We enter the second phase of round two to determine Sunday’s marathon day. With 3/3 on Thursday we were very happy with our positions.
Benito van De Pas 5-5 Michael Smith
BP 5/4 - Unibet
MS 3/4 - Boylesports
Michael Smith will need to be careful in his matchup after going comfortably 4-0 up over Aspinall only for Smith to win 6-4 in the end. In a quick fire clash, Pas had a closer clash with rival Vincent van der Voort in a narrow 6-5 victory and we saw signs Benito is getting some form back.
Both players will have an opportunity to make further progress into a major quarter final and layers edge Bullyboy over Big Ben in this one.
Looking over at the maximums Michael Smiths 180 average is not as his as it once was. However his smoother throw and three in his battle with Aspinall will give punters something to consider in the opener on Saturday.
Looking at the 180 handicap Smith is 6/10 with the outright 180s and the wrong side of evens at 10/11 to win by two or more. Ideally evens would be the price to consider here. The 6/10 is just enough to consider on the basis Benito does not hit many and is less fluent on his throw pitching them the way he often does.
Rob Cross 2-1 Dave Chisnall
RC - 4/5 general
DC - 6/5 Unibet
Interesting that the rise of Rob Cross puts him in as favourite despite his lack of TV exposure compared to opponent Dave Chisnall who has tasted major event progression.
The relative head to head sees Cross edging this albeit on the shorter race to six on all three meetings. Cross has really been a contender this year with his amazing work despite the tour never being a higher quality nor getting any easier.
I find that backing Cross over Chisnall especially at odds on is not the way I would advise going. Chisnall is the heaviest 180 hitter in the game and JUST 11/10 with Betfred to win the count by two or more. It makes more sense for punters to take the 10/11 on the most 180s outright with William Hill.
I would also consider Chisnall on the higher checkout. Cross managed a 88 high in the last game with Chizzy bagging a 138 out. Taking Chisnall to hit over 110.50 is available at 11/13with Unibet and a general 5/6 elsewhere is worth considering!
Stephen Bunting 4-1 Daryl Gurney
SB - 5/2 Bet365
DG - 3/8 Marathonbet
It was good to see Stephen Bunting take a win over Cullen who missed a few key shots allowing the Bullet to step into the last 16.
Opponent Daryl Gurney, fresh off the World Grand Prix win earlier this month saw off Steve Beaton 6-3 in a fairly comfortable contest hitting four maximums in the process.
The maximum lines for both players expects Bunting to net four and Gurney five. Bunting is quite the maximum hitter but is dependent on the game he brings to the oche. With his super thin Darts he could make room for a couple dozen in the bed but is a confidence player so generally dips on one dart during his action. Gurney is a rhythm thrower so can often take some time to get going. Both playing reactively could see both overs land with ease. However we expect Gurney to head the count and is 8/11 with Pokerstars and as short as 8/15 elsewhere.
Peter Wright 2-0 Jonny Clayton
PW - 1/4 Paddy Power
JC - 4/1 Boylesports
Wright has the easier of the ties based on ranking alone. Clayton looked in good nick during his opener and Wright saw off his opponent with gentle ease.
The head to head is not something to heavily consider. However Clayton has experienced a rising year and will be a tough cookie to beat. Saying this the format is longer and Clayton may not have the stamina to go leg on leg against Snakebite who is accomplished in this area. Wright is nicely priced to with 10-6 or better at evens with Coral offering 11/10 on Clayton with a 3.5 leg headstart.
Recommendations
Smith most 180/Wright -2.5 leg Handicap - 13/10 double with Boylesports - 2pts
Chisnall - most 180s vs Cross - 10/11Hills 1pt
Chisnall - over 110.50 Checkout - 11/13 Unibet 1pt
Wright -3.5 legs Vs Clayton - 1/1 Betfair/Paddy Power 1.5 pts
Benito van De Pas 5-5 Michael Smith
BP 5/4 - Unibet
MS 3/4 - Boylesports
Michael Smith will need to be careful in his matchup after going comfortably 4-0 up over Aspinall only for Smith to win 6-4 in the end. In a quick fire clash, Pas had a closer clash with rival Vincent van der Voort in a narrow 6-5 victory and we saw signs Benito is getting some form back.
Both players will have an opportunity to make further progress into a major quarter final and layers edge Bullyboy over Big Ben in this one.
Looking over at the maximums Michael Smiths 180 average is not as his as it once was. However his smoother throw and three in his battle with Aspinall will give punters something to consider in the opener on Saturday.
Looking at the 180 handicap Smith is 6/10 with the outright 180s and the wrong side of evens at 10/11 to win by two or more. Ideally evens would be the price to consider here. The 6/10 is just enough to consider on the basis Benito does not hit many and is less fluent on his throw pitching them the way he often does.
Rob Cross 2-1 Dave Chisnall
RC - 4/5 general
DC - 6/5 Unibet
Interesting that the rise of Rob Cross puts him in as favourite despite his lack of TV exposure compared to opponent Dave Chisnall who has tasted major event progression.
The relative head to head sees Cross edging this albeit on the shorter race to six on all three meetings. Cross has really been a contender this year with his amazing work despite the tour never being a higher quality nor getting any easier.
I find that backing Cross over Chisnall especially at odds on is not the way I would advise going. Chisnall is the heaviest 180 hitter in the game and JUST 11/10 with Betfred to win the count by two or more. It makes more sense for punters to take the 10/11 on the most 180s outright with William Hill.
I would also consider Chisnall on the higher checkout. Cross managed a 88 high in the last game with Chizzy bagging a 138 out. Taking Chisnall to hit over 110.50 is available at 11/13with Unibet and a general 5/6 elsewhere is worth considering!
Stephen Bunting 4-1 Daryl Gurney
SB - 5/2 Bet365
DG - 3/8 Marathonbet
It was good to see Stephen Bunting take a win over Cullen who missed a few key shots allowing the Bullet to step into the last 16.
Opponent Daryl Gurney, fresh off the World Grand Prix win earlier this month saw off Steve Beaton 6-3 in a fairly comfortable contest hitting four maximums in the process.
The maximum lines for both players expects Bunting to net four and Gurney five. Bunting is quite the maximum hitter but is dependent on the game he brings to the oche. With his super thin Darts he could make room for a couple dozen in the bed but is a confidence player so generally dips on one dart during his action. Gurney is a rhythm thrower so can often take some time to get going. Both playing reactively could see both overs land with ease. However we expect Gurney to head the count and is 8/11 with Pokerstars and as short as 8/15 elsewhere.
Peter Wright 2-0 Jonny Clayton
PW - 1/4 Paddy Power
JC - 4/1 Boylesports
Wright has the easier of the ties based on ranking alone. Clayton looked in good nick during his opener and Wright saw off his opponent with gentle ease.
The head to head is not something to heavily consider. However Clayton has experienced a rising year and will be a tough cookie to beat. Saying this the format is longer and Clayton may not have the stamina to go leg on leg against Snakebite who is accomplished in this area. Wright is nicely priced to with 10-6 or better at evens with Coral offering 11/10 on Clayton with a 3.5 leg headstart.
Recommendations
Smith most 180/Wright -2.5 leg Handicap - 13/10 double with Boylesports - 2pts
Chisnall - most 180s vs Cross - 10/11Hills 1pt
Chisnall - over 110.50 Checkout - 11/13 Unibet 1pt
Wright -3.5 legs Vs Clayton - 1/1 Betfair/Paddy Power 1.5 pts