The third day of the PDC World Championship is another day of double session action which means that we get underway inside Alexandra Palace in the afternoon on Friday when eight players take to the stage looking to make progress.
As has been the case throughout the competition so far, we have three first round matches to open up the session and then the action concludes with a second round match on what looks like it could be a competitive afternoon.
Ryan Joyce vs Roman Benecky
The first match onto the stage sees the man who impressed in the early stages of the Grand Slam of Darts on show as Ryan Joyce faces the Czech qualifier Roman Benecky, who should be able to offer something when you consider the players from that part of the world who aren’t here.
Joyce has had a good run on this stage in the past and although he isn’t used to being a favourite at this level he has generally given a good account of himself at this tournament. His experience of this stage has to be a positive and if he has the form which he had in the group stage of the Grand Slam with him then he’s entitled to win this with a bit to spare but I’m slightly concerned that in his last match at the Players Championship Finals he missed a boat load of doubles to lose a match he was in control of so that is enough to sway me from getting stuck into any handicaps or anything like that.
Keane Barry vs Royden Lam
The second match of the afternoon sees a pair of players who have been to this competition a couple of times previously doing battle when the Irish youngster Keane Barry takes on the more seasoned Hong Kong thrower Royden Lam.
I think most people in the game feel that Barry is going to be something special in the game. His talent is there for all to see but right now in his career he is guilty of missing a lot of doubles on the big stage. That will be sorted when he’s gained enough experience to be composed on the stage but right now it could make him vulnerable, although I do expect him to have the scoring power here to create a lot of chances at a double. Lam will offer more composure so the legs he plays well in you’ve got a chance he will win those which could keep this one close. There isn’t a huge amount that I like here either in truth.
Special Offer
OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH 888SPORT AND BET £10 TO GET £30 IN FREE BETS PLUS A £10 CASINO BONUS! PERFECT OFFER TO USE ON THIS TOURNAMENT! CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO JOIN. USE CODE 30F. NEW ACCOUNTS ONLY. 18+ T&Cs apply (See image for significant terms). Gamble Aware.
Jermaine Wattimena vs Boris Koltsov
The last of the first round matches in the afternoon session sees two players from Europe battling it out when the Dutch player Jermaine Wattimena takes on the best that Russia has to offer in the form of Boris Koltsov.
Koltsov was a regular on the streams of the online stuff during lockdown and used that activity to get his tour card at the beginning of the year but hasn’t exactly pulled up any trees with it. He has given himself a chance of competing here though coming through one of the qualifiers and now he faces a Wattimena who isn’t in brilliant form himself and can often be guilty of making matches difficult for himself by missing doubles. That doesn’t tend to happen as much here though so I would expect the Dutchman to win this but he’s way too short for me. Where there could be an edge is on Koltsov to hit the most 180s. Wattimena is a very erratic thrower and unlike a lot of Dutch players doesn’t hit a lot of 180s as a rule. Koltsov is a much smoother thrower and really groups the darts well. We saw some insane bursts of scoring from him in the online leagues last year and if he can produce a few consistent legs of scoring he should win the 180 battle if not the match.
Krzysztof Ratajski vs Steve Lennon
As always we finish off in the second round of the tournament as the ‘Polish Eagle’ Krzysztof Ratajski looks to secure a return to Alexandra Palace after Christmas when he takes on the Irish number one Steve Lennon in what should be a good conclusion to the session.
Ratajski was a quarter finalist in this tournament last year and in the main in the TV events since then he has been going very well. I wouldn’t say he is a dark horse for the title but at the same time it would be no surprise to see him back here when the business end of the event takes place in the early part of 2022 so Lennon has his work cut out here. Lennon played well here on Thursday though, slamming in seven 180s with a 93 average in defeating Madars Razma so he wouldn’t need a huge amount more to be competitive in this one. If he can hit those 180s at the right time and polish his doubling up a little he could run Ratajski close here. I still expect Ratajski to win but the handicap isn’t as attractive as it was prior to Lennon’s opener.
Tips
Back B.Koltsov Most 180s vs J.Wattimena for a 3/10 stake at 1.91 with Betfair
Back him here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2021
