It is the final day of the third week of the Icons of Darts event on Saturday and there is still a lot to play for as five men once again battle it out from their own homes for our entertainment and their own practice purposes.
Two men can still be crowned the weekly winner with a day to go so we should be set for an excellent day of darts, one which should be competitive with the five players we have taking to their respective oches.
The Format
Each day from Monday to Saturday five men will battle it out in a round robin group with the overall champion being determined on Saturday May 2. Matches will see the players compete over the best of 9 legs with each of them at home in front of a webcam throwing at their own individual dartboards. Scores can be found on Dart Connect and the tournament will be streamed on the bookmaker live streaming consoles and for free on Dartslive.tv.
Here’s how the overall @reddragondarts Icons Live League table looks following Day Five ??? #IconsofDarts pic.twitter.com/eo22taIPCp
— MODUS Sports (@ModusDarts180) April 24, 2020
Friday Recap
We had our closest group of the week so far on Friday with just one leg separating the top two. Paul Nicholson was the man celebrating victory as he looked to put himself in contention to win the overall table this week. James Hubbard signed off for his first week with three victories but could not beat Nicholson by the 5-3 scoreline he needed to in his last game. Nicholson got the fourth leg he needed to win the group. Elsewhere, Arron Monk picked up a couple of wins while Andy Jenkins and Adam Huckvale earned themselves a solitary win each.
It was a frustrating day for us betting wise as Arron Monk went down in a deciding leg to Paul Nicholson. I mentioned in the Friday preview that Nicholson had won both their matches 5-4 this week but had the throw in both and the same thing happened again on Friday. What made this one more annoying though was Monk missed a couple of darts at double in that decider. Nevertheless, we’ll go again on Saturday.
Saturday Line Up
James Hubbard is done for the week now so it is the other five men we have battling it out. Paul Nicholson goes into the final day with a six point lead at the top of the overall table but Aaron Monk can still reel him in over the course of the day. Diogo Portela, Adam Huckvale and Andy Jenkins are all playing purely for position in the overall ranking, and of course the chance to end a competitive week with a group success.
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Outright Betting
I think when betting on the group there is only two men to consider here. I get that Andy Jenkins is capable of being a spoiler but he isn’t playing for anything and an early defeat could send him right off the rails, so really this is between Arron Monk and Paul Nicholson. The latter is probably the one to side with as Monk could lose interest if he is unable to win the group as the afternoon goes on but it is all guesswork.
I was hoping to see a little bit from Adam Huckvale on Friday to warrant a bet on him at big prices on Saturday but we didn’t get that. I don’t really want to stick a bet on guesswork so I’m happy to save my money for the match betting rather than take something at a relatively short price that I don’t really have the confidence in that I should do if having a punt.
Match Betting
Call me daft but I am going with the same bet I took on Friday. I just don’t see this somewhat fortunate run that Paul Nicholson is enjoying over Arron Monk continuing and I wonder if Nicholson is actually feeling the strain of a heavy week. He posted on Twitter after play on Friday that nothing felt right and it was all a grind which opened up the possibility that he doesn’t have the best Saturday as he goes in search of the weekly title.
Monk has been unlucky at times this week. I guess you could argue with justification that missing doubles isn’t unlucky it is bad play but to lose 5-4 three times in a row and not have the throw in any of them is saying something it has to be said. I don’t think there is any argument that when it all comes together Monk is the better player of the two and if he can just find that throw when they bull up, or Nicholson fades a touch more then Monk can finally get over the line.
Tips
Back A.Monk to beat P.Nicholson for a 3/10 stake at 1.91 with Coral
Back him here:
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