2024 World Matchplay Tuesday Preview

James Punt recommended one bet last night and it was a winning one. Hopefully there is more of the same to come today. James’ 2024 World Matchplay Tuesday previews and tips are below.

Jonny Clayton vs. Dimitri van den Bergh

Both these players were on my shortlist as potential tournament winners, but Clayton got the nod. He played very well in the first round, beating Van Barneveld 10-7 and averaged 100.77. Barney played well and it was a good opening match for the Welshman.

Clayton said in an interview afterwards, that he had considered pulling out of the event. His memories of playing last year, losing the final, while at the time his father was dying, brought back strong, negative emotions. That is a concern. You want your selections to be happy and positive. Hopefully that opening win has settled him down.

Matchplay Specialist

Van den Bergh is a tournament specialist, winning it in 2020, runner up in 2021, semi-finalist in 2022, but he did lose at this stage last year. He beat Martin Schindler 10-6 in the first round, averaging a touch under 99.

Dimitri has won seven of his last ten matches and picked up a Players Championship title last month. There has been a bit of inconsistency, three sub 90 averages from those last ten, but the other seven were all 97+.

Jonny Clayton also has a recent Players Championship title under his belt and he has won fourteen of his last sixteen matches. Seven of his last twelve matches have seen ton plus averages. Clayton has not hit a sub 90 average since the end of April. That is twenty five matches in the 90s or better, and nineteen have been 95+. That is a very high and consistent standard.

Close H2H

Their H2H record is 10-8 to Van den Bergh and he won their only match in 2024 10-7 in the UK Open, which he went on to win. The good news for Clayton fans, is that this is a repeat of last year’s second round match, which Clayton won 11-6. Form wise, Clayton was in great form this time last year, by the time they met in the UK Open he was still in a slump. This week? It looks like top form again.

Clayton is the 1.67 favourite, Van den Bergh 2.20. I would have it a bit closer, but hopefully Clayton can continue his run of great form and take our outright bet into the quarter finals. No bet.

2024 World Matchplay Tuesday Tip: No Bet

Luke Humphries vs. Stephen Bunting

Cool Hand Luke Humphries put in the performance of the first round, averaging 108.79 in a 10-4 win over a surprisingly good Ricardo Pietreczko. The German averaged over a hundred himself but hardly got a look in.

Humphries is the number 1 seed, Bunting the sixteenth. Humphries has won six of his last ten matches, but his first round performance was his best for a couple of months. If he can keep that up, he will be very hard to stop.

Bunting needed extra time to get past Ryan Joyce in round one. Relentless had his chances and he was disappointed not to get the win. It was a good match, Bunting averaging 97.42, but it was some way shy of the performance that Humphries put in. Bunting has won seven of his last ten matches and is playing well, with a good deal of consistency. Overall his scoring is a little shy of Humphries.

Level H2H This Year

Their H2H record is 8-5 to Humphries and in 2024 it is 2-2. They have played two longer format matches this year. The first was a 10-7 win for Bunting at the Masters. Humphries was still coming down the mountain after winning the World Championship and the first month or two of 2024 did not see his best form, but he did play well enough in that match.

At the UK Open, Humphries won 10-2, averaging 102 to Bunting’s 98. Bunting had a bad day on the doubles, but he was up against a strong performance.

Humphries Fav

The market, unsurprisingly, has Humphries as the 1.30 favourite, with Bunting 3.90. Their H2H record tells us that Bunting will be no pushover for Humphries, but I do fancy Luke to come out on top. It may be case of how close can Bunting make it.

Pietreczko played a ton plus game in the first round but didn’t have a chance. If Humphries keeps that standard up, he wins easily, but based on his recent form, he is unlikely to hit another 109 average.

Bunting has only played two second round matches at the Matchplay, winning one back in 2019, so it hasn’t been a great venue for him. Humphries has played in three Matchplays, played two second round matches, winning one, beating Dirk van Duijvenbode in extra time, 14-12.

Humphries is too short for me, and while there is some value in Bunting’s odds, I feel that Humphries wins. The handicap betting does look to offer up some value.

2024 World Matchplay Tuesday Tip: 1 point Stephen Bunting to win +3.5 legs @ 1.91 with Betfair

Nathan Aspinall vs. James Wade

The defending champion overcame the pain barrier to beat Luke Woodhouse 10-8 in the first round. After the match, he said that this will be his last tournament for several months, as he is to undergo treatment for his arm problems. He will give it his best shot, but he only averaged 92.24 in his win over Woodhouse. Aspinall has battled to get his averages up in recent weeks but it is all a bit of a struggle.

James Wade is fighting to keep his ranking up and he is playing better now than for some time. His scoring has largely been good with seven 95+ averages and four ton plus. His finishing remains top class, ranked 8th for checkout % over the last 12 months. Wade has won seven of his last ten matches, including a 6-5 win over Aspinall just two weeks ago.

Wade Has Won Last Two

Aspinall is 11-9 vs. Wade, but Wade has won the last two. They met at this stage of the tournament in 2022 and The Asp won that 11-9. Aspinall averaged 97 in that match, something he is likely to struggle to do with an injured arm.

Wade will know that if he gets two more match wins here, he is knocking on the door of the top 16. Aspinall knows that he is not going to be playing darts for many more weeks.

Wade is the 1.83 favourite, Aspinall 2.00. I am happy to back Wade once again.

2024 World Matchplay Tuesday Tip: 1 point James Wade to win @ 1.83 with SpreadEx, Betvictor, Betfred

Gerwyn Price vs. Ross Smith

Price had an easy enough win over Daryl Gurney in the first round. He averaged 99.43 and looked up for it. Price has won five of his last ten matches and it must be said that his performances have been inconsistent.

Five have seen 95+ averages, but also three sub 90s. Whatever health problem he is suffering with wasn’t bothering him in the first round, but we have to be aware that he is not 100%.

Ross Smith was impressive in a 10-4 win over Josh Rock. Smudger averaged 99.15, Rock 98.91, so he had the tougher first round match, and passed that test with flying colours. He is in top form winning thirteen of his last fifteen matches.

Even Steven

These two have met on eight previous occasions and it is 4-4. Price has won their last two, with the last being a 6-5 win on the Euro Tour in April. They do seem to bring out the best in each other, with a lot of big averages and lots of 180s. They have played five times since 2020 and those five best of 11 leg matches, produced 36 maximums from fifty one legs.

Hopefully we get another classy match, and hopefully Smith can win, but my selection here is an overs bet on the 180s.

2024 World Matchplay Tuesday Tip: 1 point over 12.5 180s @ 1.67 with SpreadEx

-JamesPunt