The final day of darts before Christmas is a double session day of action on Saturday when even more big names come out looking to secure their place in the third round of the PDC World Darts Championship at the Alexandra Palace in London.
Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson cruised through on Friday evening and six more players will join them on Saturday with Phil Taylor, Rob Cross, Raymond Barneveld and Daryl Gurney among the men looking to progress.
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Keegan Brown vs Zoran Lerchbacher
Keegan Brown: Round 1 beat James Wade 3-2 – Ave: 95.45 180s: 4
Zoran Lerchbacher: Round 1 beat Mervyn King 3-2 – Ave 92.09 180s: 2
Head to Head: 0-1
The first match of the afternoon was billed to be James Wade against Mervyn King but Keegan Brown and Zoran Lerchbacher had other ideas and it is the latter pair who will battle it out for a place in the third round.
Brown came to the PDC with a big reputation but has disappeared for the last 18 months or so but his performance against James Wade suggested that he could be ready to come again. Lerchbacher is a steady player who has learnt how to hang in matches and if given the chance he will win.
I’m not sure the scoring power of Brown will let the Austrian win this though. While it is true Lerchbacher won their only previous meeting earlier in the year Brown wasn’t in the form he showed in the first round back them. This is a huge opportunity for the Hampshire man. I expect him to take it.
Michael Smith vs Rob Cross
Michael Smith: Round 1 beat Steve Lennon 3-2 – Ave: 92.63 180s: 10
Rob Cross: Round 1 beat Seigo Asada 3-0 – Ave: 104.12 180s: 6
Head to Head 1-4
The match of the entire second round is the middle match in the afternoon session when Michael Smith takes on Rob Cross in what is a really tasty battle. It is a brutal draw for both that they have to play this as early as the second round.
Smith scored 180s for fun in the first round but in among the eye catching scores there was some dross which he can’t afford here. Rob Cross was brilliant on his tournament debut but this will be the first time he has played the best of seven sets.
This match is going to be full of 180s and I expect plenty of them to come from Smith. The only way he can win this is if he scores strongly and holds on to his throw but if he plays well he is more than capable of being Cross. I don’t see him winning without hitting eight 180s so over 7.5 Smith 180s is the call in a match you would think has six if not seven sets.
Steve West vs Jermaine Wattimena
Steve West: Round 1 beat Benito van de Pas 3-1 – Ave: 95.97 180s: 4
Jermaine Wattimena: Round 1 beat Joe Cullen 3-2 – Ave: 96.83 180s: 2
Head to Head: 1-1
Two men who took care of capable seeds in the first round meet in the final match of the afternoon when Steve West takes on Jermaine Wattimena in a match which looks to be a huge opportunity for both men.
The winner of this match adds another £8,500 to their prize fund and world ranking and for players ranked where they are that can be pretty significant. If Wattimena produces the level he did in the first round he will probably win this but that was probably his best TV performance especially over the distance so whether he can repeat that remains to be seen.
Steve West plays to a consistent level these days but this match looks like it will be very much who performs best on the day and it could genuinely go either way. It should be exciting to watch at the pace it will be played at but in terms of betting it isn’t for me.
Tips
WON – Back K.Brown (-1.5 sets) to beat Z.Lerchbacher for a 4/10 stake at 2.20 with Betfred
Back him here:
WON – Back M.Smith – Over 7.5 180s for a 4/10 stake at 2.10 with Betfair
Back him here:
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