2024 PC Finals Outright and First Round Preview – JP
2024 PC Finals Preview
We landed a cracking 175/1 place with Martin Lukeman at the Grand Slam last week and we nicked a fair few match bets too. James Punt is on the hunt for more winners this weekend. Check out his 2024 PC Finals first round match previews and outright tips below.
2024 PC Finals
Another week, another Major. This weekend sees the culmination of the Players Championship. After thirty qualifying events, the top 64 players on the Players Championship OOM meet for the finals and the chance to win the £120000 first prize.
It is a straight knockout tournament and there is no draw. The players are matched by their place on the OOM table. The top ranked player will play the 64th ranked player, number 2 player 63 and so on.
In theory that makes things easier for the highest ranked players, but it doesn’t quite work out like that as we have players who are a bit out of position in the rankings. That could be because they skipped a number of events.
Some lesser fancied players can pop up quite high on the table if they had a hot run of form and maybe won an event months ago. Some players are just better on the floor and are high in the table, but they then have to play what is a stage event on TV. Quite different to an empty sports hall in Wigan.
Dobey Top Seed
The number 1 seed is not Luke Littler, nor even Luke Humphries, but Chris Dobey. He won three qualifying events and he is a good example of a player who is more successful on the floor than on TV. He will play a two time Major champion in the first round.
Nathan Aspinall, very nearly failed to qualify. He was out injured for a couple of months so missed out on a lot of events. Luke Littler skipped a number of events and only played in seventeen of the thirty Players Championships, so he is only ranked eighth.
In the past ten years the number 1 seed has won it three times, the last back in 2016, but seven of the last ten winners have been ranked in the top seven. Six of the last ten runners up have been top six. So it has paid to look at the top ranked players when trying to find the finalists.
Five Winners In Ten Years
Only five different players have won this title in the last ten years, Van Gerwen has six titles, Anderson one, Wright one, Gurney one and Luke Humphries won last year, beating MVG. Van Gerwen has been in seven of the last ten finals.
The lowest ranked winner was, yes, MVG when he was the 22nd seed in 2022. He was the 18th seed when winning in 2019 and was 40th seed when runner up last year. We have not really had any surprise winners in the last ten years, and Merv King making the 2020 final was the lowest ranked finalist at 44.
The format is straight knockout match play, and the first two rounds are best of eleven legs, the third round and quarter finals are best of nineteen legs and the semis and final, best of twenty one.
Fast And Furious
It is a fast and furious event, going from 64 players to a winner in three days. Two stages are required for Friday and Saturday, while Sunday sees the quarter, semi and final all played on the main stage.
It is an annual annoyance that if you are watching on two screens, the commentators on the main TV feed tell you result of the match that you are watching on the internet streamed service, which is a couple of minutes behind.
The draw has been made so I will run through the first round matches, which will help narrow the field for outright selections. I have previewed the matches by the draw quarters, and not the actual order of play, so it is a bit inconvenient when you are looking for a specific first round match, but it saves me a little time in a busy week.
2024 PC Finals: First Quarter First Round Matches
Chris Dobey vs. Nathan Aspinall
Dobey’s form has been all over the place. He has lost five of his last ten matches and has showed very little consistency, hitting four ton plus averages, and four sub 91s. Aspinall has lost six of his last ten matches and his scoring has not been as strong as Dobey’s good matches, but his B game is marginally better.
Neither is playing well enough to back with confidence. Aspinall has a very poor tournament record having never made it beyond the second round and losing two first round matches from five appearances. Their H2H record is 7-3 to The Asp, and 4-1 on TV. I would just about make Dobey favourite this time, but I wouldn’t bet on him at 1.60.
2024 PC Finals Tip: No Bet
William O’Connor vs. Niels Zonneveld
O’Connor was playing some good stuff at the end of the Players Championship qualifiers, winning seven of his last ten matches, and he reached the semi-final of the final event. I had backed him at silly odds, but he lost the semi to Josh Rock, who he had beaten in PC29 the day before, which was annoying.
Zonneveld is a hard player to call. He is very inconsistent and doesn’t often string long runs together, but he has a good A game. He has won six of his last ten matches and reached the semi-final of the final Euro Tour event of the year.
These two have only met once and that was a 3-0 win for O’Connor in the 2021 World Championship. O’Connor has won three of his six first round matches here, Zonneveld has won two from three. This could go either way, but O’Connor was playing well when we last saw him. Hopefully he is still in decent form.
2024 PC Finals TIP: 1 point William O’Connor to win @ 1.79 with Livescorebet
Mike de Decker vs. Richard Veenstra
De Decker was an unfortunate loser to Luke Littler in last week’s Grand Slam. The crowd were on his back and he got put off his throw and lost in a deciding leg. He has won six of his last ten matches and he is playing some very good stuff. He has only ever won one of his four first round matches here, but he is a Major champion now.
Veenstra lost in the second round on debut last year. He has won six of his last ten matches and he is playing OK. He beat Gary Anderson a few matches ago, and he is a player who has his moments but doesn’t enter calculations for winning titles.
De Decker certainly does, and he is the 1.40 favourite to win this, which he should. He is 2-0 vs. Veenstra, both in 2024, and one was in this venue, a 10-6 win in the UK Open, the other a 6-2 win on the Euro Tour a couple of months ago. There isn’t much value in his odds here. No bet.
2024 PC Finals Tip: No Bet
Michael van Gerwen vs. Ian White
It wasn’t that long ago that White was picking up tournament wins on the Pro Tour, but he didn’t have a good pandemic and has fallen off the radar in recent years. He was a semi-finalist here in 2019 but has lost in the first round for the last two years.
MVG is the seven time tournament winner and nine time finalist. He hasn’t lost a first round match since 2011. He isn’t the player he once was, but his drop in form is but a stumble compared to the free fall that it has been for White.
MVG should be able to justify odds of 1.25. White did win their last match, a 6-5 win in PC7 in April, so he is not without a chance, but it would be a shock. No bet.
2024 PC Finals Tip: No Bet
Luke Littler vs. Rob Cross
Both these players are more at home on the stage, than on the floor, so this format suits them better than the qualifiers. Obviously, this will be a main stage event.
Littler won the Grand Slam last weekend, his first ranking Major, so he is going for back to back Majors. Littler did win three qualifying events so it is not like he can’t play on the floor, but he is better on stage, and always has the crowd on his side.
Rob Cross was runner up here in 2022 and has won six of his seven first round matches, but he won’t have had a harder task than this one. As for Littler, it is a harder draw than he may have hoped for in this short format.
Cross is not in great form, losing five of his last ten matches and his record vs. Littler is 2-7. However, Cross did beat Littler in the first round of the Grand Prix last month. Littler is the 1.40 favourite and he should win, but the odds are of no interest.
2024 PC Finals Tip: No bet
Ritchie Edhouse vs. Luke Woodhouse
Two players who have had good seasons, especially the European Championship winner Edhouse. He has won seven of his last ten matches, including an 11-5 win in the European Championship semi-final. Edhouse has won seven of his last eight matches on TV.
Woodhouse had his big breakthrough when reaching the quarter finals here last year and he backed it up by having a great season on the Euro Tour, and some good runs on the floor. He is knocking on the door of the top 32 in the world rankings. Woody has won six of his last ten matches and while he is a better player now than he ever has been, he could do with a bit more consistency.
Their H2H record is close at 4-3 to Edhouse and they have had five matches that went to a deciding leg. I expect another close one here and a bet on the overs looks a good call. The winner? That is a coin toss.
2024 PC Finals Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 1.91 with Ladbrokes
Danny Noppert vs. James Hurrell
Noppert has won all five of his first round matches here. He was a semi-finalist in 2018 and quarter finalist in 2022, so he is defending £15,000. Noppert has won eight of his last ten matches and we have to expect him to have a good run before bowing out in the letter stages.
James Hurrell is making his debut having won a tour card in January. He has reached three Players Championship semi-finals and most recently, won five of his last ten matches. He has a good A game but lacks any great consistency.
These two have met twice and it is one win apiece. Noppert won their most recent match 6-3 at the start of last month. His greater experience in Majors should allow him to make it 2-1. Noppert is the 1.35 favourite and he should be good enough to make the next round, but this is not a great betting proposition.
2024 PC Finals Tip: No Bet
James Wade vs. Stephen Burton
Potentially a tricky one for Wade. Burton can have his moments and he beat Wade 6-3 in the second of their two previous matches. However Burton has been in poor form, losing six of his last ten matches.
Wade has won seven of his last ten matches but he has not been very consistent. There are too many low 90 or sub 90 averages to think he is in with a chance to win the title, and those under par performances leave him open to a surprise loss.
He has won eight of his last ten first round match here, Burton, one of his two. He took four legs off Jonny Clayton here last year and he is one of those banana skin players for the big boys. I would have wanted to see him in better form if having a bet.
2024 PC Finals Tip: No Bet
2024 PC Finals: Second Quarter First Round Matches
Ryan Searle vs. Jeffrey de Graff
De Graff has not played here since 2018 and he has only won one match in his three previous appearances. His recent form sees five losses from his last ten matches, including a 4-6 loss to Searle a month ago. He is not a very heavy scorer, averaging just 89.46, but he has a 60% win rate, so he gets the job done effectively.
Searle is 2-1 against De Graff, and both wins (6-1 and 6-4) came this year. Searle has won six of his last ten matches, but his last saw a 0-5 loss to Nathan Rafferty and Searle only managed to average 77.72. I don’t know why, but that is a really poor performance and maybe he was ill or injured. It is enough for me to be very cautious about his chances.
Searle is a 1.36 favourite, De Graff 3.50, in from 3.75 a couple of days ago. I give De Graff a better chance than that and I’ll take him on the handicap.
2024 PC Finals Tip: 1 point Jeffrey de Graff to win +1.5 legs @ 2.38 with Betfred, Skybet
Gerwyn Price vs. Thiabault Tricole
Price was insinuating that he was considering retiring at the end of the year after losing in the first round of the European Championship. He then turned up for an unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the Grand Slam. Clearly his head is not quite screwed on just now.
He is still a heavy scorer and plays well, but his competitive spark has been extinguished. Price has won six of his last ten matches and there are players in a lot worse form than he is in, but he just doesn’t seem interested in darts anymore.
He played Tricole a month ago and won that 6-1. The Frenchman is a light scorer and has won seven of his last ten matches, but he hasn’t really beaten much. This will be his third match against Price, and he lost the first two 1-6. I expect something similar here.
2024 PC Finals Tip: 1 point Gerwen Price to win -2.5 legs @ 1.91 generally available
2024 PC Finals Tip: 0.5 point Gerwyn Price to win 6-1 @ 7.50 with Betfred
Wessel Nijman vs. Kim Huybrechts
Nijman played fantastic darts at the Grand Slam, hitting three huge ton plus averages (105 was his worst) and lost all three matches. He has lost five of his last ten matches, but he will take some beating and for those that believe in karma, Nijman is due a break or three.
Huybrechts has won five of his ten matches, but hit two sub 80 and four sub 90 averages in those ten. He has been struggling with his scoring for a month or so now, but somehow made the final of the Czech Darts Open three weeks ago.
That has papered over the cracks a bit, but Huybrechts looks one to oppose right now. Nijman is the 1.35 favourite and I think he can win with a decent margin here.
2024 PC Finals Tip: 1 point Nijman to win -2.5 legs @ 2.08 with Livescorebet
Gian van Veen vs. Scott Williams
Van Veen played very well to reach the quarter finals of the Grand Slam last week. He hit four ton plus averages and only just lost out to Gary Anderson 14-16 in the quarter-finals. Gian is playing well, winning six of his last ten matches. He should take some beating.
Van Veen does have the distraction of playing the final of the World Youth Championship final on Sunday, as he did last year. That final is played just before the final of this tournament. What would happen if Van Veen has a great run and won a semi-final? I presume he’d just have to play it, but that would be four big matches in a day.
Scott Williams started the year with a World Championship semi-final, and I had forgotten that. Probably because he has done very little since. One Players Championship quarter final is a bit of a come down.
He has lost seven of his last ten matches, but he has faced some very good opponents. Sadly for him, he is facing another one here. Their H2H record is 6-3 to Van Veen, he has won their last four in a row and both in 2024.
2024 PC Finals Tip: 1 point Gian van Veen to win -1.5 legs @ 1.80 with Livescorebet
Dave Chisnall vs. Joe Cullen
Chizzy is on crock watch. He has been suffering with a bad back which is affecting how he stands at address. His form is suffering badly and he has lost his last eight matches. That is over a month without a win.
Joe Cullen’s form has been nothing to write home about, but he will have been happy to get Chizzy in the first round. Cullen’s 2024 win rate is just 45%. He has won three of his last ten matches, but at least it was the last three of the last ten, and one saw a 107 average.
He has only hit two 90+ averages in those last ten matches and his 2024 seasonal average is down to just 90.38, dropping very nearly four points. The Rockstar is in bother. They should just toss a coin for this one as the darts are likely to be poor. Chizzy is the 1.54 favourite, but I am tempted by the 2.80 about Cullen.
2024 PC Finals Tip: 1 point Joe Cullen to win @ 2.80 with Livescorebet
Andrew Gilding vs. Kevin Doets
Gilding has only ever won a single match in his four previous appearances. His recent form sees five losses from his last ten matches and his game is very inconsistent. Everything from an 84.5 to 115.12.
Doets got his tour card in 2022 and was heralded as one of the bright young hopes of Dutch darts, but he has only managed one Players Championship final last year. His recent form sees seven defeats from ten matches.
They have only met once and it was Gilding who won 6-3, but that was just over two years ago. Two players in poor to mixed form doesn’t make for a great betting opportunity. No bet.
2024 PC Finals Tip: No Bet
Ross Smith vs. Dimitri van den Bergh
Ross Smith has won six of his last ten matches but he is not in great form. There were four sub 90 averages in those ten and he has looked pretty frustrated at times. He has won his first round match here for the last four years and he played OK last week, making it through the group stage.
Van den Bergh has lost six of his last ten matches and while he too got through the group stage last week, he didn’t impress, outside of a 104.5 average against Keane Barry. Seven of his last ten matches saw sub 90 averages and he is even struggling on TV.
Smith is 5-4 vs. Van den Bergh and he looks the more likely winner here, but at 1.67, the value is marginal. No bet.
2024 PC Finals Tip: No Bet
Wesley Plaisier vs. Mensur Suljovic
Credit goes to Plaisier who has qualified for the finals, despite not having a tour card. He picked up enough ranking money from the events where he was a late call up for card holders who didn’t play.
He got to play in 22 events and won one, and was runner up in two, meaning he is 21st on the Players Championship OOM. Plaisier has won six of his last ten matches, but that was at Challenge Tour level. In his last ten Pro Tour matches, he has won eight of his last ten, and that included winning PC28. He had won the World Masters shortly before that and clearly is more than capable at this level.
Suljovic is trying to get back into the game having virtually retired. He is now ranked 55th in the world and is not in great form. He played in last week’s Grand Slam and failed to get out of the group stage, losing all three matches, but he did hit a couple of 98 averages, albeit in the first to five format.
Mensur has lost six of his last ten matches, one of them being a 5-6 loss to Plaisier. That is their only previous meeting. Suljovic has only played here twice in the last four years and lost both first round matches. Plaisier is making his debut.
2024 PC Finals Tip: 1 point Wesley Plaisier to win @ 1.67 with SpreadEx
2024 PC Finals: Third Quarter First Round Matches
Stephen Bunting vs. Mario Vandenbogaerde
Bunting played very well at the Grand Slam, hitting three ton plus averages in the group stage, losing one match 1-5 to Van Veen, and a 99 when losing 6-10 to Gary Anderson in the second round. Bunting has won 69% of his matches in 2024. He has won seven of his last ten matches, and now as a proud father of kid 2, he has the Nappy Factor.
Super Mario made the third round on debut last year. He has won six of his last ten, but five of those were World Championship qualifiers. At Pro Tour level, he has won five of his last ten. His seasonal average is just 88.74, but he does bang in bigger numbers from time to time.
Their H2H record is 4-1 to Bunting and he is the 1.25 favourite. Three of Bunting’s wins saw him cover a -2.5 leg handicap and I can see something similar here.
2024 PC Finals Tip: 1 point Bunting to win -2.5 legs @ 1.83 generally available
Martin Lukeman vs. Connor Scutt
The real hero of the Grand Slam, Martin Lukeman, may have been smashed up by Littler in the final, but he has won ten of his last eleven matches and he will be feeling very confident. He was inspired by his practice partner, Ritchie Edhouse winning the European Championship, and he very nearly joined him as a Major winner.
He now faces another one of Edhouse’s practice partners, and one of his own, Connor Scutt, who will have been doubly inspired by his two mate’s success. Is it his turn? Scutt was also at the Grand Slam but he lost to Edhouse and Ross Smith and failed to get out of the group stage. He thrashed the injured Chisnall 5-0 with a 104 average, but he was disappointing after that with a couple of mid 80 averages.
At senior level, Scutt has won four of his last ten matches. Lukeman is the marginal 1.95 favourite, Scutt 2.00. I do not really like getting involved in matches where two mates are playing each other, but surely Lukeman is the better value here? Scutt is 2-0 vs. Lukeman, both played last year, and both comfortable wins. I think there is some value in Lukeman’s odds, but the mate factor is a red flag. No bet.
2024 PC Finals Tip: No Bet
Daryl Gurney vs. Peter Wright
Gurney is playing OK, winning six of his last ten matches, but he is not the player who won this title in 2018. He is still in better form than Wright, however, and this is a good draw for Superchin.
Wright has lost eight of his last ten matches. He lost all three group matches in the Grand Slam, all with sub 85 averages. He hit some encouraging form in September and even won a Euro Tour title, but he has regressed again. Wright won this in 2021 but hasn’t played in the event since then. He has fallen at the first fence in the last four ranking Majors and it would be a surprise if he won this.
That said, he has won his last four matches against Gurney, including a 10-4 win at the World Series finals, but that was in September when he could play darts. Gurney is the 1.67 favourite, Wright 2.48. They look about right. Gurney is only defending second round prize money, so he needs a win, and he should get it.
2024 PC Finals Tip: 1 point Daryl Gurney to win -1.5 legs @ 2.05 with Ladbrokes
Michael Smith vs. Dom Taylor
Smith failed to get out of the group stage last week and he took a couple of thrashings at the hands of De Decker and Wattimena. He was not a happy bunny and he is stuck in a rut. He has not been able to recapture the form that won him the Grand Slam in 2022, and the 2023 World Championship.
When he gets frustrated he struggles, all players do. He knows that it is just not happening for him, and he is going to be defending £500k in a few weeks’ time. The pressure is on and his form is not good. Losing four of his last six matches. He can still fire in a big average, but there is very little consistency in his game.
Dom Taylor looks to be a bit of a prospect. His seasonal average is 94.04. However, he has not been playing at that level recently and he has lost six of his last ten matches. This is his first year on the Pro Tour and he is still a work in progress. Taylor is a dangerous opponent for Smith, but his own recent form doesn’t suggest that he is near his best. No bet.
2024 PC Finals Tip: No Bet
Josh Rock vs. Ricky Evans
Rock went into the Grand Slam on the back of a Players Championship win, but despite scoring well, went out in the group stage. He just hit a couple of players playing out of their skin.
He lost 2-5 to Gian van Veen and Bunting, but he did beat a heavy scoring Wessel Nijman. It was just a very tough group. He has won eight of his last ten matches and remains in great form.
The same cannot be said about Ricky Evans, who has lost thirteen of his last fourteen matches. He is playing better than that sounds, but his head must scrambled. Evans has lost his last four first round matches here, winning just five legs, and Rock is a 1.43 shot to inflict another defeat. It would be his first win over Evans, having lost to him 4-6 twice in 2023.
2024 PC Finals Tip: 1 point Rock to win -2.5 legs @ 2.18 with Livescorebet
Alan Soutar vs. Jermaine Wattimena
Soutar is another player who is in very poor form, losing ten of his last twelve matches. He is not a full time professional and it is hard for the part timers to keep up these days. His last two matches both saw sub 80 averages and he failed to win a single leg. Injured? I don’t know, but there had to be some reason for two really bad performances.
Wattimena is playing great stuff. He was runner up in the European Championship and a quarter finalist in last week’s Grand Slam. He has won six of his last ten matches, but his scoring is still far too inconsistent, with four sub 90 averages in his last ten, but he is much more confident and more dangerous.
He isn’t playing well enough to win the title, however, beating an out of form Soutar is well within his orbit.
2024 PC Finals Tip: 1 point Jermaine Wattimena to win -1.5 legs @ 1.85 with Ladbrokes
Jonny Clayton vs. Florian Hempel
Clayton was runner up in the last Players Championship event of the season three weeks ago, losing the final 7-8 to Josh Rock. He has won six of his last ten matches and he has been playing well, and with good consistency. He is defending semi-final prizemoney, so he is under a bit of pressure to have a decent run this weekend.
Hempel is making his debut and his recent form sees five wins from ten, very much in line with his seasonal win rate of 50%. He does have a good A game but he lacks any great consistency, but he is capable of pulling off surprises.
Their H2H record is 3-1 to Clayton. Hempel won their last match 6-1 back in April, and they have never had a close match, with a 6-3 being their closest. Under 8.5 legs can be backed at 3.25, but I’ll stick with Clayton on the handicap.
2024 PC Finals Tip: 1 point Clayton to win -1.5 legs @ 1.84 with Livescorebet
Dirk van Duijvenbode vs. Callan Rydz
Dirk’s return to form after a long period of injury is a slow process, but he is getting there. He was a quarter finalist in ET10 back in September, he reached a semi-final on the Players Championships in October and followed that up with a quarter final in the European Championship. He has won six of his last ten matches with eight 95+ averages.
Rydz showed an uptick in form in September, reaching a Euro Tour semi-final and a Players Championship quarter final, but most recently has lost seven of his last ten matches and his fragile confidence has left him again. Dirk has a 4-3 H2H record vs. Rydz but he has won their last four, three of them 3-6.
2024 PC Finals Tip: 1 point Dirk van Duivenbode to win -1.5 legs @ 1.85 with Livescorebet
2024 PC Finals Tip: 0.5 point Dirk van Duijvenbode to win 6-3 @ 6.00 generally available
2024 PC Finals: fourth Quarter First Round Matches
Damon Heta vs. Merv King
Heta is playing very well, winning seven of his last ten matches, hitting six ton plus averages, with a low of 96.11. He had three losing quarter finals in the last four Players Championship qualifiers. In good form, but not really cashing in.
Merv King is rarely seen on TV these days. He is down to 60th in the rankings and in the danger zone. He was runner up here in 2020 but lost in the first round in 2021 and 2022. He didn’t qualify last year.
King has won five of his last ten matches but his scoring power is low. He hit six sub 90 averages in those ten and his best was a 94.29. His best is not as good as Heta’s worst on recent form. Their H2H record is 4-2 to Heta, but they have not met since 2022 and King has declined quite a bit since then.
2024 PC Finals Tip: 1 point Damon Heta to win -2.5 legs @ 2.10 with Betvictor, Betfair
Krzysztof Ratajski vs. Madars Razma
Ratajski has had a poor season and his recent form continues that trend with five wins from his last ten matches. Razma has also lost five of his last ten matches and he is not showing any kind of consistency. Their H2H record is 5-1 to Ratajski and he is a poor value 1.62 favourite. No bet.
2024 PC Finals Tip: No Bet
Raymond van Barneveld vs. Chris Landman
Barney continues to be a steady Eddie, winning 59% of his matches but never really catching the eye. His recent form sees five wins from ten, and he is playing OK, but no better. Landman has also won five of his last ten and he is not unlike Barney in that respect, but he isn’t as good.
Landman’s seasonal average is just 88.98, compared to 94.14 for Barney. They have not met before, so no past form to go on. Barney is the 1.57 favourite but he has had first round exits for the last two years and it is easy to pass on this one.
2024 PC Finals Tip: No Bet
Luke Humphries vs. Gabriel Clemens
Humphries is the defending Champion and he will hope that he can defend one of his titles, having lost out in the Grand Prix and Grand Slam. His young son was not well while he was playing in the Grand Slam last weekend, and Humphries said that his mind wasn’t fully on the job at hand.
I believe everything is fine now and if so, I expect a much better performance from Humphries. He will want to put down some sort of marker ahead of the World Championship. He has won seven of his last ten matches, but I think we have to ignore what happened last week.
Clemens has lost five of his last ten matches and is blowing a bit hot and cold. He reached the semi-final last year and he has only lost one of his six previous first round matches.
Their H2H record is 4-3 to Humphries and 2-1 in 2024, so he has not dominated the German. Certainly, if Clemens has one of his hot days, we have a match, but a cold day, and he is out. Humphries is the 1.26 favourite, Clemens 4.33. The value may lie with Clemens. It is a short match and that is always a bit of a leveller. I will pass on this.
2024 PC Finals Tip: No Bet
Gary Anderson vs. Ryan Meikle
Not a lot of travelling for Gary Anderson to get to Minehead, so he will like that. He was a semi-finalist last weekend, coming close to knocking out Luke Littler. He has won seven of his last ten matches and is playing very well. Anderson has won twelve of his last thirteen first round matches here.
Meikle has played in four Players Championship finals and won two first round matches. His recent form sees six losses from his last ten matches and he is not playing with any consistency. Their H2H record is 3-1 to Anderson, but they have not played since 2022. They met in the second round in 2021, and Anderson won 6-1. All three of Anderson’s wins against Meikle were by three legs or more.
2024 PC Finals Tip: 1 point Gary Anderson to win -2.5 legs @ 1.73 Skybet, Betfred
Brendan Dolan vs. Martin Schindler
Dolan has been struggling for wins since around August, and he has lost seven of his last ten matches. One of those defeats was to Martin Schindler, a 0-2 loss in the first round of the Grand Prix.
Schindler has won six of his last ten matches and he got knocked out at the group stage last week, but he put in some good performances. He has not shown a lot of confidence and he hasn’t quite kicked on since his second Euro Tour title, which he won in September.
He remains a dangerous opponent and while Dolan has a 6-3 H2H record with the German, Schindler has won three of their last four. Schindler is the 1.50 favourite and there is not a lot of meat on that bone. No bet.
2024 PC Finals Tip: No bet
Cameron Menzies vs. Jim Williams
Menzies reached the quarter finals of the Grand Slam last week, but he didn’t play that well. He won one deciding leg and lost two others. He has played better, let’s just say that.
Williams has lost five of his last ten matches, but he has been playing well, and with good consistency, with seven 96+ averages and all over 90. He is a part timer and maybe doesn’t make the most of his ability. It is just a bit of a hobby for him.
They have met twice, it is one win each, but Menzies did win their last match in August 6-0. Williams was right off his game, averaging 83 and missing three doubles. He is playing better than that now.
Menzies is the 1.57 favourite, Williams 2.50. Williams has lost his only first round matches here, and that is almost enough to put me off backing him, but Menzies makes no appeal at his odds, and I’ll have a go with Williams.
2024 PC Finals Tip: 1 point Jim Williams to win @ 2.50 with Hills, Ladbrokes
Ryan Joyce vs. Karel Sedlacek
Joyce made it through the group stages at the Grand Slam last week, despite not playing well. He hit a ton plus average in the qualifiers but outside of that, he hasn’t hit anything more than a 93.84. He has still won seven of his last ten matches and he won’t care about what average he won with, but he will have to improve if he is to have a run this weekend.
Karel Sedlacek is an underrated player and one to keep onside when he is playing well. The Czech player has won just three of his last ten matches, but he has lost with some decent averages, like a 106.60 in a Grand Slam qualifier which he lost 4-5 to Richard Veenstra. It is all about the wins and Joyce is getting a lot more than Sedlacek.
These two have met six times and it is 3-3, including a 6-4 in August. Joyce is the 1.54 favourite, Sedlacek 2.63. I can’t see either player running away with this and it should be a tight game.
2024 PC Finals Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 2.00 generally available
2024 PC Finals: Outright Betting
Littler is the hot favourite to win the first quarter, but he only just beat De Decker at the Slam, and De Decker will be looking for revenge, and this time he will be ready for the abuse from the crowd.
2024 PC Finals Tip: 0.5 point Mike De Decker to win the first Quarter @ 12.00 with Ladbrokes
Plaisier is being underrated here. He has a decent draw and him reaching three Players Championship finals in 2024 and winning one, despite not even having a tour card, tells me he has the ability to have a good run.
2024 PC Finals Tip: 0.5 point Wesley Plaisier to win the second Quarter @ 29.00 with Skybet
Josh Rock is playing well, winning PC30 and being runner up to Plaisier in PC28. He is scoring well, consistently, and did very little wrong last weekend.
