2024 Hungarian Darts Trophy Friday Preview

James got off to a flawless start this afternoon with two winners from two bets. Hopefully a sign of things to come this weekend. His 2024 Hungarian Darts Trophy Friday preview is below.

Jim Williams vs. Alan Soutar

A rare Euro Tour appearance for Jim Williams. He played midweek, winning three matches, including wins over Barney and Rob Cross. He has lost six of his last ten matches but he plays a limited schedule and has only played 61 matches in 2024. Williams has not played on the Euro Tour in 2024 but he reached the third round in this event in 2021.

Soutar has won six of his last ten matches but won just one match from his two Euro Tour events in 2024. He is lacking any degree of consistency and he could average a ton plus, or low 80s.

Jim Williams is 3-0 vs. Soutar and is the 1.91 favourite to make it four. I do not have strong views on this one. No bet.

2024 Hungarian Darts Trophy Friday Tip: No Bet

Luke Woodhouse vs. Scott Williams

You wait ages for a Williams, and then two turn up back-to-back…

Woodhouse is enjoying his best ever season and he has reached two Euro Tour quarter finals, including in Belgium two weeks ago. He has won five of his last ten matches and has not been showing any great consistency.

Scott Williams has only played in two Euro Tour events in 2024, reaching the third round of the European Darts Grand Prix and the second round of the Flanders Darts Trophy two weeks ago. He has lost six of his last ten matches and like Woodhouse, consistency is not a part of his game right now.

Their H2H record is 2-1 to Williams, including a 6-2 win in March this year. Both Williams’ wins over Woodhouse have been 6-2.

Woodhouse is the 1.80 favourite, Williams 2.18. With two players who are blowing hot and cold, it is hard to be confident about the outcome. No bet.

2024 Hungarian Darts Trophy Friday Tip: No bet

Dirk van Duijvenbode vs. Gabriel Clemens

The first ‘proper’ match of the evening session. Dirk played some good stuff on Wednesday but was knocked out in the third round by Littler. He lost in the first round of the World Matchplay finals but reached the quarter finals at the Flanders Darts Trophy two weeks ago. His form is returning, but he is not quite there yet.

Gabriel Clemens is playing some very good stuff and doing it consistently. He has lost four of his last ten but he won two matches at the Flanders Darts Masters, ending a run of four straight Euro Tour defeats. It should take a good performance to beat him.

Their H2H record is 3-2 to Dirk, but Clemens won their last match 6-2 just last month. On the Euro Tour it is 2-1 to Van Duijvenbode, but 1-1 in 2024.

Dirk van Duijvenbode is the 1.80 favourite, but I will take a chance on Clemens to repeat that win of last month. He is just a bit more consistent than Dirk right now.

2024 Hungarian Darts Trophy Friday Tip: 1 point Gabriel Clemens to win @ 2.20 generally available

Krzysztof Ratajski vs. Nathan Aspinall

Nathan Aspinall is back after a layoff for treatment to his arm injury. Surgery was not required but there was a lot of physio and various injections. He returned to action in midweek and advised people not to bet on him because he had not thrown a dart for two months. He lost both first round matches 2-6.

Ratajski won just the one match in the midweek events and he is not in good form, losing seven of his last ten matches. His consistency is non-existent and he can go from ton plus to sub 90 from match to match.

Their H2H record is 5-4 to Ratajski, but this is all about now Aspinall can play after such a long layoff.

Ratajski is the 1.70 favourite and even in his unsatisfactory form, I’ll take that price.

2024 Hungarian Darts Trophy Friday Tip: 1 point Ratajski to win @ 1.70 with Ladbrokes

Peter Wright vs. Joe Cullen

Peter Wright’s Lazarus like comeback has been quite a thing to behold. Many had written him off and he had spent a long time in the darting wilderness. He did not play in the midweek matches and he has been playing a lot of tournaments recently, so a few days off was probably the right thing to do.

Snakebite has won twelve of his last fourteen matches and won the German Darts Championship. His scoring has not been massive in the main, but his confidence has returned and he can hit the doubles when he needs to.

Joe Cullen’s form is a mystery. He was runner up in ET5 back in April, out of the blue, and he made the semi-final of PC 17 last month, out of the blue. Most recently, he has lost six of his last ten matches, which have included two sub 80 averages and three sub 90. The 90 plus ones have only just been over 90. Clearly, he is in poor form, but he can suddenly turn it on, just when you think he can’t.

Their H2H record is 24-8 to Wright, but they have not played since 2022.

Wright is the 1.53 favourite, Cullen 2.70. I will have a go on the handicap.

2024 Hungarian Darts Trophy Friday Tip: 1 point Peter Wright to win -1.5 legs @ 1.95 with Betfred

Raymond van Barneveld vs. Ritchie Edhouse

Is it time to make a deposit with the Bank of Edhouse? That golden spell he had on the Euro Tour eventually petered out, but he has been showing some decent form again.

In midweek he reached the semi-final on Wednesday, taking the bang in-form Dave Chisnall to a deciding leg. It wasn’t peak Edhouse, but it will have done his confidence no harm at all. He is 100% in his first round matches on the Euro Tour this year and that helps with confidence as well. Edhouse has won seven of his last ten matches and is in decent form.

Barney averaged 98.12 in a first round defeat to Jim Williams on Tuesday and then 112.71 in a 4-6 loss to Nijman in Wednesday’s first round. Harsh. He has lost seven of his last ten matches.

These two have only met once, a Euro Tour qualifier in 2022, which Barney won 6-5.

Barney is the 1.80 favourite and is being backed. Edhouse is the 2.10 outsider and I will take him to extend his excellent first round record.

2024 Hungarian Darts Trophy Friday Tip: 1 point Ritchie Edhouse to win @ 2.10 generally available

Dimitri van den Bergh vs. Andrew Gilding

Gilding was hitting some very big numbers midweek, but only won three matches. He has lost five of his last ten matches, but he looks to be playing some good stuff.

Dimitri van den Bergh has lost six of his last ten matches and one was to Andrew Gilding in the first round of the Flanders Darts Masters two weeks ago.

Gilding is 7-4 up on Dimitri and he has won their last four in a row, including two in 2024. Gilding has won all three of their previous Euro Tour matches.

Van den Bergh is the 1.67 favourite, Gilding the 2.30 outsider. I have no idea why. Gilding is the better player right now and has that very recent 6-2 win over Van den Bergh.

2024 Hungarian Darts Trophy Friday Tip: 2 points Andrew Gilding to win @ 2.30 with SpreadEx

Michael Smith vs. Jonny Clayton

World Series of Darts runner up, Michael Smith has won seven of his last ten matches, but he is blowing hot and cold. There are as many sub 90s as ton plus averages in his game right now.

Jonny Clayton has lost five of his last ten matches and his return to form is on hold again. Since being runner up in ET7 in May, he has played three and lost two in Europe.

Their H2H record is 18-11 to Smith and he has won their last four in a row, three of them 6-4.

2024 Hungarian Darts Trophy Friday Tip: 0.5 point Smith to win 6-4 @ 8.00 with Hills

Tomorrow’s coverage of the darts clashes with the F1 again. I will try and pick the best of the afternoon session for a preview before noon, and the same thing for the evening session.

-JamesPunt