The Icons of Darts has been extended beyond the initial schedule and it returns on Monday with a brand new format as this time seven players battle it out in their homes over an extended session of play for our lockdown entertainment.
We’ve seen some excellent darts over the two competitions that Modus have put on for us over the last few weeks so hopefully this combined one will deliver the goods in that department as well. If it does we should get a competitive race for the daily title.
The Format
Each day from Monday to Saturday seven players will battle it out for a daily title. There are two pools of players, one which plays on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and the other which toe the oche on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Each day the seven players will play each other once over the best of seven legs with two points for a win. The daily winner is the player with the most points. If players are level on points it is determined on leg difference and then the record between the two. The entire event can be watched on various bookmaker websites, dartshop.tv or the Modus YouTube channel.
Saturday Recap
It was billed as a showdown for the weekly title on Saturday but as with a lot of things that are hyped up massively, it turned out to be a bit of a damp squib with Arron Monk wrapping things up quite early in the piece on his way to the daily group win. It was Justin Smith who ran him closest with three wins ahead of Ritchie Edhouse who picked up a couple of victories while Jarred Cole managed just one win. Jose Justicia went winless for the final day of the week.
We had a couple of frustrating days betting wise over the course of the week and Saturday was another of them. Jarred Cole led Ritchie Edhouse 3-0 and missed two darts at a double for 4-1 and ended up losing 5-3. He got those losses back by walloping Jose Justicia and covering the handicap in the process but the fact he couldn’t go on and win the group meant that we ended a little down for the day on Saturday.
Monday Line Up
The winner of what looks like the last A Night at the Darts event headlines the field this week as David Evans puts his high quality darts on show on the opening day. He will be joined by another weekly winner on his last sighting in Paul Nicholson who has swapped the microphone for the arrers for this week. Fallon Sherrock picked up a daily title in the evening event last week and he’ll be looking to showcase her talents in the daytime here.
The other four players were also all on show last week with Martin Adams coming up from the night shift into the day one where he will join the early pacesetter in this event last week in Jarred Cole, Ritchie Edhouse and Jose Justicia who gets the chance to show that his poor display last week was a blip and that he is better than he showed on that occasion.
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Outright Betting
I’m going to give Jarred Cole another go here. I have to admit I thought I was done with him after Saturday but although he only won one of his matches over the course of the day, he was a break ahead in every single one so it might be that the shortening of the format works out well for him, as if he can get that early break again he doesn’t have as long to hold on to it for and be caught. That is appealing as is the 9/1 price.
Of the others, David Evans looks a worthy favourite based on some of the averages he’s been producing but his doubles got a bit ropey towards the end last week and missed doubles in the best of 7 are the biggest killer of all. Paul Nicholson won a lot of games 5-4 in his first spell in these events but whether he can do that 4-3 remains to be seen. I can’t be having Edhouse with his finishing issues and while Adams and Sherrock are both tempting, Cole is a better price and in my mind no less of a runner.
Match Betting
I’m not going to go ballistic in the opening day of this new format but three bets do jump off the card at me, beginning with a bet which served me well last week which is Jarred Cole to cover a 1.5 leg handicap against Jose Justicia. These two men met four times last week with Cole winning all four, 5-1, 5-1, 5-2 and 5-0. His scoring consistency was far too good for the Spaniard on all four occasions and there is no reason why it won’t be again here. Cole can win this no worse than 4-2 especially as he stays on from the game before this which should ensure he is in a nice flow.
Later in the afternoon the 4/5 on David Evans to beat Paul Nicholson has to be taken I think. Nicholson has had the week off so he is entitled to take a few matches to get back up to speed but even when he was playing and winning everything was such a grind for him. I’m not sure you can grind it out against David Evans as there is no massive weakness to the game of the Manchester man. Evans scores big and checks out well and to my mind should be a more emphatic favourite than he is.
Fallon Sherrock picked up four wins over Martin Adams last week with the last three of those being 5-1, 5-1 and 5-2 and given that her match against the former BDO world champion will be her second in a row I think the odds against on the ‘Queen of the Palace’ picking up a fifth straight win over Wolfie is worth a shot. Sherrock was finishing superbly last week whereas Adams was found wanting on the outer ring at times and in a best of seven there is no time for messing about on doubles. With the form of last week and that finishing prowess behind her Sherrock looks overpriced to me here.
Tips
WON – Back J.Cole to win Group 1 for a 1/10 stake at 10.00 with Betfair
Back him here:
WON – Back J.Cole (-1.5 legs) to beat J.Justicia for a 3/10 stake at 2.10 with Coral
Back him here:
WON – Back D.Evans to beat P.Nicholson for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with Betway
Back him here:
Back F.Sherrock to beat M.Adams for a 3/10 stake at 2.15 with BetVictor
Back her here:
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Hi Kev. Hope you are well. Are you not getting involved in the lower tour golf tournaments?
Hi Jackie, hope you are keeping safe and well. I looked for a way in but couldn’t really find one I was confident in. I read that the PGA Tour are expected to return next month and everyone seems positive that will happen so that will probably be my next foray into golf unless something clear cut presents itself between now and then!