The opening night of the WDF World Darts Championship sees four first round matches taking place inside the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green as the iconic venue opens its doors to get the historic event underway.
We have to wait until later in the weekend for the bigger names to come to the party but four spots against a seeded player in the second round are on the line on what should be a decent enough opening night of darts.
Friday’s schedule is as follows:
Brian Raman (BEL) v Corne Groeneveld (NED)
Scott Walters (ENG) v Craig Brown (NZL)
Francois Schweyen (BEL) v Michael Cassar (AUS)
Carl Wilkinson (ENG) v Jacob Taylor (CAN)
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.
Preview
The opening night schedule is really good with four of the better players in the first round on show. We begin with the man who was the number one seed last year in Brian Raman. He could have legitimately expected an easier first round draw than Corne Groeneveld who has quit his job to take the sport up permanently. When they are done Scott Walters will look to make it through to the second round of the event when he meets the New Zealand thrower Craig Brown.
Belgian darts will be back in the centre of attention in the third match of the night when Francois Schweyen will look to make his way into the second round. He is a little hit or miss though and that might open up the door for Michael Cassar to take advantage. We conclude the first night of the tournament with the Isle of Man Open champion Carl Wilkinson meeting the veteran Canadian player Jacob Taylor, who arrives here off the back of winning the Las Vegas Open.
Betting
That final match promises to be a cracker but I can’t be having it 1/2 and 6/4 in the way that the bookmakers have it. Jacob Taylor did brilliantly to win the Las Vegas Open, seeing off the established Jeff Smith to win that title, but he is 56-years-old and is competing at this level for the first time. If he was anything other than a player who had an incredible week at the right time he would have broken through earlier given that Canadian darts has wobbled a bit since the departure of John Part from the scene.
Carl Wilkinson probably isn’t at his peak either it has to be said but he is only 40 so there is a lot of life left in him and the Isle of Man Open and British Open titles that he won take some winning. He has big stage experience at events like the UK Open when he held a PDC Tour Card and is used to playing in big arenas like this one. Wilkinson scores well and if he can settle in and start hitting the doubles early I think he can cause what would be a betting upset but I’m not convinced it would be a darting one.
Tips
Back C.Wilkinson to beat J.Taylor for a 3/10 stake at 2.50 with William Hill
Back him here:
Be the first to comment on "WDF World Darts Championship 2024 – Day 1 Tips and Betting Preview"