average of 91.90 is typical Painter, especially when you consider he did his 5 maximums. It’s safe to say that there was a lot of junk thrown between those 180s. However, he also took out a 164, the highest of the tournament so far, and that is a huge feature of his game – he’ll take out the big checkouts when under pressure.
On first roudn performances, Whitlock looks a good thing here, as Painter just didn’t look great. When you add in that Painter is somewhat out of form, and Whitlock recently made the final of the European Championship, the Australian seems a virtual lock. But he’s no price on the outright. However, he looks good on the handicap line of -2.5, and we’ll play on that.
Simon Whitlock -2.5 legs to beat Kevin Painter: Best price 8/11
Recommend: 4.5 units.
Phil Taylor (1) Vs Terry Jenkins (16).
It’s a match we’ve seen in the PDC many times before, usually with the same result – a Phil Taylor win. In fact, in their 40 meetings, Terry Jenkins has won the grand total of 3 matches. He must be brimming with confidence.
Phil Taylor, as is often the case, came through the first round with the highest average. In fact, he was the only man to average over 100, hitting a 3-dart average of 103.18. He also took out a 161, hit 4 180s and dropped 1 leg. To be fair, when your opponent was average 75, a score that wouldn’t win a Super League match down the Dog and Duck, it’s not hard to look impressive. But the figures don’t like – Taylor out performed Michael van Gerwen, which will no doubt be at the back of his mind.
It was a welcome return to form for Terry Jenkins in the first round, beating Andy Smith comfortably 10-3. His average of 95.93 was nice, but what was really impressive was his 7 maximums, more than anyone else in the first round. He never looked in danger, and it was like Terry Jenkins of old, who could do no wrong on the treble 20. Thanks to his scoring, the highest checkout of 82 wasn’t an issue. It was great to see, and is going to give him confidence coming into this match. Like most people that play Taylor, he has nothing to lose, and a hell of a lot to gain.
Jenkins would be extremely backable against a player like Adrian Lewis at the moment, but it’s unfortunate he’s playing the one man can almost do no wrong on this stage. Phil Taylor was outstanding in the first round, and the fact Jenkins hasn’t beat him on TV since 2008 isn’t a good sign. He did beat him in their second to last encounter in the Champions League, but Taylor avenged that loss later that day with a 6-1 victory. What I do like is the total 180 line, as it’s sat at 9.5, and Jenkins hit 7 himself in just 13 legs. Taylor weighed in with 4 in his 11 legs, so the line looks comfortable for both men, even if Taylor doesn’t give Jenkins a sniff at victory.
Over 9.5 180s in Taylor Vs Jenkins match: Best price 5/6
Recommend: 3 units.
James Wade (4) Vs Gary Anderson.
It’s another match we’ve seen a lot of over the last few years, but only once in a PDC Major, all the way back at the 2009 World Matchplay, which Wade won 13-7.
James Wade was far from convincing in the first round, even if his average suggests otherwise. He put in a great 97.33 average, but leg his opponent, John Part, take 8 legs off him, even though Part was only averaging around the 88 mark. It’s a sign of Wade’s game that while he’s a hard man to break, he can also struggle to break his opponent if he doesn’t get off to the best start. That being said, Part’s a tough customer and Wade dug deep with consistent scoring, just shoddy finishing at times. As I mentioned in the first round, it’s a worry as to which James Wade is going to turn up – he’ll beat most of the players in the PDC on his day, but if he’s out of form, Stuart Kellet would crush him.
There was a massive return to form for Gary Anderson a couple of nights ago, sweeping past Mervyn King 10-5, and averaging 97.36. And he only scored 2 maximums, which, once upon a time, would have been strange for Anderson. However, after watching him through the Premier League, Anderson just isn’t hitting the flurry of maxmimums as often. So, where he was once a banker for double figure maximums, he’ll be just as likely to hit half that or less. But he played well in a tough match without ever being pushed.
The interesting thing about this match is when you compare the first round performances. Both men averaged roughly the same, their opponents averaged roughly the same, yet King only got 5 legs on the board, while Wade let Part get 8. It really is the nature of Wade’s game and that could be his downfall. When you consider that Anderson leads the head-to-head 15-7, you can see why I’m leaning towards the Scotsman here. My only worry would be that his health issues start playing up, or that his head starts to go. But the same can be said of Wade, and if Wade’s head goes down, he’ll be steamrollered. Wade’s too short, and this might be what Anderson needs to get his year back on track.
Gary Anderson to beat James Wade: Best price 6/4.
Recommend: 2 units.
And that’s all the Premium Picks for Day Four of the 2013 World Matchplay. We’ve got 11 matches left, so plenty of time to start punishing the bookies.
