We begin to head towards the conclusion of the first round stage of the PDC World Darts Championship on Tuesday night when another session of play takes place inside the Alexandra Palace in London.
We’ve seen mixed fortunes for the big names so far in this tournament and two of the biggest in the event come out to play on what looks a decent enough card for this stage of the event on Tuesday.
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Aleksandr Oreshkin vs Kevin Munch (P)
Russia Country Germany
56 Age 29
Last 64 PDCWC Best Last 32
DNQ Last Year DNQ
0 Head to Head 0
As ever the preliminary round match opens up proceedings as Aleksandr Oreshkin takes on Kevin Munch for the opportunity to go up against Adrian Lewis in the final match of the evening.
We’ve seen both these men on this stage which should make it one of the better matches of the round. Aleksandr Oreshkin has probably had more success on our screens be it here or in the World Cup of Darts but Munch has shown some form although his best was a few years ago. All things being equal you would expect Oreshkin to win but we’ve seen these preliminary matches aren’t always predictable.
John Henderson vs Marko Kantele
44 Age 49
Last 32 PDCWC Best Last 64
Last 64 Last Year DNQ
0 Head to Head 1
The opening first round match of the night sees the World Grand Prix semi-finalist John Henderson taking on a Finnish player who is making his first appearance in the tournament since 2009 in Marko Kantele.
You would think there would be a fair few nerves on show here. Henderson hasn’t won a match at Alexandra Palace in his last three outings while Kantele is back in the big time after a while away so he might need a little time to settle down.
If Henderson plays well he should win this but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he struggles to get over the line with his record here. I’d be guessing if I had a bet and we’re too early in the competition to have to do that so I’ll sit this one out.
Raymond Barneveld vs Richard North
50 Age 27
Winner PDCWC Best Debut
SF Last Year N/A
1 Head to Head 0
Raymond Barneveld begins his quest for a sixth world title against the debutant Richard North in the penultimate match of the evening on Tuesday with both men knowing their path down the line is very tough. Michael van Gerwen would be a potential quarter final opponent.
Barneveld knows how to come through the draw. He has made the semi-finals for the last three years and he will be confident he can take advantage of any nerves the debutant might have. North has played on TV before but it is all still fairly new to him and this stage is more daunting than any others.
If North plays to his best he could give Barney a game but it would be hard to see North at that level given his inexperience. I think the best bet here is under 16.5 legs. The spells in this match that Barney dominates he’ll power clear so I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins a set 3-0. That gives us some leeway in case North puts in an inspired 10 minutes. If he doesn’t Barney wins this easily so under 16.5 is the way forward for me.
Adrian Lewis vs Aleksandr Oreshkin/Kevin Munch
32 Age
Winner PDCWC Best
Last 16 Last Year
N/A Head to Head N/A
Adrian Lewis goes off on his journey for what he hopes will be a third world title when he takes on the winner of the preliminary round match which will be either Aleksandr Oreshkin or Kevin Munch.
Whoever comes through this has the potential to be a banana skin for Lewis but the talk is that he is buzzing in practice and if that is the case he will be fine. Having seen one or two of his challengers struggle against these preliminary round winners he’ll be looking to win easily. We’ll watch on but it would set up his quarter nicely if the hype around Lewis is justified.
Tips
WON – Back R.Barneveld vs R.North – Under 16.5 legs for a 4/10 stake at 1.80 with Betfred
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