World Grand Prix Friday Tips

It has been an exciting week of darts so far and now we move into the semi-finals stage. Thursday night was tough for us but James Punt landed one winner and he is hoping for more tonight. Check out his World Grand Prix Friday tips and preview below.

Jonny Clayton vs. Danny Noppert

There is a good case for saying that Danny Noppert is the best player in the tournament. He has averaged 94.6, better than Clayton’s 93.6, Price’s 94 and Bunting’s 90.6.

At this stage of a big tournament, it is as much about mental toughness and big match experience than just about throwing darts. Jonny Clayton holds the advantage there having won the Premier League, The World Cup, The Masters and The Austrian Darts Open.

Danny Noppert has won a World Series Finals semi-final and lost a Players Championship Finals semi-final. His big match experience is very thin on the ground. However, we are looking at a Danny Noppert version 2.0. Big life changes for him in the real world and it seems to have put some fire in his belly. From a quiet and shy player, he is now fronting up to MVG and comfortable being the aggressor on stage. He looks much more confident, more comfortable and better able to deliver his best form.

Nervy Noppert

Of course, Noppert will be feeling nervous, but he seems ready to progress, ready to win. Jonny Clayton will be nervous to. Clayton’s two TV titles this year came in non-ranking events. The money was real, but it didn’t affect his world ranking. He needs to bag some big money to move up to a more realistic number.

That helps him get better draws and win more money and get into that virtuous circle of success. Win this match and he moves up to 11th, win the final and it is 7th. Noppert will move up to the crucial 16th spot if he can win tonight but I guess he is more concentrated on just winning another match and the chance to win a major.

Their H2H record extends to just one match, a players championship quarter final in late February, which Noppert won 6-4. It is not much to go on, but it is a positive for Noppert.

Nothing In It

On recent form, there is nothing between these two. Their tournament average is very close and their averages over the last three months are equally close. Their checkout rate over the last 12 months is 42% each and doubling in on their first visit 86% for Clayton, 84% Noppert. They have both won seven of their last ten matches. Nothing really to separate them, except for experience.

For me, this match is all about whether Noppert can kept his game together and overcome his lack of experience. He turned 30 on new year’s eve, so he is not a youngster anymore. He looks to be a man transformed by recent life events and that might just be enough. Beating Clayton is never easy, and this will be a much tougher challenge than his previous three matches this week, but he won them all easily.

The Ferret is the 1.45 favourite to win, Noppert 2.88. The value lies with the Dutchman, and he is worth taking a chance on tonight.

World Grand Prix Friday Tips: 1 point Danny Noppert to win @ 2.88 Sportingindex

Gerwyn Price vs. Stephen Bunting

Price was not at his best last night, averaging 87.5 in a 3-0 win over Dave Chisnall. It was just a poor match, Chisnall won just three legs as his major curse continued. Price wasn’t happy with the crowd. He was barracked from the walk on to the end of the match and was happy to let the crowd know what he thought of them. That will just guarantee more abuse this evening.

Stephen Bunting beat Ryan Searle in a very flat match. Neither player was anywhere near their best. Searle just could not take his chances and he made it easy for Bunting. There was no atmosphere as the crowd had very to get excited about. It didn’t help that it was played late in the evening and the fans were very drunk. Bunting ended up winning 3-1 and averaged 87.

The Bullet played really well in the first round, averaging just under 100, but just 87 in the next two matches. Gerwyn Price’s best performance was also in the first round, averaging just over 100, but we know he has the extra gears to move up when he gets to the business end of tournaments.

Price H2H Edge

Their H2H record is 7-4 to Price. Bunting won their last match, a pro tour semi-final which he went on to win the title, but Price won their World Championship semi-final 6-4. Price is 3-1 in terms of stage matches. Both have played in one Grand Prix semi-final, Bunting lost his, Price won.

Bunting has played in three PDC major ranked semi-finals and lost all three (including a 4-0 loss to MVG in this in 2014). Gerwyn Price has played in twelve major semi-finals and won nine.

Price is the big favourite to win this and odds of 1.22 are fully justified. If Bunting can find his first round form, then he has a chance, but this is a best of seven sets match which makes it that bit harder for the outsider.

Odds of 1.22 are not my idea of fun so what about a correct score bet? Since 2014, when the semi-finals were played in a best of seven format the most common winning score is 4-1 (42.8%), followed by 4-3 (28.5%). Do you fancy Bunting to take Price to a deciding leg, or for Price to find his gears and win 4-1?

World Grand Prix Friday Tip: 1 point Gerwyn Price to win 4-1 @ 3.60 with SpreadEx

-JamesPunt