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PDC 2014 World Championship Day Eleven Premium Picks.
A good day of darts yesterday, with some indicators as to who the big players are going to be come the New Year. Simon Whitlock, Gary Anderson and Kevin Painter all won comfortably in the afternoon session, with Anderson winning 4-1, Painter and Whitlock winning 4-0. Wes Newton started the evening session with yet another whitewash – John Part was on the receiving end. And then we had a great match between Mark Webster and John Henderson, Webster winning 4-3. Finally, Kevin McDine managed to take a set from Michael van Gerwen, but the Dutchman won 4-1. So, yesterday, Kevin McDine winning that second set of the match got us into profit for the day, after a mixed bag earlier. So the Premium Picks are now 19-17 with a profit of +10.91 units.
Back to a three-match session tonight, and we start with James Wade facing Andy Smith. Then it’s Mervyn King and Ricky Evans. Finally, Adrian Lewis takes on Vincent van der Voort. It’s a bit of a mixed bag of action, but I think there could be some value to be found.
James Wade Vs Andy Smith.
James Wade is a confusing player, if I’m being honest. His troubles are well chronicled, his lack of concentration is evident at times, and you can even see that sometimes he’s not interested on the oche. But there’s no denying he’s a class act at times. But he was lucky Darren Webster missed match darts against him. His average of 91.92 was decent, his finishing not as great as it has been, but he was workman-like. Andy Smith, well, he was workman-like, too, against Steve Brown, but his average of 84.22 sums it up – he had a few horrific legs, before coming to life in the final two sets. For me, Wade is rightly favourite here, but he’s a liability at times, and he’s no stranger to shock defeats, Mensur Suljovic being the one that sticks in the mind. Smith looks like a bit of value to cause an upset here. It’s not worth big stakes, but definitely worth a dabble.
Andy Smith to beat James Wade: Best price 6/1 (Various)
Recommend: 0.5 unit.
Mervyn King Vs Ricky Evans.
A quick rematch here from the Grand Slam of Darts between Mervyn King and Ricky Evans. King averaged 101.81 in his 5-2 win over Evans in Wolverhampton, with Evans averaging 96.57 in a decent display. Here, I think King is looking good – his 89.87 average not showing how dominant he was in his 3-0 win over Darin Young. Evans averaged 87.21 in a decent performance against Ronnie Baxter, but it was safe to say Baxter wasn’t at the races. King looks short enough on the outright, but I think there’s value to be had on the handicap. King’s been there and done it before, and he should have enough to get past the youngster comfortably. You have to hunt around for a decent handicap line, as I think the -1.5 offers no value, but the -2.5 sets looks good to me.
Mervyn King -2.5 sets to beat Ricky Evans Best price 6/4 (SkyBet)
Recommend: 2 units.
Adrian Lewis Vs Vincent van der Voort.
This match is going to go along at breakneck speed, with both men having a fast throw. Adrian Lewis is/was joint-favourite for the tournament after the defeat of Phil Taylor, and looking at his draw, you can see why. However, I’m still not 100% confident that he keeps his head in the game all the time. I think Lewis looks good for the win here, but Vincent van der Voort can fire in some big scores and have the leg won in the blink of an eye, and if Lewis switches off for a couple of legs, he will lose at least one set. We saw that with Michael van Gerwen last night, and I can see it happening again.
Vincent van der Voort +3.5 sets to beat Adrian Lewis Best price 4/5 (Paddy Power)
Recommend: 1 unit.
That’s all for Day Eleven of the Premium Picks. I’ll be back after Christmas for the end of Round Two, and the start of Round Three. Have a merry Christmas and don’t spend all your profits!
