In terms of the world rankings we have the best group of them all so far in the PDC Home Tour on Friday evening, as three members of the top 40 players in the world battle it out in Group 22 of the competition for our entertainment.
As always, the four players will be towing their home oches to give us some action to pass another evening in lockdown with, and given who is on show, we should expect some pretty decent quality to keep us entertained.
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.
Thursday Recap
It was another exciting night of darts even if the standard wasn’t the best on Thursday, and once again the rankings lived up to their reputation with Rob Cross coming through with three wins to top the table. How he did it given he had a highest average of 85.17 is up for debate. Somehow he beat Dimitri Van den Bergh in his second match and came from 4-0 down to beat Karel Sedlacek 5-4 in the final match of the night. That denied the Czech second spot, which went to the Belgian even though he lost to William Borland in his final game of the evening.
It was a mixed betting night for us on Thursday. Van den Bergh blew countless darts at a double and good positions to beat Rob Cross which had he done so he would have gone on and won the group I’m pretty sure. The night was saved by Sedlacek who hammered Borland 5-0 in a match we tipped the Czech to win, but wouldn’t have expected him to win by that sort of margin.
Group 22 Line Up
The fourth week of the competition begins with the man who was such a powerhouse on the European Tour last season in Ian White headlining the action. The Stoke based thrower sits in the top 10 in the world and when he gets going is one of the most relentless scorers in the game. On the biggest stages and in the big pressure matches his doubling has been suspect at times which has held him back, but assuming that the relaxed environment of his own home takes away any pressure he could prove incredibly tough to get the better of.
One man who will be hoping to get the better of him is the former Lakeside finalist Danny Noppert, who is the second highest ranked player in the group. Noppert is a class act in his own right and if he can find a bit of scoring consistency he could be right in the mix himself. Noppert has started the season off brilliantly on the pro tour with a couple of semi-finals and a quarter final in the Players Championship events that took place prior to lockdown. Make no mistake, he is a serious challenger.
James Wilson is the second player in this group who cut his cloth in the BDO and while he’s had a bit of success in the PDC, there is no doubt he is a better player than what he has shown. Injury has hampered him in recent times which is why he’s only won a match in one of the eight Players Championship events this season. At his best he is more than good enough to be competitive in this company but there is no guarantee he is at that level. You are betting on chance if you take him.
The outsider in the group is the Spanish player Jesus Noguera who picked up a Tour card courtesy of his exploits on the Challenge Tour last season. That in itself shows he has the class to handle himself in decent company and he’ll be out to prove that again here. He has already made the last 32 of a Players Championship event this season so he is no mug, although it does have to be said he’ll have to go some to dispose of the top two and come out on top in this group.
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Outright Betting
You would have to say the main two do look clear by a good distance here and I’m expecting one of them to come through the group. Odds on for Ian White just feels a little short to me as he can have a tendency to miss crucial doubles and we would be taking a chance on how seriously he has taken this thing. Even if he is serious about it, there isn’t a huge amount between him and Danny Noppert, and the form of the Dutchman prior to lockdown has reeled me in.
There is no getting away from the fact that it isn’t an ideal situation that Noppert does not have the throw when he meets White but if he can overcome that and pick up that win so much of his job will be done I would imagine. Noppert is a heavy scorer and I don’t see him having a mare on the doubles. There isn’t a whole lot between White and Noppert so the 5/2 on the former BDO world finalist over the 5/6 on White looks the way to go to me.
Match Betting
I’ve a feeling we might see a few struggles from James Wilson. With that in mind I’m happy to take him on against Jesus Noguera, a man who has performed very well on the Challenge Tour over the last year or so and who brings winning momentum into the evening with him. I’ve mentioned above that Wilson has struggled with injury in recent times and over the last 12 months or so he has looked a pale shadow of the player who burst into the PDC when he got his Tour card.
You only have to look back to the Remote Darts League to see the effect an injury can have on a game and I do fear for Wilson in that regard. Noguera has a lot going for him here. Not only has his form been better on the tour but he also has the throw and those who have read previous previews will know that in 50:50 looking contests that is a position I like. I’m not convinced this one is as 50:50 as previous ones. It is the Spaniard for me here.
Tips
Back D.Noppert to win Group 22 for a 2/10 stake at 3.50 with Betway
Back him here:
WON – Back J.Noguera to beat J.Wilson for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with 888sport
Back him here:
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