We move to Group 12 of the PDC Home Tour on Tuesday evening where as well as remaining in the UK for a couple of the contestants, we also trot across Europe for a couple of overseas challengers as four men once again battle it out in round robin format.
We all know the score by now. Four men in their own homes pit their wits against each other for the right to move into a next stage, which with lockdown looking like continuing and a return to normality looking further and further away, is likely to happen at some point.
The Format
Each night four players will battle it out in a round robin format with the group winner progressing to the next stage of the tournament. All six matches in each group will be the best of nine legs with two points awarded for a win. If players finish level on points then leg difference will decide the outcome. If that cannot separate players then the head to head will settle the group winner. Were three players to be tied on points and leg difference the player with the highest overall average goes through. The entire tournament is being streamed live on PDC.tv, the Sky Sports App and various bookmaker sites.
Monday Recap
Another heavy favourite was sent packing from the tournament on Monday night as Simon Whitlock faced the same exit door that so many odds on shots have been bolted through. Despite losing his opening match he was still in a position to qualify heading into his final match but a 5-4 defeat to Alan Tabern ended his chances. Indeed it was the St Helens man who came through the tightest group to date courtesy of finishing on the same leg difference as Mike van Duivenbode but Tabern won their match. Kirk Shepherd was the unlucky man of the night, winning his opening game before two deciding leg defeats.
One of those defeats was to Mike van Duivenbode which provided us with a narrow profit on the night after the speculative attempt to find value in Whitlock dominating the group not only came up shy but was dead in the water before it got up and running really. The tiny profit offers up something to build on for the remainder of the week however.
Group 12 Line Up
It is the German number one Max Hopp who heads the field in terms of rankings on Tuesday evening, and as such he is the 15/8 favourite to win the group. Hopp has talent to burn but consistency is not one of his trademarks so there will be a feeling that he is there to be got at. Another issue could be that he pulled out of the UK Open last month with Glandular Fever which can be a bitch to get rid of, so it is open to debate just how much practicing he will have done.
The question over practice time hangs over the second ranked man in the field in the shape of Keegan Brown. He has been working for the NHS recently so you would have to think that his time on the dartboard will have been significantly reduced in recent times, if he has even been able to see it at all. Brown might have the most talent of the four on show here but long days at work and a potential reduction in practice is not a good combination. Despite that he is the 5/2 second favourite to come out on top in this group.
Conan Whitehead is the third highest ranked player in the group at 75 in the Order of Merit, but he is the outsider of the four with the bookmakers in terms of the odds to come out on top. Whitehead is arguably the heaviest scorer on show here and if he can pin his doubles he is more than capable of giving the other three a headache or two. Whitehead has shown his worth in the Players Championship events this year with a last 16 and a last 32 and is perfectly capable of being the sleeper in this field.
The last man on show in Group 12 is the Belgian ace Mike de Decker who is back on the Tour after three years, courtesy of winning one of the European Q-School events at the start of the year. This is a man who four wins on the Development Tour in the past and who took out Martijn Kleermaker and Justin van Tergouw to win his Tour card back. He has made the last 32 of a Players Championship event this season, beating Danny Noppert to get there before going down to Nathan Aspinall in a deciding leg with a 99.64 average. He also made the last 32 of the European Tour event in his homeland. He is definitely dangerous at 10/3.
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Outright Betting
I actually think the two outsiders have decent shots at this. Max Hopp is not consistent enough to be trusted in my eyes. His scoring goes missing too much and he can be found wanting on the doubles too often too, while I can’t be having Keegan Brown with the workload he has got on. He has much more important things on his mind than a game of darts that’s for sure, so this is definitely a group to look down the market.
It wouldn’t be the biggest surprise in the world if the match between Mike de Decker and Conan Whitehead is the one which decides this group and while picking the winner of their match is no easy task, we are helped a little by the fact that we know de Decker will have the throw. That is enough of an edge for me to have a little punt on the Belgian to continue his bright start to the campaign by progressing here.
Match Betting
I will however back Conan Whitehead in one of his matches, that being his opening game against Keegan Brown. I’ve highlighted above why I’m keen to take Brown on and first up looks a great time to do it, as there is a chance that as the evening goes on his natural talent kicks in and he improves on what he has first up. We’ve seen that be the case with those who haven’t been working let alone those who have.
Whitehead isn’t the sort of player to lack confidence at the best of times, but he’ll take even more into this match, knowing that when these two met on the tour earlier in the season it was Whitehead who came out on top 6-2. Whitehead is a heavy scorer who is likely to have had more time on the board than Brown even if it is only a matter of a few hours. If ‘The Barbarian’ pins his doubles I think he can win this at a juicy price.
Tips
Back M.de Decker to win Group 12 for a 2/10 stake at 4.33 with 888sport
Back him here:
WON – Back C.Whitehead to beat K.Brown for a 3/10 stake at 2.30 with Coral
Back him here:
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