2025 PC Finals R2 Preview & Tips – JP
2025 PC Finals R2 Preview
Now, it is time for James Punt’s 2025 PC Finals R2 preview. James fired in six winners from 11 bets yesterday, not a bad start to the weekend.
Luke Woodhouse vs. James Hurrell
Hurrell was the better player in his match against Jonny Clayton, averaging 99.18. It was his best performance for two months, so maybe we shouldn’t expect a repeat. He has lost six of his last ten matches and pulling off two shocks in two days may be pushing it.
Woodhouse only averaged 90.79 in his 6-2 win over Alan Soutar, but he didn’t need to extend himself. Woody has won eight of his last ten matches and is enjoying his best ever season.
These two met just three weeks ago and Woodhouse won 6-3. That was their second meeting and the other ended with the same scoreline.
2025 PC Finals R2 Tip: 1 point Luke Woodhouse to win -1.5 legs @ 2.10 with Betfair
2025 PC Finals R2 Tip: 0.5 point Woodhouse to win 6-3 @ 6.50 with Boylesports
Daryl Gurney vs. Stephen Bunting
Gurney beat Dolan in a strange and low quality match yesterday. He went 3-0 up, then lost three legs in a row and then won three legs in a row. He averaged 86.79 and it was a hard watch. Superchin has won just four of his last six matches and is playing poorly.
Bunting beat our outsider, Ritchie Edhouse, 6-2, but Bunting wasn’t in great nick, averaging just 93.59. Bunting has lost eight of his last ten matches, but he is scoring a lot better than Gurney has been.
Their H2H record is 15-5 to Bunting and he has won their last six. Bunting is the 1.50 favourite, Gurney 3.00. I couldn’t back either with stolen money. No bet.
2025 PC Finals R2 Tip: No Bet
James Wade vs. Peter Wright
These two have played twice in 2025, Wade won both, and both 6-5. Wright played OK in his 6-3 win over Joe Cullen. James Wade beat Mickey Mansell 6-3 with an OK performance.
Another close match?
2025 PC Finals R2 Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 2.15 with Boylesports
Jermaine Wattimena vs. Ryan Joyce
Wattimena was back to his best in his 6-3 win over Wesley Plaisier. It was a 101.58 average and Big Wesely didn’t make it easy. Wattimena has won seven of his last ten matches and yesterday’s performance was a step up on his most recent performances.
Ryan Joyce had a laboured 6-4 win over Dave Chisnall. It was an OK performance and he was lucky to be playing somebody with very little confidence. Joyce has won seven of his last ten matches but is lacking any sort of consistency.
Their H2H record is 7-6 to Wattimena. They have played once in 2025 and Wattimena won that 6-4 in July. Their last six best of eleven leg matches have seen over 9.5 legs.
2025 PC Finals R2 Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 1.95 with Ladbrokes
Luke Littler vs. Ross Smith
These two met in the semi-final here last year and Littler won that 11-9. They have met five times, Littler winning four, but they have had some close matches.
Both of their best of eleven leg matches required a deciding leg, with one win each, and they have had two longer format matches with Littler winning 11-9 and 10-8. The other was a more straight forward 7-2 win in a Euro Tour semi-final. Smith is a player who is capable of making Littler work hard for his wins, but is he playing well enough right now?
Smudger has won six of his last ten matches but you have to go back sixteen matches to find the last time he hit a ton plus average and that is the bare minimum he will need this afternoon.
That was when he won PC29 on the 1st October and he played out of his skin that day. He hasn’t come close to that sort of form since. It is hard to see anything other than a win for Littler, the 1.20 favourite. No bet.
2025 PC Finals R2 Tip: No Bet
Gian Van Veen vs. Krzysztof Ratajski
Van Veen was on the end of Humphries’ very best darts last night and quickly went 0-3 down and looked dead and buried. But he was able to dig deep, hit a 161 checkout to get Humphries attention and went on to win 6-5. It wasn’t his best stuff, he had two 15 dart legs, four 16 dart legs and faffed about on the doubles before hitting the winning dart, but it was still impressive. He is full of confidence and playing well.
Ratajski beat Barney 6-3 in a terrible game of darts. Barney averaged 76.90, Ratajski 83.94. Ratajski has won five of his last ten matches and hit six sub 90 averages.
This will be only their second meeting, with Gian winning their first 6-3, back in March.
2025 PC Finals R2 Tip: 1 point Gian van Veen to win -2.5 legs @ 2.00 with Ladbrokes
Josh Rock vs. Scott Williams
Two stablemates who know each other well. Rock has beaten Williams in their eight previous matches. He is the 1.33 favourite, Williams 3.50.
Williams had been suffering with Dartitis in the last couple of Players Championships, but he was fine yesterday, and he is a far better player on the stage in any case. Rock only averaged 88.08 in his 6-3 win over Clemens. All he needed to do, or a sign of poor form?
He does have too many poor performances in his game for my liking and that was one of them. Eight of his last fourteen matches have seen checkout rates of under 33% and that is where he vulnerable.
I don’t like matches between friends or stablemates, but Rock looks poor value at the odds.
2025 PC Finals R2 Tip: No bet
Chris Dobey vs. Cam Crabtree
In a best of eleven leg match, the outsiders have a puncher’s chance, and Crabtree can punch. What he hasn’t done in his last two matches is hit doubles. He beat De Decker 6-5 yesterday but he should have won it so much easier. He missed 15 doubles and had a checkout rate of 29%.
In his last match in the Grand Slam, he missed 12 doubles and had a checkout rate of just 8%. His 12-month checkout rate is 38.76% so he should do better.
Dobey will either win this at a canter, especially if Crabtree has an off day on the doubles, or he might have one of his meltdowns. He will do at some point. They have never met before, so no H2H form to go on.
Crabtree’s recent form in best of eleven leg matches is a bit odd. He seems to either win easily or get thrashed. In his last fourteen, he has had ten matches under 8.5 legs that were in the 6-0 to 6-2 range. I will go with the trend.
