We have gone through the draw for the outright market of the 2022 PDC World Darts Championship but before the players start taking to the stage there is time to have a sift through the markets for the four quarters, beginning with the first quarter.
This is where the defending champion Gerwyn Price will attempt to make a successful defence of his title from but as is often the case in this top quarter, there are a number of decent players looking to get the better of him.
Draw
(1) Gerwyn Price v Ritchie Edhouse/Peter Hudson
(32) Kim Huybrechts v Steve Beaton/Fallon Sherrock
(16) Stephen Bunting v Ross Smith/Jeff Smith
(17) Dirk van Duijvenbode v Jermaine Wattimena/Boris Koltsov
(8) Jonny Clayton v Keane Barry/Royden Lam
(25) Gabriel Clemens v Lewy Williams/Toyokazu Shibata
(9) Michael Smith v Ron Meulenkamp/Lisa Ashton
(24) Glen Durrant v William O’Connor/Danny Lauby
Preview
Regular readers will know that I like to split the draw up in the quarter for this tournament into two halves to make the route through look a little clearer. We have the red half and the green half and the quarter final will be whoever wins the red section taking on whoever comes through the green mini tournament. The seeding would suggest that it will be Gerwyn Price against Jonny Clayton but there are a number of players who will be looking to ensure that doesn’t happen.
The interesting thing in both the red and the green sections in this part of the draw is that the top 16 seeds look to have routine routes through to the last 16 of the competition. You could argue that Stephen Bunting has a tricky second round game with either Ross Smith or Jeff Smith but aside from that I’m not seeing where a top 16 player is beaten before we get to the fourth round. That will make for some entertaining darts when the best of seven sets stuff comes around.
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Betting
I always think the number one seed is vulnerable in this tournament. I say that because he will play his second round match on December 15 and won’t return for his third round game until at least December 27 so it will be hard for him to feel in the event until the latter stages. Jonny Clayton will be the obvious alternative to his fellow Welshman but a potential clash with Michael Smith in the last 16 is a genuine 50:50 and that is a concern.
Instead I’ll take a chance that should Stephen Bunting face Price in the last 16 he catches the defending champion a little rusty. Bunting ran Price close in the semi-final last year and is throwing some really good darts at the minute even if he isn’t getting the results. He’s a good World Championship performer and with Dirk van Duijvenbode bang out of form there is a path to the last 16 and if Bunting gets rid of Price there we’d have a huge runner in the quarter final.
Tips
Back S.Bunting to win 1st Quarter for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with Coral
Back him here:
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