The second part of the Premier League Darts double header in Rotterdam comes along on Thursday evening and after a great night of arrers on Wednesday we are hoping for more of the same when the eight players reconvene at the Ahoy Arena.
The main event of the evening will be the juicy all-Dutch encounter between Raymond Barneveld and Michael van Gerwen but the support card is pretty good too with some real heavyweight clashes to enjoy.
Simon Whitlock vs Michael Smith
The opening match of the evening is the one between the two lesser vaunted players left in the field when Simon Whitlock takes on Michael Smith. This is a big night for the Australian as he plays twice and he’ll be looking to win. Smith will want to win to keep the chasing pack at bay.
Both men lost quite comfortably on Wednesday evening which will add to their determination to win this match but I thought there was a lot more to like about Michael Smith than Whitlock. To be fair Smith was tasting a crowd like that for the first time but having done it now he should be more at home here.
Whitlock didn’t even average 90 in his defeat to Barneveld on Wednesday night and while he had the crowd against him he hit three out of four on his doubles so it wasn’t as though the crowd was the reason for his low average. 24hrs isn’t long to turn things around so Smith looks a good thing here.
Daryl Gurney vs Gary Anderson
The second match of the night should be a good one as Daryl Gurney takes on Gary Anderson. Much like with Whitlock in the first game this is a big evening for Gurney as he features twice on the card. Anderson did that on Wednesday to maximum effect so he can free wheel a little here.
Gurney took far too long to find his range against Cross on Wednesday evening. He might have been a little overawed by the occasion too in all fairness but if he finds his form from the outset here he is entitled to give Anderson a game. This is a different Anderson to the one Gurney drew 6-6 with earlier in the season though.
I think the best bet here is for Anderson to hit more than 3.5 180s. He nailed three with a bad back when the two met in the reverse fixture and has been hitting them for fun in recent weeks. He hit four in his opening match with Michael Smith on Wednesday and I expect at least four more here.
Rob Cross vs Peter Wright
Two men who had a decent opening night in Rotterdam meet in the third match of the evening when Rob Cross takes on Peter Wright. Cross consolidated his place in the top four with a win on Wednesday while Wright gave himself a chance of pushing for the playoffs with a victory of his own.
Both men can do their respective ambitions no harm with a win on Thursday so this should be a pretty competitive contest but at the same time it looks a fairly evenly matched encounter too and one I wouldn’t really want to call. With that in mind I’ll sit this one out.
Raymond Barneveld vs Michael van Gerwen
The big match of the night is the penultimate contest of the evening as the two Dutch stars collide when Raymond Barneveld battles with Michael van Gerwen. I’m sure if you asked both men this is the last match they would have wanted in front of a home crowd but the crowd are sure to enjoy it.
Barneveld did his chances of a return to the o2 the power of good on Wednesday night when he took Simon Whitlock apart while van Gerwen suffered a second loss of the campaign to the runner up of last year in Peter Wright. Whether MVGs loss had anything to do with the fact he is already through remains to be seen but this should be a good contest but ultimately nothing really appeals from a betting point of view.
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Daryl Gurney vs Simon Whitlock
The evening is rounded off with Daryl Gurney and Simon Whitlock returning to the stage for what will be a big match for the pair of them regardless of what they have done in their previous match in the evening.
Whoever loses this one is going to leave themselves with a real uphill battle to make it to the o2 so the stakes will be high which is another reason why I don’t want to bet on this coupled with the fact that it is the second match of both and they rarely go to type or to form. I’m happy to sit this out.
Tips
WON – Back M.Smith to beat S.Whitlock for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with Betfair
Back him here:
WON – Back G.Anderson – Over 3.5 180s for a 4/10 stake at 1.95 with Boylesports
Back him here:
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