Saturday Afternoon European Darts Open Tips – JP
Saturday Afternoon European Darts open Preview
James Punt was on fire yesterday afternoon with three winning tips. He has also previewed today’s early matches, check out his Saturday Afternoon European Darts Open tips below.
Krzysztof Ratajski vs. Josh Rock
Josh Rock did the business for us yesterday with a 6-0 win over Connor Scutt. It wasn’t the fact that he won, but the manner in which he did it. He averaged 98 and was relentless. No easing off when winning easy, just trying to win as quickly as possible. Very refreshing. He is has won six of his last ten matches and it is only surprising that he hasn’t won more. His scoring is becoming increasingly consistent and as his experience grows, the sky is the limit. He has only played three stage matches and averaged 101, 94 and 98. He is clearly enjoying the experience and when a player is playing well and enjoying it…..that is a potent mix.
Ratajski has won six of his last ten matches, but he lacks the consistency of Rock. That said, his fire power, if he brings his A game, is a match. Ratajski is a very experienced player, a Euro Tour winner but he has lost three of his five ET matches in 2022 and in ET1, he lost to another young gun, Lewy Williams.
There are always new talents emerging and Rock is another. His reputation is growing after less than six months with a tour card and the pressure here is on The Polish Eagle.
Saturday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: 1 point Josh Rock to win @ 2.45 with Ladbrokes
Jose De Sousa vs. Dennis Nilsson
The Special one has become The Ordinary One. Five wins from his last ten does not mark him out as an elite player anymore and it is not just a blip in form, he hasn’t been anywhere near his best for some time. He hasn’t fallen off a cliff, but he finds winning harder, and his scoring is getting worse.
He has been a 97 seasonal average man for a couple of years but that has dropped 2 points in 2022. At 95.1, it is still at the upper end of the game, but he is getting frustrated and a vicious circle can develop. He has played five ET matches in 2022 and won just one, losing to Brian Raman, Karel Sedláček and Madars Razma twice.
No Great Shakes
Dennis Nilsson isn’t any great shakes and not in the same league as De Sousa, so this has to be a good chance for Jose to get a much needed win under his belt. His seasonal average is just 83.7 and that won’t do. Nilsson has reached a ET quarter final back in 2017, a third round in 2019. He averaged 92.8 in yesterday’s 6-3 win over Martin Lukeman but that is the upper end of his ability and he is unlikely to repeat it.
De Sousa can be backed at 1.62 giving up 2.5 legs and he should cover that, but there must be better bets around.
Saturday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: No Bet
Dirk van Duijvenbode vs. Maik Kuivenhoven
These two met last month in a player’s championship match and Kuivenhoven won 6-5. That was his first win over Dirk who has won their other three.
Van Duijvenbode has won seven of his last ten matches and is playing well, but he needs to bring his A game today. He averaged 101 when losing to Kuivenhoven last month. He averaged 102.5 when beating him 6-3 in February and that is what he needs today. Dirk can be a slow starter and his record against fellow Dutchmen this season is played seven, won two.
Kuivenhoven beat Stephen Bunting 6-5 yesterday and it was a surprise. Kuivenhoven only averaged 81.7 and Bunting just never got going, quickly got frustrated and blew it.
Kuivenhoven has lost six of his last ten, but he is one of those awkward players who never looks like winning a tournament but turns up and pisses on your chips from time to time.
We are on Dirk outright and that is another for me in what is a classic banana skin type of match.
Saturday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: No bet
Brendan Dolan vs. Andrew Gilding
This will not be a thing of beauty. Andrew Gilding unsettles me. I do not like watching him play and Dolan hasn’t got a throw that makes me purr either.
Gilding went through a real purple patch recently, that is why he qualified for this. His seasonal average is a very creditable 95.6, up from 90.5 last year, so he cannot be underestimated. He reached the final of PC9 last month, totally on merit, no lucky wins and he beat Ross Smith, Lewy Williams, Luke Humphries, Rob Cross, Jose de Sousa and Danny Noppert before losing the final 6-8 to Danny Jansen.
Big Scores
It wasn’t a total surprise as he had been hitting some very big scores in the run up to that event, including a 109 average when beating Ricky Evans in the final qualifier for this event. He has won six of his last ten, and while his scoring has dropped off from that purple patch, he is still hitting plenty of mid 90’s.
Dolan is no great shakes when it come to the Euro Tour. Overall, his seasonal average is 94.8 but his win rate just 50% and on the Euro Tour in 2022 he has played three and lost three, two of them 5-6. He doesn’t save his best for these events. Like Gilding he has won six of his last ten matches and averages 94.8 in 2022. They are two peas from the same pod, albeit that Dolan is a much more successful player.
Close
They have played nine times previously, Dolan winning five. I expected those nine matches to be filled with 6-5 score lines but that has happened only once, way back in 2014. Dolan has won two of the last four 6-0! Only three matches have gone beyond nine legs. I was going to go over 9.5 and Gilding to win 6-5, but that past form has put me off and I will just go for a straightforward win for Gilding.
Saturday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: 1 point Andrew Gilding to win @ 2.50 with Hills, Unibet, BET365
Ryan Searle vs. Krzysztof Kciuk
Kciuk beat an out of form Keane Barry 6-3 yesterday. Barry just couldn’t hit the doubles when it mattered, and it was a bit of a gift for the Pole. Kciuk has only won three of his last ten matches and he doesn’t or shouldn’t have the fire power to live with Searle.
Heavy Metal is struggling on the Euro Tour. He has never really taken to it and this year he has played six and won just two matches. However, if he doesn’t win this, he may as well hand his passport back and give up.
Searle is the 1.25 favourite and while Kciuk makes the most of his modest scoring, Searle will have to have a mare to lose this. No bet.
Saturday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: No Bet
Dimitri van den Bergh vs. Cameron Menzies
Menzies is becoming something of a high checkout specialist. He hit a 170 when losing to MVG last week and last night he hit two 156’s when beating the out of form Ian White. Apart from that, it was a poor match. Menzies averages 91.3 in 2022 and has won six of his last ten, albeit three of those were in the WDF World Championship. He is playing OK and has few party tricks up his sleeve.
Van den Bergh has won just four of his last ten matches, but his seasonal average is 95.8. His confidence isn’t great, and he is putting in some poor performances and has lost four of his last five matches. He has suffered recent defeats to John Henderson, Max Hopp, Keegan Brown and Kevin Burness, none of whom are in great form.
Dimitri is the 1.33 favourite, Menzies 4.20. This a match between the ultimate modern professional, Van den Bergh, and a fat Scottish plumber. At the odds, I am tempted by the plumber. If he can bang in some nice checkouts he can unsettle Van den Bergh, who’s confidence can’t be high.
Saturday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: 1 point Cameron Menzies to win +2.5 legs @ 1.91 with Ladbrokes
James Wade vs. Berry van Peer
Van Peer beat Jermaine Wattimena (why, oh why did I turn that down?!) in a poor match. Wattimena looked fit to explode such was his performance. Losing to Van Peer, who only averaged 88, will set him back even further. Van Peer is better than that, but he isn’t in great form, losing six of his last ten.
Wade has been riding the crest of a wave recently at elite level and is talking himself up as the player no one wants to play. That might be overdoing it, certainly at the top level, but Van Peer should be meat and drink to him.
Wade is the 1.20 favourite and Van Peer makes no appeal at all. No bet.
Saturday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: No Bet
Joe Cullen vs. Devon Petersen
Petersen finally got back to winning ways on the Euro Tour yesterday, beating Kevin Doets 6-5. It was not a good match standard wise, both players hit sub 90 averages and he fell over the line to win. He has lost six of his last ten, and while that is an improvement, half of those saw sub 90 averages and a high of 95.8.
His seasonal average is just 90.6. He has a 2-2 H2H record with Cullen, but they haven’t played since 2020. The two are great mates which can affect motivation for both players. At his best, Petersen can beat Cullen but while he is making some progress, he is not at his best and no end of motivational sound bites will change that.
Elite Level
Joe Cullen has finally made it to elite level and is finding it hard work. He has lost six of his last ten matches and while his seasonal average is 95, he does throw in some duff performances, and he is rarely banker material. He reached the quarter-finals last weekend before flopping against Noppert 1-6. In ET3 he lost 4-6 to Plaisier with an 89 average.
Cullen is the 1.30 favourite, Petersen 4.20. If Petersen was in better form, he would be worth backing but there doesn’t look to be any value here. No bet.
