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Premier League Darts 2014 Week Eight Premium Picks
Tonight we’re off to Dubling with the Premier League Darts troupe, and the Irish crowd are going to be as boisterous as ever. It’s a shame there’s no Irishmen in the field, but they’ll no doubt adopt the Scots, and Dutch and Aussie tonight as they take on English opposition. Last week, we saw three draws, as Peter Wright continued his Premier League debut unbeaten, drawing with Raymond van Barneveld, with the Dutchman averaging just over 100 and Wright hitting a 97.80 and taking out 161 to remain unbeaten. It was a clutch finish from the Scotsman and he broke a few hearts in the process. Dave Chisnall drew with Simon Whitlock in the night’s first match, with Whitlock somehow getting a poitn out of it, even though he averaged a mere 90.58 to Chisnall’s 96.15. Of course, Chisnall didn’t help things when he busted his 80 in the last leg, with Whitlock waiting on a double. The night’s other draw was between Robert Thornton and Adrian Lewis, with both men failing to produce their best darts – Lewis hitting 93.62, Thornton 87.57 – in a match of missed doubles. The night’s first winner was Michael van Gerwen, as he edged in Gary Anderson in a great match, which ebbed and flowed until the last leg, with Anderson averaging 99.02 and MvG putting in 102.30, with both men nice and steady on their doubles. The night’s other winner was Phil Taylor, who took apart Wes Newton 7-1 with an average of 106.91, and going 50% on his doubles. It all came together for The Power, while Newton’s 101.17 average didn’t tell the full story.
Tonight, Robert Thornton gets the night off as Wes Newton makes up for missing Exeter, and faces Gary Anderson then Simon Whitlock later in the night. Two huge matches for all three men. Phil Taylor looks to keep his winning momentum going as he takes on Raymond van Barneveld. Michael van Gerwen and Peter Wright square off in a top-of-the-table clash, and Adrian Lewis faces Dave Chisnall in what could be a power-scoring encounter with some questionable doubling.
Gary Anderson vs Wes Newton.
First match of the night, and it’s the first of two matches for Wes Newton. I think he’s been unfortunate here, as Gary Anderson is playing great darts at the moment. He was unlucky to lose to Michael van Gerwen last week, but he went on to claim victory in Saturday’s Players Championship event in Crawley, beating the in-form Phil Taylor in the final. It’s safe to say the Scotsman is finding his form, and he should have too much for Newton, given Newton’s last two results.
Gary Anderson -2.5 legs to beat Wes Newton: Best price 6/5 @ Paddy Power.
Recommend: 3 units.
Adrian Lewis vs Dave Chisnall.
This is the battle of the heavy hitters. Adrian Lewis should win this given Dave Chisnall’s average form, but what interests me is the scoring prowess of Chizzy. He’s hit more 180s than anyone else in the 2014 Premier League Darts season, hitting 36. Lewis, on the other hand, has 21. In fact, Chizzy has 9 more than his nearest challengers, Michael van Gerwen and Robert Thornton. So for Chisnall to be odds-against to score the most 180s in this match, it sets the sirens off for me, as it’s great value here.
Dave Chisnall to score most 180s vs Adrian Lewis: Best price 11/10 @ Paddy Power.
Recommend: 3 units.
Michael van Gerwen vs Peter Wright.
Tonight we get the rematch of the 2014 World Championship Final, and it’s also the top-of-the-league clash not many people would have predicted. But I think tonight it when Peter Wright’s unbeaten run comes to an end. Wright has been scraping points here and there, and he produced a fantastic 161 last week to get a point against Raymond van Barneveld. Michael van Gerwen is not going to give him too many chances – he’s been playing great darts. Van Gerwen has the season’s top average with 101.73, compared to Wright’s 96.05. Wright’s run will come to an end tonight, and MvG will go clear at the top.
Michael van Gerwen -2.5 legs to beat Peter Wright: 5/6 @ Bet365.
Recommend: 2 units.
Phil Taylor vs Raymond van Barneveld
This could be the match of the night, as both men are playing some good darts. Phil Taylor has finally got his doubling sorted, he made the final of both Players Championship events over the weekend, winning Sunday’s final, and he saw off Wes Newton without any drama last week with an average of 106+. He averaged over 100 in 6 matches on Sunday, too, so expect The Power to come out firing. But to be fair to Raymond van Barneveld, he’s been playing solid darts for most of the Premier League, and is averaging 98.49 for the tournament. He has 24 maximums, while Taylor has 18, and I can see a few getting knocked in tonight between the pair. The line looks low as the bookies think this should be a cakewalk for Taylor, but I can see Barney putting up a fight. Expect a few legs and a fair few maximums.
Over 5.5 180s in Taylor vs Van Barneveld match: Best price Evens @ Paddy Power.
Recommend: 3.5 units.
Wes Newton vs Simon Whitlock.
Bottom of the table clash, and both men need the win here, with Wes Newton sitting on 5 points with a game in hand over Simon Whitlock, who is sat on 3 points. If Whitlock loses here, his Premier League Darts season is over, and even a draw might not be enough should results go against him earlier in the evening. Playing two matches usually takes it out of a player, and I can see Whitlock showing a bit of fight against Newton, who might find double duty just a bit too much. Value on the Aussie here, going by previous results for players doing a double shift.
Simon Whitlock to beat Wes Newton: Best price 7/5 @ Boylesports.
Recommend: 2 units.
That’s it for Week Eight of the Premier League Darts season. I’ll be back at the usual time next week for more Premier League Darts action.
