2022 PC Finals Friday Previews and Tips

It is a marathon session of darts today at the 2022 PC Finals Friday. 32 First round matches, all to be played between 10.30 am and 18.30pm. The matches are split between two stages and there is no evening session as the organisers do not want to clash with the England v USA soccer ball match in the evening.

This is one of the two stage tournaments covered by ITV and they have the annoying habit of showing the result of matches on stage 2 being streamed on PDC TV before the (not quite) live stream has finished.

Andrew Gilding vs. Ricky Evans

A real clash of styles for the opener. Rapid Ricky Evans against one of the slower players on the pro tour. Gilding was in terrific form in the spring and summer, reaching two finals and a Euro Tour semi-final and final. However, that good form had dropped off when he was last playing. Since losing the final of the Belgian Darts Open at the end of September, Gilding has played 14 matches and won just 5. His scoring just dropped right off, and his win rate crashed.

Ricky Evans is in similarly poor form, winning just three of his last ten matches. Evans reached the final of PC6 back in March and reached a Euro Tour quarter final in May. However, since the summer break, he has only played 16 matches and won just 5.

Two out of form players playing the tournament opener at 10.30 in the morning doesn’t whet the betting appetite. Their H2H record is 9-5 to Gilding and he is the 1.54 favourite. But if you are backing players in the sort of form he is in at those sort of odds, maybe betting isn’t for you. No bet.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: No Bet

Rob Cross vs. Kevin Doets

Number 5 seed Rob Cross won two PC titles in 2022, but he is another player whose recent form is not great. He has won six of his last ten, but he is playing with no consistency. Occasionally excellent, occasionally poor, it is impossible to be confident about which Rob Cross turns up. Sometimes his doubles are off, sometimes his scoring. It is hard to see him having a good run and he is one of the big names worth opposing this weekend.

Kevin Doets is in his first year on the pro tour and a lot of people are saying good things about his potential. He is averaging 88.6 for the season and 91.9 in the Players Championship. His most recent form is poor, with just four wins from his last ten matches.

There is no H2H form for guidance. Cross is the 1.25 favourite and while he hasn’t got beyond the third round for the last four years and is a player worth opposing, I’d like to see Doets playing better before backing him. No bet.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: No Bet

Callan Rydz vs. Madars Razma

A real mid division clash between the 32nd and 33rd seeds. Rydz has had a disrupted season but finished 2021 by reaching the quarter final of the World Championship, taking Peter Wright to a deciding set. He reached the final of PC15 in May and a Euro Tour semi-final later that month.

Rydz didn’t play at all in June and since the end of the summer break, he has started to show a return to form. He reached the semi-final of the World Youth Championship last month and the semi-final of PC27 five weeks ago. He isn’t playing at his best; he is a very heavy scorer when he is in good form, but we haven’t seen many big averages from him recently. He is still just 24 years old, very talented, very dangerous and has won both his opening matches here.

Solid Season

Razma is having a good season. He may not have the kind of fire power that Rydz processes, but he is effective and the fact that he has hit four 9 darters underlines that. His recent form, however, is poor, losing six of his last ten matches and hitting seven sub 90 averages.

He reached the quarter finals of the World Matchplay and he would like to pick up some more prizemoney to cement his place in the top 32 and a better draw at the World Championship.

Rydz is the 1.60 favourite, Razma 2.45. Their H2H record is 2-0 to Rydz and he should get this done if Razma remains in poor form.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: 1 point Rydz to win -1.5 legs @ 1.95 SportingIndex

Joe Cullen vs. Rowby-John Rodriguez

Cullen reached the quarter finals in last week’s Grand Slam, he won the Masters in January, PC3 and PC4 in February and the final of the Premier League in June. He was a bit jaded after the Premier League, but he returned to form when winning a Euro Tour title in September. Most recently he has won six of his last ten matches.

Rowby-John got his card back in January and most of his success has been on the Euro Tour. His most recent form is poor, losing six of his last ten matches and his scoring has been weak.

Their H2H record is 4-4 and in the last two years 1-1. That suggests Rowby-John has a chance and he possesses a devastating A game, but the recent form of the two players tells me that Cullen wins this. He is the 1.44 favourite with Rodriguez 3.00. Cullen to win but the odds are not great value given it is a short format and that Rodriguez does have that heavy punch in his locker.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: No Bet

Daryl Gurney vs. Keegan Brown

The 2018 champion Daryl Gurney has enjoyed a few good runs here. He was a semi-finalist on debut in 2015, a quarter finalist in 2017 and again in 2021. Superchin hasn’t fired in the majors in 2022 and he will want another good run as he has never failed to reach at least a ranking quarter final since 2014.

Keegan Brown will not enjoy his trips to Minehead anywhere near as much as Gurney. Brown has played in six Players Championship finals and only reached the second round twice. Two wins in six years.

Brown Needs To Win

He has done something this year that Daryl Gurney hasn’t and that is to win a Players Championship title. It was one of the surprises of the season when he won PC23 in August. Brown is in danger of losing his tour card as he is ranked 65th in the OOM but he is only £500 quid short. A win or two here and he should be secure for another year, but he gets another chance at the World Championships.

Gurney is not in good form, losing nine of his last twelve matches. He is scoring a lot better than that sounds but he has picked up a losing habit and confidence will be low. Brown is also in poor form, also losing 9 of his last twelve. One of his few wins was against…. Daryl Gurney.

Brown has been playing worse than Gurney and given a H2H record of 7-2 to Gurney (and 2-0 on TV), the former champ should progress to the second round. Superchin is the 1.44 favourite, Brown 2.90. Much like the opening match it is hard to get involved in a match with two players low on confidence and not in good form.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: No Bet

Damon Heta vs. Ricardo Pietreczko

As the number 1 seed, Heta is drawn against the 64th seed, young Ricardo Pietreczko. Heta is a bit of a conundrum. He is the biggest money winner after the 30 Players Championship events played this year, yet you put him on a stage in front of the cameras and he goes to pot.

He has fallen at the first fence in the last four majors but on the floor he has played 114 matches and won 62% of legs played, averaging 98.79. Nobody had played more matches or won more legs. His recent form decent, winning seven of his last ten and in the last two months he has won a Euro Tour title and PC 26.

Inexperienced Pietreczko

Pietreczko qualified for this thanks to a run to the semi-final of PC29. He beat Luke Humphries and Ross Smith in that run, but he wasn’t shooting the lights out. Pietreczko lost his last two Players Championship matches and was last seen making the quarter finals of the German Super League. He is young, inexperienced and inconsistent, but has a good A game.

Heta is the 1.20 favourite, Pietreczko 5.00. It is tempting to oppose Heta in a TV match, but he really should win this, and we will get better chances.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: No Bet

Scott Williams vs. Alan Soutar

Despite not having a tour card, Williams won a Players Championship event in June having got a reserves spot. He managed to go all the way, despite four matches with a sub 90 average. He won four times on the Challenge tour this season as well and while he isn’t in the same league as Rock or Rydz, he has the confidence of an overpromoted Tory minister.

His A game is very good, as we saw last weekend, when he averaged 107 when beating Ryan Searle 5-3, but he also averaged 89 when losing 2-5 to Luke Humphries. He is very talented and has potential, but once he joins the tour next year, he must improve his consistency. His recent form is typical, five wins from ten but three averages of 104 or more.

Soots In Decent Form

Soots had a good run to the quarter finals of the Grand Slam last weekend, and he has been in decent form of late. He lost two matches last week and both when he hit double trouble. The Scot is a bit of self-confessed darts nerd, and he will have been checking the database to see where his game needs attention and I expect he will have been practicing his doubles this week.

He has won seven of his last ten and his confidence will be high. He enjoyed last week, and he will want another taste of a good run on TV.

The market is finding it hard to split the two with Soutar 1.91 and Williams 1.95. The winner will be wearing some garish pants but that doesn’t narrow it down. Soutar gets the nod.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: 1 point Alan Soutar to win @ 1.91 with Betvictor

James Wade vs. Mensur Suljovic

Wade won the final Players Championship of the year at the start of the month, beating Steve Beaton in the final in a match that time forgot. He had three sub 90 averages on route to the final and it was a bit of a mixed bag. It will have given him a nice confidence boost at just the right time of year. He has won eight of his last ten.

Suljovic qualified for the Grand Slam, but he played poorly, averaging just 87 across his three matches. He has won five of his last ten and while he has shown some signs of his old self in the last few months, he isn’t the same threat he was a few years ago.

Their H2H record is 13-9 to Suljovic but most of that form is old and in the last two years it is 2-2. Suljovic won their only match in2002 with a 6-3 last month.

Wade is the 1.61 favourite, Suljovic 2.60. There is no great value here. Wade will be feeling more confident and he should win, but the odds are about right.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: No Bet

Brendan Dolan vs. Jermaine Wattimena

These two met a couple of weeks ago in a Grand Slam qualifier and it was Wattimena who won 5-4. They met in this tournament back in 2016 and Dolan won 6-5. Their overall H2H record is 6-5 to Wattimena and he won both their matches played in 2002 and both required a deciding leg.

Over the last 12 months both players are averaging 92. Wattimena hits a few more 180s but both are a bit light in that department, Dolan hits the doubles at a slightly better rate. This looks likely to be close.

Machine Gun Firing

Dolan has lost five of his last ten while Wattimena has won seven of his last ten. The Machine Gun reached the semi-finals of both PC29 and PC30, followed that up by winning his four qualifying matches to reach the Grand Slam last week and he made it out of the group stage. Wattimena will be feeling the more confident of the two.

Last year’s semi-finalist Dolan is the 1.75 favourite and Wattimena 2.25. I would reverse those odds but when I back Wattimena I come out in a rash, and he loses. I will go for a more neutral bet and an overs on the total legs and a correct score.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 1.91 with Boylesports

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: 0.5 point Wattimena to win 6-5 @ 7.50 generally available

Josh Rock vs. Cameron Menzies

Josh Rock will be playing on Sunday night even if he loses this. He plays Nathan Girvan in the World Youth Championship final. He is good enough to entertain the idea that he could be playing two finals on the same night. On a more serious note, it could be a bit of a distraction for Rock should he make the final day.

Rock was making new fans in the Grand Slam last week. He got through the group stage and hit a nine darter against MVG in the second round, but narrowly lost 8-10. He has won six of his last ten matches and picking up very valuable big match experience. Rock was nervous in his opening match at the Grand Slam and he lost it 4-5 to Ryan Searle. The group format helped him recover from that but he will need to be straight on it here.

Double Trouble

Menzies has lost five of his last ten and half those matches have seen a checkout rate of less than 30%. They have only met once, and it was Menzies who won 6-3 and he averaged 101 in that match. He has a good A game in him but recently we have mostly been seeing his B game and that won’t make any impression on Rock.

Rock is the 1.25 favourite with Menzies 5.00. The bookies are wise to Rock now and there is no value here.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: No Bet

Jim Williams vs. Mike de Decker

Williams has lost five of his last ten matches and four of his last six, so he is not in good form. He won PC6 back in March but has shown little since. He is not a full time pro and his consistency suffers as a result. Jim has improved his seasonal average to 93.9 but he has mostly been below that recently.

Mike de Decker is on a decent run of form, winning seven of his last ten and six of those matches saw 95+ averages and none under 91. He reached the semi-final of PC29 three weeks ago and he is in the best form of his season.

Williams is the 1.90 favourite but the value looks to be with the Belgian.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: 1 point Mike de Decker to win @ 2.20 with Hills

Gian van Veen vs. Ross Smith

The young Dutchman is highly rated by many, and he has picked up two titles across the Development and Challenge tours this year. His season average is 89 but he has hit top form at just the right time. He was a finalist in PC29 three weeks ago and he has won eight of his last ten matches, all at senior level. He has picked up wins against Joe Cullen and Dave Chisnall in his last ten and hit four ton plus averages.

Van Veen is up against recent major winner, Ross Smith who has won six of his last ten matches including beating Michael Smith in the European Championship final and Michael van Gerwen in the Grand Slam. He is in the best form of his life and showing some much needed consistency.

Smith A Hot Fav

Smith is the 1.18 favourite to win and Van Veen 5.00. The odds on Van Veen are a bit too dismissive for a player who is in good form and hitting big numbers. He is only in the tournament thanks to the withdrawal of peter Wright, so he is under no pressure, and this is just a very nice bonus.

The Dutch thrower is a bit unlucky to be facing a player who is also in very good form, but it is a best off 11 leg match and he has proven that he can take down the top players. He does lack big match experience and it may be too much to as for him to beat Smith, but I suspect he is going to give him a game if he can settle quickly.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: 1 point Gian van Veen to win +2.5 legs @ 2.25 with BET365

Krzysztof Ratajski vs. William O’Connor

It has not been a good year for Ratajski. His win rate is down to 56%, his lowest since joining the tour. He has not picked up a title of any sort for the first time since he got his tour card, and he won a pro tour title even before he got a card. His recent form is not good, losing six of his last ten. He is having some real struggles on the outer ring and on TV this year he has played nine lost six.

Patchy Magpie

William O’Connor has played some good stuff in patches this year. He reached a Euro Tour final in September and reached the quarter final of PC29 three weeks ago. He has won six of his last ten matches and while he has never been the most consistent of players, he is no mug and has only lost one first round match in four previous appearances here.

O’Connor has a good record against Ratajski, winning five of their previous seven matches and he has won both their 2022 matches and the last three in a row. Not only that, but they have met twice in this competition and O’Connor won both, 6-4 last year and 6-3 in 2019.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: 1 point O’Connor to win @ 2.50 with SpreadEx

Nathan Aspinall vs. Martijn Kleermaker

The Asp reached the final of the Grand Slam, but he was exhausted and just never got going. Two big matches on the same day emptied his tank and he had the disadvantage of playing in the second semi-final and less time to have a rest and get refreshed.

Still, it was his second major final of the year and his confidence is high, even if he isn’t right at the top of his game. He has won six of his last ten matches but there have been no real fireworks on display.

Kleermaker has not had a great year and his recent form is poor with just four wins from his last ten and in those ten, he has had just two 90 plus averages. He can be a very dangerous opponent, but his recent form suggests he could get a tonking.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: 1 point Aspinall to win -2.5 legs @ 1.80 with SpreadEx

Adrian Lewis vs. Keane Barry

Lewis won PC20 in July and it was vintage Lewis that day, lots of big averages and he was in good form, having also been a semi-finalist in PC18. However, his wife’s illness means he is not able to put as much work into his game as he needs and his most recent form is not good, winning five of his last ten. He has played in 13 Players Championship finals and only lost three first round matches, and just once in the last ten.

Barry Out Of Sorts

Keane Barry reached the semi-final of the UK Open in March, but his recent form is very poor, losing 9 of his last 12. He has played better than that sounds, but it is a losing habit. He has played Lewis twice and lost both 5-6 and 4-6.

Neither player is in good form, but Lewis has the better H2H record and lots more experience at this level. It was this very venue where Barry had his run to the semi-final of the UK Open and maybe that will inspire him to raise his game. Lewis is the 1.67 favourite and Barry 2.30. Another reasonably close match?

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 1.95 with Boylesports

Dimitri van den Bergh vs. Martin Lukeman

Dimitri has drawn a blank titlewise in 2022. His recent form is dire, losing ten of his last twelve matches. His scoring has been largely OK, but his doubling has been very poor at times. He just seems to have lost his confidence.

Lukeman on the other hand has loved this season, especially on the Euro Tour. His recent form is not good, losing six of his last ten, but three defeats were in deciding legs.

Dimitri has never enjoyed this tournament and won just two matches in five years, never getting beyond the second round and losing three first round matches. Given his recent run of defeats, he has to be opposed again. Lukeman isn’t in top form himself, but his odds are very dismissive.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: 1 point Martin Lukeman to win @ 2.90 SportingIndex

Jose de Sousa vs. Danny Jansen

Jose is struggling for form again, losing six of his last ten. His scoring is generally good but his doubling can be terrible. He just isn’t very confident and is losing matches he should have won.

Danny Jansen was an unlikely Players Championship winner when he picked up PC9 back in April. He showed good bottle to win, winning four matches, including the final, in the deciding leg. He hasn’t done a lot since and has lost five of his last ten.

De Sousa is likely to outscore Jansen and so long as he can take his chances, he wins. He is the 1.18 favourite, which is too short given his win rate recently. Jansen is not in any great form himself but odds of 5.25 are tempting given that De Sousa can implode all by himself. The Special One has won all three of his opening matches here and he is likely to have enough to make it four. No bet.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: No Bet

Danny Noppert Vs. Simon Whitlock

Noppert is a much improved player in 2022, winning the UK Open here in March, the semi-final of the Matchplay and quarter-finals of the European Championships. He was a semi-finalist here in 2018, so the venue holds many good memories for him. He has never lost a first round match in this event. The Freeze won his group at the Grand Slam but made hard work of it, except a 5-2 win over Simon Whitlock. He has won six of his last ten matches.

The Wizard also got through his Grand Slam group, second to Noppert, but he actually played better than Noppert. He averaged 99 across his four matches and did very little wrong. He has lost five of his last ten matches, including one to Noppert, and their H2H record is 4-1 to Danny and Whitlock has not beaten him since 2018.

Hard To Call

This is a bit of a head scratcher. Noppert is a big match player these days, is having lots of good runs in majors, has good mental associations with the venue and a good H2H record against Whitlock. However, Whitlock can never be written off. He has never got beyond the second round in the last six years, but only lost one first round match.

Noppert is the 1.67 favourite with Whitlock 2.30. Noppert is odds against giving up -1.5 legs and he has covered that against Whitlock in their last four meetings.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: 1 point Danny Noppert to win -1.5 legs @ 2.10 with SportingIndex

Dirk van Duijvenbode vs. Micky Mansell

Another clash of styles with the fast Dutch pace of The Aubergenius against the more sedate Mansell. Dirk has won six of his last ten matches with five seeing ton plus averages. He went out in the second round at the Grand Slam last week with a strange capitulation against Joe Cullen. He won all three group matches and looked set for a good run, but he could only average 93 and lost 4-10.

Mansell has lost five of his last ten and he continues to do what he does, win enough money to keep his tour card and carry on next year. He has had a tour card for 11 years and while he is never going to get pulses racing, he grinds as well as any journeyman.

Good Record

Mansell does have a very good record against Dirk, winning five of their seven matches, but he has lost two of the last three. It may have taken Dirk time to get used to playing at a pace he doesn’t like but players have to adapt to players of all kinds of pace.

This is a banana skin for Van Duijvenbode. He lost in the first round here last year, 5-6 to Ryan Miekle. Dirk averaged 105 but The Barber averaged 107 and won 6-5, and yes, it was the final leg of my 8 match accumulator and I was on Dirk. I am not bitter, not at all.

Dirk is the 1.22 favourite, but I’ll skip this one.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: No Bet

Michael Smith vs. Ritchie Edhouse

The new Grand Slam of Darts champion, Michael Smith, now has the monkey off his back and is expected to run riot in the majors now. He has reached four ranking major finals in 2022 and many will fancy him to go back-to-back here.

However, Smith has never had much joy in this event before. He has played in ten, reached the quarter final in 2020 but has only gone beyond the second round twice. He has won eight of his last ten matches and hit five ton plus averages.

Edhouse Lacks TV Know How

Ritchie Edhouse is playing only his second Players Championship finals and he doesn’t get many runouts in big TV events. He played in the Grand Slam last week and faced Bully Boy in the final group match. Smith averaged 102 and won 5-1. Edhouse has won six of his last ten matches but had five sub 90 averages. His scoring isn’t up to facing a player like Smith.

Their H2H record is 5-1 to Smith and 3-1 in 2022, with Smith winning the last three. Last week was their first game on TV and a similar result to last week has to be expected, unless Smith has been on a five day bender, which I doubt.

Smith is the 1.22 favourite, Edhouse 4.50. It is hard to find much value in the match. Smith -2.5 legs is 1.70 which is probably the best play if you have to have a bet.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: No Bet

Ryan Searle vs. Merv King

Ryan Searle’s problem with winning matches continues. He has lost five of his last ten and he has not won more than two consecutive matches since August 3rd and only won back to back matches once in that time. His scoring remains good but his doubling not.

Heavy Metal’s checkout rate over the last 12 months is 41% but in his last 10 matches, 35%, and in only three of his last ten was it above 35%. His confidence is being damaged by playing well but not being able to finish the job. In last week’s Grand Slam he lost two matches, despite averaging over the ton.

Quiet King

We haven’t seen much of Merv in 2022. He didn’t qualify for the Grand Slam, the European Championship, World Grand Prix or World Matchplay. In the last 12 months he has only played seven TV matches and four of them were in the World Championship. In 2022 he has only been on TV three times and lost all three, including a 1-6 first round to Searle at the Masters. He has lost six of his last ten matches and scored six sub 90 averages.

Two players who are struggling. King to score, and Searle to hit the doubles.

Searle is the 1.50 favourite but drifting. King the 2.88 outsider. Their H2H record is 4-3 to Searle and he won their only match this year 6-1. That was a bit of a surprise as their previous four had all required a deciding leg.

Tricky Tie

This is a tricky one. If Searle has a day where he hits his doubles, he is likely to get a comfortable win. If Merv finds his scoring boots (he hit a 107 average in his last but one match) he is likely to win comfortably.

If they are both struggling, it could be another close but messy game. Any value lies with King who has done well here in the past. He was runner up in 2020 (and 2010) and a quarter finalist in 2019. He has only lost in the first round once in the last five years.

This is a ‘home match’ for Searle as he doesn’t live too far away. He was runner up last year but had previously only won two matches in four years. The temptation is to go with King. He will have prepared well for this and frankly he needs a good run as he is defending £50000 and an early exit drags him closer to dropping out of the top 32.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 2.10 with SpreadEx

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: 0.5 point King to win 6-5 @ 8.50 with Betfair, Unibet, Betfred, Boylesports

Gerwyn Price vs. Ryan Joyce

Price was another losing outright selection last week, losing twice to Raymond van Barneveld, but he didn’t do much wrong in the Grand Slam. He averaged over a ton in all six of his matches and indeed, he has a ton plus average in eight of his last ten matches and only lost two, both to RVB. It seems the weight of the Punt Pound was too big a burden to carry.

Joyce has lost six of his last ten and in four of his last ten matches, his checkout rate was 30% or less. He is one of the best double hitters out there and if he starts to struggle on the outer ring, he is in trouble.

Price Ahead On H2H

Their H2H record is 5-2 to Price and while Joyce won their only match this year 6-2, they have only played on stage once which Price won 5-4. This one of the majors which Price has not won. He was runner up in 2019 and a semi-finalist in 2020. He has not lost a first round match in the last three years and he should carry that record forward here. Price is the 1.25 favourite, Joyce 4.40. Joyce has played in four previous Players Championship finals and won just one match.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: 1 point Gerwyn Price to win -2.5 legs @ 1.75 with Boylesports, SportingIndex

Stephen Bunting vs. Jamie Hughes

Bunting is in good form, winning seven of his last ten matches and playing with a good level of consistency. Jamie Hughes has been showing flashes of his A game for a while now, but not the consistency to turn that into good runs. There are more sub 90s than ton plus averages in his last ten matches, of which he has won five.

Their H2H record is 2-2 and Bunting has been made the 1.62 favourite with Hughes 2.38. There is some value in Hughes’ odds but I have to respect Bunting’s consistency. Bunting has lost half of his first round matches in this tournament, Hughes has won both of his. I will sit this one out.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: No Bet

Kim Huybrechts vs. Raymond van Barneveld

While Michael Smith lifted his first major trophy last weekend, it was Barney who produced the biggest surprise, beating Gerwyn Price twice and making the semi-final. He now faces Kim Huybrechts who has won five of his last ten matches and is not doing anything eye catching.

Barney has won nine of his last ten matches and he has moved up to 34th in the OOM. He wants to move into the top 32 before Ally Pally and this is his last chance. He is the 1.62 favourite and this should be a mere formality. Or maybe not.

Huybrechts Dominant H2H

Their H2H record is surprising, 11-4 to Huybrechts and on TV 2-1. At one point Huybrechts won seven consecutive matches against Barney and the Belgian is still a ferocious competitor. His tournament record is poor however, losing eight first round matches from ten.

He did make the final back in 2012, his debut year, and he reached the quarter final in 2016, but he has failed to win a match since then. Barney is a four time quarter finalist and he has won six of his ten first round matches.

Barney should win if he remains in good form but their H2H record should be a warning that it is not as straightforward as it looks. Barney should win but the odds look right. No bet.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: No Bet

Chris Dobey vs. Geert Nentjes

Dobey, perhaps the most frustrating player in darts, is in decent form, winning six of his last ten matches and hitting four ton plus averages. His 12 month average is over 95 and his scoring is generally not a problem, but doubling can be. His checkout rate in the last four matches has been under 30%.

Nentjes is just 24 and he lacks the consistency of a more experienced player. He has won five of his last ten matches, half of those ten saw sub 90 averages which is typical for a young player. He does tend to struggle against the top players, but is Dobey a top player?

Well, he could be, and he has reached the quarter final and semi-final of the last two ranked majors he has played in. He was a quarter finalist here in 2018 and semi-finalist in 2019 but lost in the first round for the last two years.

Dobey is the 1.33 favourite and while he should justify those odds there is no great value here.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: No Bet

Michael van Gerwen vs. Ryan Meikle

MVG is looking for his seventh Players Championship trophy, he has only lost three matches in the last nine years and hasn’t lost a first round match since 2011. He has won two ranked majors already this year, and the Premier League.

Miekle has played in three previous Players Championship finals and won two first round matches. He has lost six of his last ten matches and his H2H record with MVG is 0-4. He has taken him to a deciding leg twice, the other two were 2-6. Meikle averaged 109 in last year’s first round to beat Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-5 and Dirk averaged 105 in that match. That is just a warning that Meikle is capable of a big performance.

Van Gerwen is the 1.13 favourite and while he has lost four of his last ten matches, his scoring is still very good and Meikle will need something like what he did here last year. While lightening can strike twice, it just isn’t likely. No bet.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: No Bet

Martin Schindler vs. Vincent van der Voort

Schindler is becoming almost as frustrating as Chris Dobey. His scoring is right up there, but his win rate has slipped back a little in 2022. He has won six of his last ten matches.

I have been waiting for Schindy to win something this year and while he has made one player’s championship final and four more semi-finals, he hasn’t got it over the line. His record in this event is poor, losing two first round matches and a win over Ian White last year is the sum total of his success.

Vincent van der Voort has won just four of his last ten matches. He reached the quarter finals here last year and the semi-final back in 2014, but otherwise his stays in Minehead have been brief. He has only gone beyond the second round twice in thirteen appearances and he has lost six first round matches.

Their H2H record is 5-2 to Van der Voort and he has won both their matches in 2022, both on the Euro Tour, 6-5 and 6-3.

Schindler is the 1.67 favourite, Van der Voort 2.45. You can make a case for either player. There might be some value in Van der Voort given their H2H record but his recent form isn’t great. No bet.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: No bet

Luke Humphries vs. Nathan Rafferty

Rafferty got some valuable TV matches under his belt last week, losing two but beating Luke Woodhouse in the final group match. He has lost six of his last ten matches and like most of the youngsters, he lacks the consistency to have long runs at this level.

Humphries reached the semi-final of the Grand Slam last week, but he did lose twice and has lost four of his last ten matches. He is one of the games heavy scorers and he seems to be having good runs in almost anything he plays in.

Major Win Coming

A major win is on the cards and the number 2 seed will fancy his chances of going deep again. He has only got as far as the third round here for the last two years, but he has a good draw and a fairly clear path to the quarter final.

Humphries can’t take this one for granted and it is Rafferty who is 3-1 in the H2Hs. Two of those wins were at Development Tour level but he did beat Humphries in a Players Championship match in 2019, the last time they met. Both players have improved since then, Humphries exponentially.

Humphries is the 1.20 favourite and Rafferty 5.00. This is another no bet for me.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: No Bet

Jonny Clayton vs. John O’Shea

We have to finally declare that The Ferret is out of form. He has lost six of his last ten matches and he has hit three sub 90 averages in his last five. That is not like the Clayton of the last year or two. He was runner up here in 2017 and a semi-finalist last year but it is hard to see a repeat of that sort of run this year.

John O’Shea has flown right under my radar. He was runner up in PC14 and has picked bits and pieces to end up 41st on the Players Championship OOM. This is first year in the PDC and he is making his tournament debut. Like Clayton, he has lost six of his last ten matches, six have seen sub 90 averages and one a sub 80.

There is no H2H record to go on, but even an out of form Jonny Clayton should win with his B game. He is the 1.18 favourite but unbackable at that those odds. Another no bet match.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: No Bet

Matt Campbell vs. Steve Beaton

Finally, a more competitive match. Campbell came through the European Q school in January and made the final of PC13 in April and the quarter final of PC26 last month. He has lost six of his last ten and five of his last six.

Steve Beaton was in danger of heading out of the top 64 and losing his tour card but he rolled back the years to reach the final of PC30, the last event on the calendar and he is up to 55th in the world rankings and safe from the drop.

The Bronzed Adonis has won seven of his last ten matches and is in decent form, but his tournament record is poor. He reached the quarter-final in 2017, but he has lost seven first round matches, including five of the last seven.

There is no H2H record but Beaton’s confidence boosting run in PC 30 might just be enough to get him into a rare 2nd round match.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: 1 point Steve Beaton to win @ 2.10 generally available

Gabriel Clemens vs. Gary Anderson

Clemens has played in four Players Championship finals and won all four of his opening matches. His recent form is not great, losing five of his last ten, and he has been inconsistent.

Gary Anderson is one of the players who doesn’t play in all of the qualifying tournaments which partly explains why he is only the 37th seed. He only seems to get going around the time of the World Championship these days and true to form, he started to show more of his A game when he did play in the final five Players Championship qualifiers. He played 20 and won 14, hitting nine ton plus averages.

2014 Champ

Anderson was the 2014 champion and in the twelve finals he has played in, he has only lost two first round matches, the last in 2017. He has been playing a bit more and this is his final competitive tune up for Ally Pally.

Their H2H record is 4-0 to Anderson and while they have not met since 2020, he has won their last three 6-2, 6-3 and 6-1. Anderson isn’t getting any better but at this time of year you can generally trust him to be motivated and Clemens is struggling for confidence.

Anderson is the 1.50 favourite, but I’ll chance the handicap market.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: 1 point Gary Anderson to win -1.5 legs @ 1.91 with Hills

Dave Chisnall vs. Niels Zonneveld

With Michael Smith winning the Grand Slam of Darts, Chizzy is now the best player never to have won a major. He has won six of his last ten matches and has hit six ton plus average in those ten. He reached the semi-final of the last two Players Championship qualifiers and he is in good form. Chizzy was runner up in 2016 but since then he hasn’t got beyond the second round and has lost his opening match in the last two years.

Young Prospect

Zonneveld is another good young Dutch player who shows promise but not yet the consistency to go with it. He has taken some big scalps and his A game is very good. He has lost five of his last ten matches.

Their H2H record is interesting. It is 3-3 and Zonneveld has won their last three, including on TV in last year’s World Series finals.

The market has Chisnall as the 1.25 favourite but I’ll take a chance on Zonneveld finding his A game and causing an upset in the nights final match.

2022 PC Finals Friday Tip: 1 point Niels Zonneveld to win @ 4.00 with Betfred, Betfair, Hills

-JamesPunt