The PDC World Darts Championship is down to the quarter final stage which all takes place across two potentially exciting sessions of play inside the Alexandra Palace in London on Friday. We are up to the best of nine sets now so much more than just talent comes into play from here on in.
The evening session is the main course which is as juicy as they come but this afternoon session is a decent starter with two competitive looking matches on offer for us.
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Jamie Lewis vs Darren Webster
Jamie Lewis: Preliminary Round beat Kenny Neyens 2-1 – Ave: 93.17 180s: 2
Round 1 beat Jonny Clayton 3-0 – Ave: 99.02 180s: 5
Round 2 beat Peter Wright 4-1 – Ave: 107.27 180s: 13
Round 3 beat James Richardson 4-1 – Ave: 96.25 180s: 5
Darren Webster: Round 1 beat Devon Petersen 3-2 – Ave: 90.81 180s: 4
Round 2 beat Simon Whitlock 4-1 – Ave: 90.20 180s: 4
Round 3 beat Toni Alcinas 4-0 – Ave: 94.54 180s: 3
Head to Head: 0-0
The opening match of the quarter finals sees two surprise packages meeting in a match which will change the life of the winner when Jamie Lewis faces Darren Webster for a place in the semi-final of the tournament and a guaranteed £85,000.
Jamie Lewis has been brilliant in this tournament. His win over Peter Wright is the one which has picked up all the headlines and that is understandable but I was most impressed with his latest win against James Richardson as he backed up the emotional high with a series of solid performances.
Darren Webster has been what Darren Webster is so far. He’s a terrier who gets stuck in and never relinquishes the initiative when he gets hold of it. His scoring hasn’t been flashy but his timing has been excellent and his darts in the pressure legs has been of high quality which bodes well, as does the confidence he has exuded in his interviews. He’s full of belief.
I expect this to be a close match purely because of what is at stake. The winner of this one is going to significantly rise up the rankings and I expect that to create a tense and nervy affair. My gut tells me Webster should be the favourite for this but my preferred bet is over 7.5 sets.
Dimitri Van den Bergh vs Rob Cross
Dimitri Van den Bergh: Round 1 beat Stephen Bunting 3-1 – Ave: 104.17 180s: 5
Round 2 beat Jan Dekker 4-2 – Ave: 94.91 180s: 6
Round 3 beat Mensur Suljovic 4-0 – Ave: 96.60 180s: 6
Rob Cross: Round 1 beat Seigo Asada 3-0 – Ave: 104.12 180s: 6
Round 2 beat Michael Smith 4-3 – Ave: 102.65 180s: 16
Round 3 beat John Henderson 4-1 – Ave: 99.77 180s: 7
Head to Head: 0-0
The second quarter final of the afternoon sees the World Youth Championship winner Dimitri Van den Bergh continuing his quest for the junior/senior double when he takes on the man of the moment Rob Cross in what should be an exciting match.
Van den Bergh has been brilliant in this tournament and in Stephen Bunting and Mensur Suljovic in particular he has seen off two very solid campaigners. He has done it with confident and heavy scoring and with assurance in his finishing, especially under pressure and that is an important trait.
Rob Cross has gone from strength to strength all year and even his World Championship debut has not fazed him at all. He wasn’t at his best in the third round but he started so well it was inevitable he would fade a little. I expect him to be right on top of his game here and as we saw against Michael Smith that is a very good standard.
This should be a really entertaining quarter final between two men who are close to the top of their game. Both are heavy scorers and as such I expect the 180s to flow in this one. This should be played at a nice rhythm and with the way both are finishing I fancy this will be closer than the odds suggest. With that in mind over 18.5 180s appeals.
Tips
Back J.Lewis vs D.Webster – Over 7.5 sets for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Boylesports
Back it here:
WON – Back D.Van den Bergh vs R.Cross – Over 18.5 180s for a 4/10 stake at 2.05 with Bwin
Back it here:
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