The opening night of the new Premier League Darts season takes the eight players involved to Belfast where the first five points of the campaign are up for grabs and the chance to get the term off to a winning beginning.
As with every night this season we will have four quarter finals, two semi-finals and a final with whoever comes out on top getting the opening five points of the campaign and leaving Belfast sat top of the table.
Chris Dobey vs Gerwyn Price
The opening match of the new season is a repeat of a quarter final of the World Championship where Chris Dobey takes on Gerwyn Price, which even this early in the campaign feels like a big contest for the two men involved.
Dobey won that quarter final at the World Championship which was just his second win in 17 attempts against Price but even though the Welshman has gone on and performed well in the World Series events since then, I fancy Dobey might be value to get the better of the two again here because Price rarely gets an even chance with the crowd in this tournament. Dobey has had experience of the Premier League before so he knows what to expect which will be crucial. Price has lost his last two matches in Belfast whereas Dobey won his only one. I don’t think there is as much between these two as that weird head-to-head would suggest but I just fancy Dobey to be the value here.
Stephen Bunting vs Rob Cross
The second match of the opening night of the competition sees the popular Stephen Bunting going up against the last automatic qualifier for the tournament in Rob Cross in what is another key clash for the two men involved.
Both men will be well aware that this is a good chance to pick up a number of points given that none of Luke Littler, Luke Humphries nor Michael van Gerwen are in their half of the draw. Cross had a disappointing World Championship but did win the Dutch Darts Masters while Bunting reached the semi-finals at Alexandra Palace and the quarter final of the Winmau World Masters and you just get the impression that his game is in better shape of the two overall. I think he’ll win this but I’m going to back him to win the night so I won’t get involved in this match.
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Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen
The penultimate quarter final of the opening night of the new season is a repeat of the World Championship final as Luke Littler goes up against the man he beat to claim the world crown in the form of Michael van Gerwen.
Van Gerwen didn’t take kindly to that loss despite the class which he offered up on the stage in the aftermath of that final and he’ll be keen to come out on top here. Littler has offered up some solid efforts at the Bahrain Masters, Dutch Darts Masters and Winmau World Masters without winning any of them whereas van Gerwen wasn’t much of a factor in the events he has played since then and lost to Littler in the quarter final of the Dutch Darts Masters. It is hard to see Littler not winning this but this will be the first time he is announced as a defending champion of a PDC event so I’d like to see if that impacts him before I get involved in him.
Nathan Aspinall vs Luke Humphries
The last of the quarter finals on the opening night of the tournament sees the former world champion and number one ranked player in the sport, Luke Humphries, going up against one of the controversial wildcards in the event in Nathan Aspinall.
It is hard to argue that ‘The Asp’ is in the field for any other reason than his walk on gets the crowd going and he is going to have it tough to dispel that theory here against not just the world number one but the recently crowned Winmau World Masters winner. Humphries might well feel he has something to prove in this tournament given that he is yet to win it but we should remember this is only his second season in the competition. If the Humphries that played in Milton Keynes turns up here it is hard to see him being beaten in this match but he is priced accordingly.
Night 1 Betting
Given that there are three standout players in the field and five weaker ones in comparison, whenever two of those three play each other, as they do here, then there has to be some value to be had in the outright market, even more so when the other player is in the same half of the draw as the two who meet. That is the case here where one of the four outsiders of Chris Dobey, Gerwyn Price, Stephen Bunting and Rob Cross will be in the final.
Not only will one of that quartet be in the final but they will also have the maximum preparation time for it whereas one of Luke Littler or Michael van Gerwen is likely to have to battle it out with Luke Humphries while he waits. Of the four I think it is fair to say that the game of Bunting is in the best shape so he is my idea of the value to come through this draw and reach the final. He’ll have the crowd in the palm of his hands here which is never a bad thing and at 7/1 he’s my idea of the value this week.
Tips
Back C.Dobey to beat G.Price for a 3/10 stake at 2.20 with Coral
Back S.Bunting to win Night 1 (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 8.00 with Unibet (1/3 1-2)
