Friday Afternoon PDC World Championship Preview – JP
Friday Afternoon PDC World Championship Preview
James Punt has already penned outright winner and side market previews. He landed a lovely winner on Thursday night with Nathan Rafferty at 2.50. James will have two more previews today, first up is his Friday Afternoon PDC World Championship tips below.
Alan Soutar vs. Mal Cuming
Alan Soutar should escape the usual boring football chants with this early start. He is in good form, winning seven of his last ten matches, including a run to the quarter finals of the Grand Slam. He had a good run here last year, winning three matches to reach the fourth round. All three wins required a deciding set and he didn’t play well. His best average was just 90.9 and he has been playing much better than that recently.
Cuming won the Oceanic Masters to qualify. He is a 46 year old Aussie who played in the 2019 BDO World Championship, losing 0-3 in the preliminary round. He has won five Darts Players Australia pro tour titles in 2022 and his seasonal average is 81.1. We saw him play in two World Series matches in the summer and he lost 5-6 to Fallon Sherrock, and 1-6 to Jonny Clayton. His A+ game can see a ton plus average but more often than not it is sub 90 or sub 80.
Straightforward For Soots
This should be a straightforward win for Soutar, but I said the same about Keane Barry last night. He is the 1.17 favourite with Cuming 7.50. The Aussie and New Zealand players are no mugs. Last year, of the four Aussie qualifiers, three lost 1-3 and one won 3-1, with Raymond Smith going on to make the fourth round. The year before there were two, and both lost in round one, 1-3 and 3-0.
Soutar can get a bit toey on the doubles and that may let Cumming get a set on the board.
Friday Afternoon PDC World Championship tip: 0.5 point Alan Soutar to win 3-1 @ 3.40 with Betfair
Boris Krčmar vs. Toru Suzuki
Boris is not in great form, losing six of his last ten matches, but he has shown improvement in his game and his seasonal average is up to a useful 93. He reached two players championship semi-finals in 2022, a Euro tour quarter final and the last 16 at the UK Open. He has developed a good A game but lacks the consistency to go with it.
This will be his third World Championship appearance and he is yet to win a match. In the last two years he has averaged 89 and lost 1-3 to Ron Meulenkamp and 0-3 to Adam Hunt. His opposition this time round may be more manageable, especially if he can bring his best form.
Asian Qualifier
Toru is a professional soft tip and steel tip player who made his world championship debut two years ago, losing 0-3 to Madars Razma. His seasonal average is just 79.0. He qualified via the Asian Championship, not by winning it but by reaching the semi-final and all four semi-finalists earned a place here.
Krčmar is a proper player, a tour card holder, a more experienced player at this level and indeed, just a better player. Japan often sends some decent players to this championship, but last year both lost 0-3 in the first round, Suzuki himself lost 0-3 in 2021 but Edward Foulkes won his first round match.
Krčmar should be too good for this particular player. There is little in his record to suggest that he can beat Boris, so long as Boris plays to his average standard. Krčmar is the 1.17 favourite, Suzuki 6.00.
Friday Afternoon PDC World Championship tip: 1 point Boris Krčmar to win 3-0 @ 2.40 with Ladbrokes
Adrian Lewis vs. Daniel Larsson
It is a sign of the times that two-time World Champion, Adrian Lewis, is not seeded. He won a players championship title in October, his first since 2019, but it hasn’t seen a return to form. His A game is still there but his consistency isn’t. He has problems off the oche which interfere with how much time and effort he can put into his game. As a result, he tends to blow hot and cold and that makes him hard to call.
Daniel Larsson no longer has a tour card, but he is still a fairly regular participant on the Euro Tour and he can give a good account of himself. He has played in three PDC World Championships but lost all three opening matches, winning just one set.
This match makes no appeal. Lewis is hard to judge and Larsson more so. No bet.
Friday Afternoon PDC World Championship tip: No Bet
Kim Huybrechts vs. Grant Sampson
The unheralded South African was able to take advantage of a very out of sorts Keane Barry last night, beating the young Irishman 3-1. He only averaged 77.3 and was 23% on the doubles but he did hit 4 maximums and hit a 125 out shot. At least he has had a night on the stage, and he will be able to relax a little more, but will that be enough to beat the seasoned Kim Huybrechts? No.
Huybrechts is averaging 92 in 2022, he has a win rate of 58%, which has had for four of the last six years and more recently has won five of his last ten matches. Four of those matches saw sub 90 averages and that sort of level might let Sampson get a set.
Real Competitor
Huybrechts is a competitor, always tries best and is very experienced. He has played in 11 World Championships here and won eight of his last 64 stage matches, all 3-0 or 3-1. He has won seven of his last ten matches on this stage so he will feel right at home.
Having seen Keane Barry go out to Sampson last night, Huybrechts will not take this match for granted. Kim is the 1.11 favourite, Sampson 8.00. There isn’t much value around this match. You can get a touch of odds against on a 3-0 win for Huybrechts, which is almost tempting, but there will be better bets coming. No Bet.
