It is second round action all the way in the PDC World Darts Championship on Wednesday evening on a night where the tournament favourite Michael van Gerwen gets another campaign underway inside Alexandra Palace.
He is the star attraction on the night but there is another former world champion on show as well as a beaten world finalist and some global stars on what should be another wonderful evening of action for us to enjoy.
Mervyn King vs Danny Baggish
The opening match of the night sees the veteran Mervyn King in action, looking to back up his run to the quarter final of this tournament last year. He begins his campaign against the American ace Danny Baggish in a clash which could go either way.
You would imagine Baggish would be a big enough price in this one because although he played well in the first round against Matt Campbell, there were one or two signs that pressure could get to him. Baggish is shorter than I might have expected because the form of King hasn’t been great this year. He hasn’t really kicked on from making the last eight here a year ago and has only qualified for the UK Open and Players Championship Finals in terms of TV events in 2022 and someone with the status King has they are pretty much automatic qualification tournaments. We shouldn’t forget King’s experience on the big stage though and if he’s allowed to win this match he’ll certainly take the chance but he needs to prove he still has the scoring power to compete at this level. If he has it he has enough to win here. If he doesn’t he’ll need help from Baggish. This has fine margins written all over it and that is why I’d favour King but I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if there is an upset in this one.
Gabriel Clemens vs William O’Connor
The second match of the night might well have been the biggest night in the career of Beau Greaves had the first round gone differently but instead the German star Gabriel Clemens will go up against her conqueror in William O’Connor for a place in the third round.
O’Connor didn’t really get as much credit for the job he did against Greaves as he deserved. That is understandable as Greaves is an exciting talent who could transform this game but O’Connor put all the noise to one side and delivered arguably the most professional performance of the tournament so far. He averaged a 94.26 average which is always going to be competitive even at this level, and is likely to go up without that hidden pressure that still hangs around when a man plays a woman, even though it is starting to dissipate a little. Clemens has never really done it on a big TV stage and you wonder if he is going to be disadvantaged by rustiness having not played a competitive match since losing in the first round of the Players Championship Finals on November 25. That is 26 days ago so that is a long time between drinks and there is no room for the German to build his way into this match. I always tend to think Clemens is found wanting on those important outshots with just one pressure dart at the end of a combination and that is something O’Connor tends to thrive on. That is the big difference between these two and so the 8/11 on an O’Connor win looks good enough for me.
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Michael van Gerwen vs Lewy Williams
The headline match of the night is the penultimate one of the evening when the former champion Michael van Gerwen begins his quest to get his hands back on this trophy when he takes on a confident young Welsh player in Lewy Williams.
Van Gerwen has been brilliant in 2022, winning every Sky event apart from the Grand Slam but then taking down the Players Championship Finals in fine form last month. Many think he is the man to beat here and he has a chance to show that those claims are true. He never seems to have it all his own way in this round though. His last five opening matches in this tournament have all seen his opponent win a set and although a couple of those players have already played earlier in the evening and been warmed up, I can certainly see the scenario where Williams takes a set here. Williams was very good in dispatching Niels Zonneveld in the first round, averaging 92.81 with three 180s and 9/22 on the doubles. Those doubles are still a bit of an Achilles heel for van Gerwen and if he has a sloppy leg or two on his scoring then Williams can take advantage. Williams has beaten van Gerwen on the floor so he has the confidence of knowing he can go with the Dutch star and with nothing to lose I think the Welshman can take this into a fourth set and possibly beyond regardless of the overall outcome.
Stephen Bunting vs Leonard Gates
The final match of the night sees another former world champion on show when Stephen Bunting takes on the entertaining American qualifier Leonard Gates, with Dave Chisnall awaiting the winner after Christmas.
Bunting is a former semi-finalist here. He reached the last four two years ago when he ran into Gerwyn Price who was pretty much unstoppable that night. He has a good World Championship record having won the Lakeside title and making two other quarter finals. We know that Bunting will have prepared well for this tournament and I’m expecting a big showing from him. Gates was full of entertainment in his opening win over Geert Nentjes but he also looked like a cat on a hot tin roof at times as well and you just have to think the more solid and reliable action and experience of Bunting will be too much for the inconsistent American. Gates might take motivation from Baggish if he has won earlier in the night but I think this one is a step too far for him. I expect a pretty smooth Bunting win but the odds are fully reflective of that.
Tips
Back W.O’Connor to beat G.Clemens for a 3/10 stake at 1.73 with Betway
Back M.van Gerwen vs L.Williams – Over 3.5 sets for a 3/10 stake at 2.63 with Betfair
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