Thursday Evening PDC World Championship Tips – JP
Thursday Evening PDC World Championship Tips
James Punt was on target yet again this afternoon with another 2.80 winner. The final session before the Xmas break goes ahead tonight and it should be another exciting few hours of tungsten tension. Check out James Punt’s Thursday Evening PDC World Championship tips below.
Danny Noppert vs. Jason Heaver
Danny Noppert has been in good form recently winning seven of his last ten matches and averaging 97.6 since the start of October. His form since a run to the semi-final of the World Grand Prix and quarter final of the European Championship in October has remained high and he is in the best form of his life. He still doesn’t win enough but the potential is very much there.
Heaver beat Gordon Mathers 3-1 in the first round in a low quality affair with neither player averaging over 85. Six of his last seven matches have seen sub 90 averages and he is likely to be outgunned by Noppert here.
Thursday Evening PDC World Championship tips: Danny Noppert to win 3-0 @ 2.75 with Skybet
Gabriel Clemens vs. Lewy Williams
Williams played well in his 3-0 win over Shibata in the first round. The first leg was a nervy affair with both players missing a ton of darts, but Williams got it in the end and never looked in any bother afterwards. He has only won three of his last ten senior level matches, but he did beat Clemens 6-4 in their only previous match.
Gabriel Clemens has won six of his last ten matches and while his scoring average has declined a couple of points in the last two years, his win rate has improved to just under 66%. With more experience his B game is better, and he can win matches when he is not at his best. Four of his last ten matches have seen sub 90 averages and he will be vulnerable if he plays at that level.
Thursday Evening PDC World Championship tips: 1 point Lewy Williams to win @ 2.63 with Boylesports
Rob Cross vs. Raymond van Barneveld
Two former World Champions going toe to toe is the big draw on tonight’s card. Rob Cross had drifted out of the top 20 but his win at the European Championship, followed by a pro tour win has lifted him back into the top 10. He has won six of his last ten matches and since the start of October he is number1 for checkout % with 44.78, and he has the eighth highest average with 97.2. It was his checking out which had been holding him back for the last year or so and if he keeps banging them in at that rate, he can go far. His win rate in 2021 is up to 67% from 56% in 2020.
Barney produced a very good first round performance to beat Ilagan 3-0, averaging a shade under 97. Like Cross, he has won six of his last ten matches and while his scoring is not up there with Cross, he is not far behind, and he can certainly compete with Cross. He has won their two matches this season. Up to those two wins, Barney had never beaten Cross in eight attempts.
Points To Prove
Both players have a point to prove. Cross that his World Championship win was not a one-off fluke, and Barney that he can still compete at the top level.
Cross is the 1.57 favourite and Barney is a 2.50 shot. I can’t disagree with those odds. It could be a close match. Both players are playing well, both have a lot of experience on this stage and their stats are close in terms of scoring, checkouts, 180s per leg and so on. I suspect Cross will edge it but not with any great confidence. Will it go to a decider? Quite possibly.
Thursday Evening PDC World Championship tips: 1 point over 4.5 sets @ 2.88 with Betfair
Chris Dobey vs. Rusty-Jake Rodriguez
Dobey is the last of the seeded players to get his campaign under way while Rusty-Jake beat Ben Robb in his opening first round match. He averaged 93.7 in that match, his first ever TV win.
Dobey has lost six of his last ten matches despite averaging 96.7 across the ten. Since the start of October he is averaging 99.7, second only to MVG and checking out at 43.8%, bettered only by Cross and Wade. His reward was to win PC 28 early last month, his second pro tour title of the year. His next job is to start winning more matches on TV and maybe a title one day, for his is criminal waste of talent.
Dobey has won four of his five last 64 round matches at Ally Pally, only losing to some bloke called Phil Taylor. Dobey is a player who can play well and lose and Rodriguez can occasionally throw world class darts but Dobey, on recent form, should win this and in style. He is the 1.33 favourite but I’ll take him on the handicap.
