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PDC World Grand Prix 2013 Day Three Premium Picks.
It wasn’t a night of high drama, but last night was an enjoyable night of darts. I was particularly impressed with Michael van Gerwen, although it will be better seeing him against a player who can attempt to keep up with his scoring. John Part’s more of a grinder than a power scorer, so Van Gerwen needs a bit of a challenge. Barney also looked in good nick, and even though he wasn’t pushed by Stuart Kellett, really, he managed to average over 90 on a night that only 3 other players did. So a good night for the Dutch, and not a bad night for the other tournament favourites. All the seeds got through, and only one favourite, Mervyn King, was knocked out.
Not a bad night for the tips last night, and again we hit the bar with Brendan Dolan pushing Adrian Lewis close. Dolan was definitely the value there. Andy Hamilton didn’t disappoint with his highest checkout of 130. The one who did disappoint was Richie Burnett, who just let Kevin Painter walk all over him. Justin Pipe and Mervyn King didn’t get to the races on the maximums, but we got the close one, as expected, between Dave Chisnall and Ian White. And, as expected, Barney almost got over the 180 line on his own, with Kellett picking up the 1 we hoped he would.
James Wade (5) Vs Connnie Finnan
For me, this is a strange place to put this match. They had the home boys on last over the first two nights, and I thought it would have made sense to put Connie Finnan on last again. However, the Irishman’s on first, and that might play against him. While he wasn’t great against Terry Jenkins, he performed well enough to win 2-0. Plus, on first round averages, he doesn’t need to find much to pressure James Wade if Wade plays the way he did on Monday. Wade wasn’t bad, but he’s got to pull some better darts out of his locker it he wants to win comfortably. The crowd are going to be baying for The Machine’s blood. Wade is rightly a firm favourite, but I think with the crowd on Finnan’s side, and the fact Wade wasn’t great in the first round, means Finnan is just a shade of value here.
Connie Finnan to beat James Wade: Best price 9/2.
Recommend: 1 unit.
West Newton (7) Vs Gary Anderson.
At one point this was a huge match up for the PDC, but not any more thanks to Gary Anderson’s slide down the rankings. However, the Scotsman had the best average in the first round of 104.86, which was a welcome return to form. In fact, he didn’t let Jelle Klaasen take one leg off him. A 6-0 in legs win was as comprehensive as you can get, and he’ll be brimming with confidence. Anderson did miss some doubles, but his scoring was just so powerful that Newton is going to have his hands full if the same Anderson turns up. Newton wasn’t too bad once he got his starting doubles, but if he starts missing his opening doubles, Anderson could be long gone thanks to the scoring power. Newton, in my opinion, is going to struggle unless he hits around 60% of his starting doubles, and that doesn’t seem likely given his first round performance.
Gary Anderson -1.5 sets to beat Wes Newton Best price 6/4.
Recommend: 2 units.
Phil Taylor (1) Vs Paul Nicholson
Two men in Phil Taylor and Paul Nicholson that impressed in the first round. Of course, we didn’t expect anything less than that from Taylor, but Nicholson showed something we’ve not seen much of this year. Nicholson’s 99.24 average was only 0.7 behind Taylor, and the Aussie actually missed less doubles (both in and out) compared to The Power. I think Nicholson should push him, but there’s no value to be had. However, both men scored 2 maximums in their first round, and there is a bit of value with Nicholson, given Taylor’s tendency to switch when the lie isn’t going right for him.
Paul Nicholson to score more 180s than Phil Taylor: Best price 6/4.
Recommend: 2 units.
Simon Whitlock (4) Vs Ronnie Baxter.
Simon Whitlock can consider himself a lucky boy. Michael Mansell had darts to beat him, and it was all thanks to the Aussie’s shocking doubling. To be fair, Ronnie Baxter wasn’t much better against Colin Lloyd, but Whitlock was the surprise out of the two. Looking at recent form, Whitlock is the obvious choice, but Baxter doesn’t need to find much to put pressure on Whitlock, and if Whitlock plays how he did on Monday night, Baxter is more than capable of doing him. There’s value in The Rocket for sure, and he does go well at the venue.
Ronnie Baxter to beat Simon Whitlock: Best price 13/5.
Recommend: 1.5 units.
