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Premier League 2012 Week 9 Tips
A frustrating week last week, as the Premier League Darts roadshow was in Cardiff. We just couldn’t seem to catch a break, and posted a tiny loss last week, instead of the big profit we should have had. Still, few would have predicted the 8-0 win for James Wade over Simon Whitlock. The only certain result was Phil Taylor beating Kevin Painter. The crowd in Cardiff had a right treat with some great matches, and tonight’s crowd in Nottingham are in for the same.
Remember if the Premier League Darts Premium Picks don’t finish the season in profit, the 2012 UK Open Premium Picks will be free to all Premier League Darts Premium Picks subscribers. As this is the first outing for our Premium Picks, I think it’s a fair trade!
Kevin Painter versus Raymond van Barneveld.
First match of the night has two men coming off the back of a loss in Cardiff. While Painter’s loss wasn’t surprising, Barney’s defeat at the hands of Adrian Lewis was a shock considering the form of both men.
Kevin Painter has struggled a bit over recent weeks to really make an impact and kick on in the way that he would have hoped and now finds himself sitting second bottom of the league, with a tournament average of 90.93, which is the lowest in the league. His scoring just isn’t there, and he can’t compete with the big guns of the Premier League Darts when it comes to maximums; he’s been relying on his high finishes and when they don’t land, he’s in danger of being steamrollered.
Raymond van Barneveld is sitting third in the Premier League at the moment, and he knows a big win here can set him up nicely for the play-offs. The way he’s been playing suggests he should do it, with his tournament average over 100, and with 31 maximums to his name. He’s playing solid darts and should have enough to take Painter to the cleaners. The only downside is that his head isn’t always in the right place, but I think he knows he can beat Painter, given the 8-5 win in an epic tussle a few weeks ago. The confidence should be there and I can’t see why Barney would be worried by a man painfully out of form.
There are two markets that really interest me here and the first is a Barney win on the handicap. The line is -1.5, which would mean 8-6 or better for us and we get the win. I can see Barney recreating the 8-5 scoreline from Week 6 in Glasgow, so 1.5 legs isn’t going to hurt us. The other market is the highest checkout. Both men have been finishing extremely well throughout the 2012 Premier League Darts season and I see no reason why that can’t happen again, as Painter will need some big outs to keep up with Barney’s high scoring, and Barney just loves a big finish to punish his opponents.
Highest checkout in Kevin Painter versus Raymond van Barneveld match over 120.5: 5/6 @ 888.com.
Recommend: 2.5 units.
Raymond van Barneveld -1.5 legs to beat Kevin Painter : 4/5 @ 888.com.
Recommend: 3.5 units.
Adrian Lewis versus James Wade.
The most interesting match of the night for me – both men are looking to make their mark now they’ve started to find their form in the Premier League, and what better way to do it than stop another strong player from winning?
Adrian Lewis starred in a Tale of Two Performances last week, losing to Andy Hamilton, before making short work of Barney. It was a sign of what he’s capable of, both in terms of a losing performance and a great winning performance. In both matches, Lewis’s scoring was exceptional, but it was only against the Dutchman that everything clicked into place and his doubling was as good as his scoring.
James Wade has finally found second gear, after staying in first for the first quarter of the league. He’s now putting in great performances, and his 8-0 drubbing of Simon Whitlock showed how far his form has come in just a few weeks. He’s looking a real threat now, with solid averages and great finishing. The proof? He’s now sitting second in the Premier League after languishing at the bottom earlier on in the season. He’ll know a win over Lewis would be huge for him, and I can see him bringing his A-game tonight.
I can see the strong form of Wade coming through to get him the win tonight. Lewis has proved himself to be inconsistent after last week, where Hamilton was the man he SHOULD have beat, but struggled to hit the doubles. Lewis won’t get that luxury against Wade, and Wade’s price is too good to pass up. I’m also interested in a small dabble on the 180s market. Wade has been firing in a fair few maximums over the last few weeks and looks to have found his range. Add that to the usually strong Lewis and there’s a recipe for a few 180s in this match. The line is a tough 7.5, but at Evens I think it’s worth a small punt, simply because both men are capable of greatness on the trebles.
Over 7.5 180s in Lewis verus Wade match: Evens @ 888.com.
Recommend: 2 units.
James Wade to beat Adrian Lewis: 5/4 @ 888.com.
Recommend: 2 units.
Andy Hamilton versus Phil Taylor.
I won’t bore you again with what you know, but Taylor’s 113 average last week sums it up – he’s playing around 12-15 points better than everyone else at the moment. Hamilton has a tournament average of around 92-93, while Taylor is hovering around 109. Taylor won 8-3 last time out and I can see something similar happening again. The handicap line is -4.5, so Taylor wins 8-3 again, or better, and we score. That’l do for a small dabble.
Phil Taylor -4.5 legs to beat Andy Hamilton: 19/20 @ 888.com.
Recommend: 2 units.
Simon Whitlock versus Gary Anderson.
Last match of the night and it should be a doozy, as they say. Both men are coming into this match a bit cold, with Anderson having the week off and Whitlock getting hammered 8-0 by James Wade. So, the question is – which Anderson and which Whitlock is going to turn up?
Whitlock was simply shocking last week, with an average of just over 80. There was no excuse for such a poor performance, unless he was John Henderson level of injured! But he hasn’t made any excuses, just that he didn’t play well. so, if he can change that, he’ll be happy in the fact he’s already beaten Anderson once in the 2012 Premier League, so he can do it again.
Gary Anderson is hopefully in a better frame of mind than the previous few weeks, but it’s not a given. The sad news of his father’s passing is terrible news, and it makes sense for him to miss last week’s action in Cardiff. The Scotsman will be looking to make the most of his opponent’s state of mind, but maybe it’s his we should worry about. It’s been an emotional time for Anderson and it will no doubt impact his game, either helping it or detracting from it. But since we don’t know which way it’ll go, it’s a hard match to predict for us, as both men will be in emotional states for this match.
I can’t separate either man here, so I think the draw is the option for us, as I think on paper it looks like that outcome. Both men tend to cancel each other out, and since neither is playing to their best level, I think it looks good for a draw.
Simon Whitlock to draw with Gary Anderson: 4/1 @ 888.com.
Recommend: 1.5 units.
And that’s all from Week 9 of the PDC Premier League 2012 Premium Darts Betting Tips from Nottingham. Remember to check back next week for more darts betting tips, this time coming from the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield.
