It is quarter final night at the World Grand Prix on Friday evening when all four matches take place in a bumper session of darts inside the Morningside Arena in Leicester as the semi-final line up of the competition is determined.
This is the first night of the tournament where both halves of the draw are in action in the same session so we might get a clearer indication of the balance of power leading into the business stages of the event over the weekend.
Nathan Aspinall vs Martin Lukeman
The opening quarter final of the night was expected to be Michael Smith taking on James Wade but Nathan Aspinall and Martin Lukeman didn’t read that script and instead it is they who will do battle for a spot in a major semi-final.
Aspinall got the better of Smith in the opening round and then outlasted Danny Noppert in a late night finish on Thursday. That could be significant with this match being the first one onto the stage because Lukeman was involved in the opening game on Thursday and will have done all of his media duties at an earthly hour to prepare for this one. Lukeman disposed of Wade in the first round and then came out on top in a final leg showdown with Ross Smith on Thursday. Aspinall’s numbers have been the better of the two here but he has been throwing them as an underdog so far. He is a favourite here and that carries its own pressure. Something tells me Lukeman is in with a chance in this one but he didn’t average a single set in the 90s in the previous round and that is the level I think will be needed from here on in so I’m happy to leave this one alone.
Gerwyn Price vs Madars Razma
The second quarter final of the tournament sees the former champion and beaten finalist of last year, Gerwyn Price, looking to make it through to the last four for a third consecutive year when he goes up against the Latvian number one Madars Razma.
Price hasn’t looked at his brilliant best this week but the last two sets of his win over Joe Cullen were the best six legs we have seen anyone play and if he has that form with him from the outset here then he is likely to make short work of the Latvian but Razma has three wins in eight outings against Price so he isn’t likely to fear the top seed. Razma also produced arguably his best ever TV performance in beating Daryl Gurney on Thursday evening so he should be growing in confidence ahead of this one. I still can’t go against Price but he needs to start how he finished in the last round if he is to win this comfortably. I’ll leave this one alone.
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Peter Wright vs Dimitri Van den Bergh
The pick of the quarter finals is the third one onto the stage as Peter Wright continues his bid to get his hands on this crown for the first time when he meets a Dimitri Van den Bergh who has similar intentions from here on in.
Wright has a poor record in this tournament. In 10 outings he has only once gone past the quarter final so history might be against him in this match. Van den Bergh is in the quarter final for the first time so he is already treading new territory this week. He has seen off two very good double start players in Dave Chisnall and Jonny Clayton. Wright has come past Kim Huybrechts and Krzysztof Ratajski and while he was lucky to see off a Huybrechts who couldn’t finish a leg to save his life. There was nothing shabby about his win over Ratajski though so this should be a high quality contest, one I expect to be littered with 180s. Wright bashed in eight of them himself against Ratajski while Van den Bergh is a heavy scorer in his own right, slotting in four 180s and another three visits with three big trebles in. This has all the makings of a close game so I like over 8.5 180s here. If we get four sets, which you would think is the minimum we’ll get, we need a 180s each per set with one on top. Five sets and we don’t even need that so the over looks good here.
Michael van Gerwen vs Chris Dobey
The last of the quarter finals sees the five-time champion Michael van Gerwen looking to progress through to the semi-finals once again when he meets a Chris Dobey who has also tasted the last four in this competition in the past.
Dobey has impressed so far this week. He was far too good for Luke Humphries in the first round and then overcame a terrible start to power past Adrian Lewis in the second one but you sense he’ll need to be at his best to beat a Van Gerwen who in Gary Anderson and Stephen Bunting has seen off a couple of quality opponents. Van Gerwen averaged over 95 in each of the last four sets against Bunting and if he is at that level here he is entitled to take a lot of stopping. Dobey was nowhere near as good as that against Lewis but I suspect he’ll have expected to win that game and can play with a bit more freedom here with not as much expectation on his shoulders. I still expect MVG to win but the odds are all reflective of that so I’ll take a waiting brief in the closer to the evening.
Tips
Back P.Wright vs D.Van den Bergh – Over 8.5 180s for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with Coral
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