Christmas can officially begin on Thursday night when the PDC World Darts Championship gets underway and it does so with four matches on what is an interesting card inside Alexandra Palace.
As is becoming tradition the defending champion is on show on the opening night which means we get to see Michael van Gerwen right from the start. The support cast includes two former world champions and a former BDO number one so it should be a good opening night.
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Steve Beaton vs Willie O’Connor
53 Age 31
Last 16 PDCWC Best Debut
Last 32 Last Year N/A
5 Head to Head 3
The opening match of the tournament sees the former world champion Steve Beaton taking on the Irish qualifier Willie O’Connor over the best of five sets for a place in the second round. Both men have a draw here in which they will fancy their chances of progressing.
Beaton has shown some good arrers on the TV this year without having that big run that he would have liked. While we’ve seen Willie O’Connor on TV in events like the World Cup and the World Grand Prix this is his first World Championship and he will need to settle fast. Beaton should win this but he no longer wins as convincingly as I’d like so I’ll sit this one out.
James Wilson vs Krzysztof Ratajski
45 Age 40
Last 64 PDCWC Best Debut
Last 64 Last Year N/A
0 Head to Head 0
The second match of the evening sees two men who to date have had the majority of their success in the BDO going up against each other when James Wilson faces Krzysztof Ratajski. Ratajski made a name for himself when he won the Winmau World Masters recently while Wilson is a former BDO number one.
I think this could turn into the match of the night because both players should have an air of confidence about them. It is one of two matches I wouldn’t like to call really and I wouldn’t be wholly surprised if we go the distance for the first time here.
Rather than call the winner I prefer to hit a side market for a bet in this match. That is the number of 180s James Wilson will hit where I think a 4.5 line is quite acceptable. If this does go the distance he’ll need to hit one a set whereas if he has won easier than that the chances are he’s scored well. He is a heavy scorer and I fancy this line can be covered.
Michael van Gerwen vs Christian Kist
28 Age 31
Winner x2 PDCWC Best Last 32
Winner Last Year Last 64
2 Head to Head 1
The defending champion Michael van Gerwen begins his title defence against a former Lakeside winner and fellow Dutch player Christian Kist for a place in the second round against the winner of the Wilson vs Ratajski match.
Kist’s health issues have been well documented over the course of 2017 thus far and if he is still suffering the dreaded whitewash would look to have a genuine chance here. If Kist is feeling much better then while I doubt he can be competitive in the match he might keep MVG on stage longer than expected. Either way this isn’t a match to bet on.
Gerwyn Price vs Ted Evetts
32 Age 20
Last 64 PDCWC Best Debut
Last 64 Last Year N/A
0 Head to Head 1
The final match of the opening evening will see the Welsh star Gerwyn Price taking on the young buck Ted Evetts who had to come through the PDPA qualifier to make it into the tournament where he will make his debut.
This is the fourth appearance in this tournament for Gerwyn Price and he is still looking for his first win. He has lost to Peter Wright, Andrew Gilding and Jonny Clayton and he would have been a warm favourite in the last two of those so this is a familiar position for him.
In many ways Evetts has little to lose from here on in. Just being here is a result given the number of matches he had to win to make it this far and he is already guaranteed the biggest pay cheque of his career. With no mental scars and no pressure on him I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he wins this match. We should acknowledge his lack of experience at this level but nevertheless given the pressure Price will be feeling a punt on Evetts +1.5 sets appeals.
Tips
WON – Back J.Wilson – Over 4.5 180s for a 4/10 stake at 1.80 with Paddy Power
Back him here:
Back T.Evetts (+1.5 sets) to beat G.Price for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with Boylesports
Back him here:
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