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Well, a much better day on day two of the Players Championship. We went 2-1 and we’re now 2-4 for the tournament and we’re -1 unit after two days, thanks to Steve Beaton doing us proud and Mervyn King nobbling Co Stompe in a deciding leg, after the Dutchman missed a few darts for the match. The only downside was Vincent van der Voort failing to bring his recent floor form into the tournament, losing 6-4 to Terry Jenkins. Still, we can’t complain after a profitable night.
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Andy Smith vs Jamie Caven.
The man who didn’t miss a double in his first match, Andy Smith, takes on another convincing first round winner, Jamie Caven. Smith has been in good form as of late, while Caven is obviously notoriuosly inconsistent. Caven’s average of just over 95 pales in comparison to Smith’s first round average of 100+.
Caven holds the advantage in the head-to-head, but Smithhas won the last two encoutners and I think he can make it three in a row. The bookies can’t split them, but I think I can. Smith had a good weekend in Halle and he should continue that here, after a great win over Ronnie Baxter. The price is right, so we have to take advantage of that.
Andy Smith to beat Jamie Caven 5/6 @ Betfair.
Recommend: 2 units @ 5/6
Colin Osborne vs Steve Farmer.
Colin Osborne was a tad fortunate to get past Denis Ovens in the first round, while Steve Farmer looked impressive against Mark Walsh, beating him 6-1 and averaging 94.55. Osborne averaged 90.63 and if he reproduces that, he’s going to struggle against an in-form Farmer. Farmer has won the only other meeting between the two and the bookies think Osborne will make it 1-1 in the head-to-head.
On the other hand, I think Farmer can do a number on Osborne, if he replicated the form he showed at the end of last year and the start of this year. The price, again, is right and we’ll have a dabble.
Steve Farmer to beat Colin Osborne 13/8 @ Betfair.
Recommend: 1.5 units.
Gary Anderson vs Kevin Painter.
Nothing but one-way traffic here, I think. Anderson looked great against Justin Pipe, with almost 103, while Painter averaged just below 90 in his win over Wayne Jones. Anderson is a heavy favourite at the bookies and he’s a heavy favourite here. Switch your attention to Soccer Saturday for a bit, check how your team is getting on and come back for the next match, as there’s little value to be had here.
Recommend: No bet.
Colin Lloyd vs Dennis Priestley.
Battle of the housemates! In case you didn’t know, Colin Lloyd is living with Dennis Priestley during this tournament and someone’s going to be going home a loser tonight. Priestley averaged 91.50, Lloyd averaged 87.18. Lloyd leads the head-to-head 10-6, with Priestley winning their last enconter which was in Canada.
It’s going to be a close one as the stats show, but in this race to 8, Priestley might just thrive with the home crowd and after his fighting performance in the first round, he’s worth a bet here.
Dennis Priestley to beat colin Lloyd 5/4 @ Betfair.
Recommend: 1 unit @ 5/4.
Mark Webster vs Wes Newton.
I like the way Webster played in his first round match. He took a couple of legs to get into gear, but when he did he motored away from Alan Tabern and took a comfortable win. However, Wes Newton averaged 103.14 in his victory over Alan Tabern and if he can reproduce the fine form he’s shown in the past few months, this is going to be an amazing match. In fact, it could all come down to who wins the bull in the practice room.
As it stands, I can’t split them, so Newton’s price is just a bit too big due to this.
Wes Newton to beat Mark Webster 13/8 @ Betfair.
Recommend: 1 unit.
Mervyn King vs Simon Whitlock.
King can count himself fortunate, coming back from 5-2 down to beat Co Stompe. Whitlock, on the other hand, looked in great form, beating Tony Eccles 6-1, hitting 5 180s in the game. Whitlock is looking in great form and should have a good run here and the price is actually rather more generous than I thought.
Simon Whitlock to beat Mervyn King 4/7 @ Betfair.
Recommend: 3.5 units.
Terry Jenkins vs Steve Beaton.
A close match here, I think, with both men coming off big wins – Terry Jenkins beating an in-form vincent van der Voort and Steve Beaton taking out the World Champion, Adrian Lewis. I think the prices are just about right in this match and I really can’t find a bet here, as the bookies have got this one right. Enjoy the match, as it’s going to be a cracker, though.
Recommend: No bet.
Phil Taylor vs James Wade.
You know, I was hoping for a better price on Taylor, but Wade was so bad in his first round match that no bookie in their right mind would put Wade anywhere near Taylor. Taylor should win here, even though he didn’t look too grat against Steve Brown. The fact is, both men aren’t in the greatest form, but Taylor wasn’t the one who was missing single numbers when trying to checkout. The 4/11 just isn’t tempting, however, as Taylor’s form recently is just a bit too hit-and-miss to back him with confidence, but the same can be said for Wade.
Recommend: No bet.
And that’s it for the third day of the Players Championship. Remember that if you want to watch live coverage of the Players Championship, just sign up to Betfair where you’ll not only get a free £25 bet, but also free coverage of the tournament.
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