It is not just the PDC that are getting in on the home darts venture as on Saturday night the WDF version of action gets underway as 10 players line up in the inaugural Remote Darts League, a tournament which will keep us entertained for the next 10 nights of lockdown.
The field is a mixture of former PDC players who no longer have their Tour card and some BDO players who are probably wondering what the future holds, but competing in a WDF event is unlikely to do their futures any harm. The 10 men have been all been competing against each other ahead of the event to ensure the visuals are good enough so we should have none of the scenes we saw on the opening night of the PDC tournament.
The Format
If you are a fan of the Premier League Darts event that the PDC hold each year this format will be familiar to you as it is very similar to that. The 10 men face each other once over the first nine evenings of the competition with the top four in the league table progressing to finals night in the 10th evening. The winner of the semi-finals and final is crowned the champion. Each match in the league phase is the best of 12 legs and players get two points for a win and one for a draw. The whole event will be shown live on the Remote Darts League channel on YouTube.
Special Offer
OPEN UP A BETFAIR EXCHANGE ACCOUNT AND PLACE A BET OF £20 AND IF IT LOSES GET REFUNDED IN FULL IN CASH! GREAT OFFER FOR THE REMOTE DARTS LEAGUE! CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO JOIN. 18+ T&Cs APPLY. Gamble Aware.
The Field
10 stars of the past and present line up in this tournament in what looks like being a competitive looking field. Here are the runners and riders and a line or two about them.
Jim Williams is the 6/4 favourite to win the tournament. We last saw him on our TV screens losing out in the final of the BDO World Championship in January. Since then he has won the Scottish Open and if you go by any rankings he is the man to beat.
Paul Hogan will be familiar to many and is 9/4 to win the event. He has been a BDO quarter finalist twice over the last 25 years and we’ve seen some good things from him in the UK Open. He scores as well as anyone in this field.
James Richardson is not long off the PDC circuit and can be backed at 8/1 to win this tournament. The last time he was on our screens he was being put through his paces by Mikuru Suzuki in the PDC World Championship and that struggle highlights the fading force he has become. He may always have been overrated by that win over Raymond van Barneveld in the 2012 World Championship.
Gary Robson is no stranger to fans of the BDO and the veteran lines up in this field looking to showcase what he has. He’s a 12/1 poke to win the title but you wonder if the consistency will be there.
Alan Norris is a former Lakeside finalist and made it to the last eight in the PDC World Championship as well. He is 18/1 to land this title. He has fallen off the PDC Tour now but the illness and sad death of his wife was a large reason for that. There is a strong case for him being the best player in this field if everyone is at their best.
Wes Newton was once one of the best players in the PDC, competing in Premier Leagues and all the big events but those days are well behind him now. Nevertheless he’s here as a 25/1 shot but needs his best darts.
Darryl Fitton is like the Jimmy White of darts. You always felt he had a world title in him but it never materialised and it has to be said he’s in the twilight of his career. He’s a 25/1 shot to win this title.
Dean Winstanley is a BDO World Championship finalist in his time but he’ll now readily admit it is his wife Lorraine who is the more established of the two now. At his best Winstanley mixed it with the best in the PDC but that best is 2-3 years past making him 25/1 for a reason.
Tony O’Shea never won the world title but it wasn’t for the want of trying. Three times he was a runner up on the Lakeside stage and that title now looks to have eluded him. He’s great on the exhibition circuit which might give him a chance here at 33/1 but that is a leap of faith.
John Walton has the best CV of anyone in this field having won the BDO World Championship in 2001 and the Winmau World Masters the year prior to that. The Yorkshireman was a real class act back in the day but at 58 his best arrers will be behind him.
Betting
It might just be me and growing up in the BDO scene which does it but I’m actually looking forward to this tournament more than the PDC event so I’m glad there is an outright market for it. I can’t have 10 nights of action and not get involved in an outright punt and while Jim Williams and Paul Hogan are placed where they should be in the market, four men will make finals night and they would all be just two wins from glory.
There is no doubt the best darts are behind the likes of John Walton, Dean Winstanley, Tony O’Shea, Daryl Fitton and Wes Newton, while Gary Robson and James Richardson don’t do much for me. Alan Norris might have faded from the PDC scene but I don’t think that is down to a lack of talent or his ability waning. That was external things. Norris is a power scorer and if he can click the doubles and build some confidence early, he could be tough to stop when it really matters.
Tips
Back A.Norris to win Remote Darts League (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 19.00 with Bet365 (1/2 1-2)
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2020
