Saturday Evening Grand Slam Of Darts Tips – JP
Saturday Evening Grand Slam of Darts Preview
James Punt’s outright betting preview is here. Check out his Saturday Evening Grand Slam of Darts tips below.
Ross Smith vs. Luke Woodhouse
Two in-form players and this should be a good match. Smudger was a 151.00 winner of the recent European Championships. Smith is in one of his good spells of form and his best is right up there. He has been taking down plenty of big names, he will be feeling confident.
Woodhouse came through the qualifiers and he played some good stuff last weekend in the finals Players Championships events. His seasonal win rate is just 51% and while he has won seven of his last ten, he is inconsistent. In the qualifier his best average was 107, his worst 90(x2). His A game makes him a potentially dangerous opponent, but it doesn’t come to the fore often enough to make him a contender for titles.
Smith An Improver
Their H2H record is 5-2 to Smith, but two of those were in the remote Home Tour in 2020 and the last ‘real’ match was back in 2019. Smith has obviously improved since then, while Woodhouse is one of those players who does enough to keep his tour card. He says qualifying was a bonus and he will be playing without any pressure.
Smith is the 1.44 favourite, Woodhouse 3.00. There is a bit of value in Woodhouse’s odds but winning means he has to bring his A game or hope that Smith’s form has cooled. There are better betting opportunities.
Saturday Evening Grand Slam of Darts Tips: No Bet
Ryan Searle vs. Josh Rock
Both are heavy scorers but one is riding the crest of a wave, the other banging his head against a brick wall. Rock picked up his first senior title three weeks ago, Searle is hitting ton plus averages and losing. He has lost six of his last ten matches, while Rock has won seven of his last ten.
Their H2H record is 2-0 to Searle. He won their first match 6-0 back in April and the second one 6-5 in July. A sign of Rock’s rapid rate of improvement? I would say so. I said in the preview that one of the parts of Rocks game that has really improved in recent months is his doubling. From pretty average to amongst the best. Combined with his heavy scoring, suddenly you get the title winning performance.
This not an easy call. Yes, Rock should win given his better form, but Searle has the ability to beat anyone, it just isn’t quite happening for him. Rock is the 1.65 favourite, Searle 2.38. Confidence is worth a lot in sport and Rock has more of it than Searle and he should edge this one.
Saturday Evening Grand Slam of Darts Tips: Josh Rock to win -1.5 legs @ 2.10 generally available
Damon Heta vs. Jermaine Wattimena
An interesting match. Heta is one of the most complete players around and is starting to turn that into titles. Wattimena is one of the most overrated players around, but right now he is playing well.
We are on Heta for the outrights and he doesn’t have to win this, but I don’t want him under pressure for the next two group matches. He won a Euro Tour title and a Players Championship title last month and more recently has won six of his last ten.
Heta a Superior Player
Heta is the better player in virtually every aspect, and he has won both of their previous matches, including a 5-4 win in this event in 2020. Their other match was a 6-5 win to Heta in April. Two wins but by the smallest of margins.
Wattimena has won eight of his last ten matches and reached the quarter finals of both the Players Championship events last weekend.
Heta is the 1.37 favourite, Wattimena 3.35 and if there is any value, it is probably with Wattimena. However, old habits die hard, and I cannot back Wattimena, but neither will I oppose him for once. No bet.
Saturday Evening Grand Slam of Darts Tips: No Bet
Nathan Aspinall vs. Alan Soutar
Aspinall may have annual win rate of 71% but more recently he has lost six of his last ten. He is still scoring well by and large but since losing the final of the World Grand Prix he has lost his winning habit.
Soutar hasn’t had a great season, but his form has picked up in the last month or two. He reached two Players Championship quarter finals last month and has won seven of his last ten matches. His consistency is not great, and he is as likely to hit a sub 90 average as he is a ton plus, but his confidence is coming back.
There is no H2H record to go on, but the market has Aspinall as the 1.44 favourite and Soutar 3.20. We have backed Soots to win the group and that is enough interest for me. The odds are fair enough and it’s another no bet.
Saturday Evening Grand Slam of Darts Tips: No Bet
Luke Humphries vs. Scott Williams
Williams may not have a tour card, but he doesn’t lack any self-confidence. He says that he is here to win, to be positive and the have fun. He certainly has a good A game but not the consistency of a player like Humphries. He has lost five of his last ten matches and while he can hit big ton plus averages, his seasonal average is only 90. To, or to have a chance to win against one of the very best players, he is going to have to bring that A game, and even then, it might not be enough.
Humphries seems to have good runs in almost anything he plays in. He might be a bit frustrated that he has been losing Players Championship finals, semi-finals and quarter finals, but he is winning plenty of matches and giving himself chances to win titles. He has won seven of his last ten and had six ton plus averages.
These two have yet to meet and hopefully it will be a good match. Williams has upped his game on the Euro Tour, and he likes a crowd. Humphries is the 1.36 favourite, Williams 3.30. That looks about right, but I expect Williams to give it a go and make a match of it.
Saturday Evening Grand Slam of Darts Tips: 1 point over 7.5 legs @ 1.91 With Boylesports, Hills, Ladbrokes
Peter Wright vs. Fallon Sherrock
Sherrock made her name playing TV matches and has beaten a few big names, but never Peter Wright. They first met in this event last year, in the group stage and the knockout stage. Wright won them both 5-1 and 16-13 before beating Fallon 6-4 at the recent World Series of Darts. Wright has not slacked off against Sherrock, averaging over the ton in their last two matches, but he has not been able to dominate apart from that first match.
Wright has lost five of his last ten matches so he is not in great form while Sherrock has won eight from ten in the Women’s Series. She did not qualify for Ally Pally this year, her place taken by the phenomenal Beau Greaves, so this is her big chance to put herself back in the shop window of TV darts. There is a bit more pressure this time.
As usual, this is all about Sherrock. If she gets her TV head on then she could give Wright something to worry about again and I’ll take the chance that she will.
Wright is the 1.07 favourite, Sherrock 10.00. I still expect Wright to win, but it may be closer than those odds suggest.
Saturday Evening Grand Slam of Darts Tips: 1 point Fallon Sherrock to win +3.5 legs @ 1.95 with SportingIndex
Michael van Gerwen vs. Nathan Rafferty
The Natural opened last year’s Grand Slam campaign with a match vs. Gerwyn Price and he took him to a deciding leg. This year he faces another one of the big beasts, MVG.
Van Gerwen has a very good group record in this event, making it to the knockout stage in the last 11 years. In those 11 years, he has lost just two group stage matches. Rafferty is up against it here. MVG is in good form, winning eight of his last ten matches and his scoring has been very strong.
Rafferty has lost five of his last ten matches and struggles for consistency. He has the game to bother the big boys but you can’t be sure when that game will show up. He has yet to play MVG and hopefully he will have a positive attitude. Nathan has nothing to lose, except the match, and given Van Gerwen’s record in this, he probably will.
MVG is the 1.22 favourite, Rafferty 5.00. I do like to take on MVG but he is in good form and his group stage record in this event is pretty bulletproof. No bet.
Saturday Evening Grand Slam of Darts Tips: NO Bet
Jonny Clayton vs. Leonard Gates
Jonny Clayton is the 1.20 favourite to beat American qualifier, Leonard Gates.
Gates was last seen on TV at the World Series Finals where he beat Devon Petersen before losing 4-6 to James Wade. He averaged in the eighties for both matches and something similar will not be enough against the consistent Clayton. He beat Fallon Sherrock in the US Masters before losing 3-8 to Peter Wright. Again, both averages were in the eighties.
Clayton averages some 7 points more than Gates which is significant. His win rate in 2022 has dropped from 77% last year to 63% in 2022 which explains the dearth of titles, but he remains a consist, heavy scorer at the top level and he is unlikely to be giving Gates many chances.
