The European Tour returns in the darting world this Easter weekend as many of the biggest names in the game descend on Germany once again for the German Darts Masters. Peter Wright won the opening event of the European season last month and he is here aiming to win back to back titles but those opposing him are pretty strong which should make for a good weekend.
Recent Winners
2016 – Michael van Gerwen
2015 – Michael van Gerwen
2014 – Phil Taylor
2013 – Steve Beaton
2012 – Adrian Lewis
The Format
We’ve had the qualifying rounds for the competition and now we head into the tournament at the last 32 stage on Sunday. That is played across two sessions of play on Sunday with the last 16 on Monday afternoon before the remainder of the event is played on Monday evening. All matches are the best of 11 legs.
Top Half
Peter Wright is the main seed in the top half of the draw. He is the second seed this weekend with Mensur Suljovic to be seeded as a semi-final opponent for him as the third seed. The other seeds are Stephen Bunting, Gerwyn Price, James Wade, Jelle Klaasen, Ian White and Steve West so this looks quite open.
The standard of the qualifiers are quite strong too. Daryl Gurney knocked out Adrian Lewis to make it into the last 32 while Jeffrey de Graaf and Kyle Anderson are talented players in this section. Robert Thornton is another looking to return to past glories this weekend. Jamie Lewis, Mark Webster, Ted Evetts and Max Hopp make up the top half.
Bottom Half
All eyes will be on Michael van Gerwen in this half of the draw but if he is going to make it a hat-trick of titles he is probably going to have to do it the hard way. I say that because he will have to see off seeds in the form of Simon Whitlock, Benito van de Pas, last week’s winner Joe Cullen, Michael Smith, Alan Norris, Kim Huybrechts and Cristo Reyes.
It isn’t as though the qualifiers are a walk in the park either. Raymond Barneveld could be a quarter final opponent for MVG while Mervyn King, John Michael, Daniel Larsson, Dragutin Horvat, Johnny Clayton, Rowby-John Rodriguez and Steffen Siepmann will all be queuing up to have a go at the world champion.
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Betting
I’m going for a couple of players in the tournament this weekend. As always they are in the other half to Michael van Gerwen in the hope of banking some each way pennies before we have to play the Green Machine in the final.
My first pick is James Wade who looks to be playing well enough at the minute. He saw off Phil Taylor in the Premier League on Thursday night and made the semi-final of a floor event last weekend. He has a tricky test in Robert Thornton in the first round on Sunday but Thornton isn’t at his best and if Wade comes through that I fancy him to have a big weekend.
The other player I’m backing is Daryl Gurney. He averaged nearly a ton with six 180s in beating Adrian Lewis here on Saturday and that continued the form which saw him win a Players Championship event last weekend and lose in the final of the other. Gurney is a man in form right now and with Mensur Suljovic, the top seed in his quarter of the draw being vulnerable, Gurney should be in for another big weekend.
Tips
Back J.Wade to win German Darts Masters (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with Skybet (1/2 1-2)
Back D.Gurney to win German Darts Masters (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 34.00 with Skybet (1/2 1-2)
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