Saturday Afternoon PDC World Championship Tips – JP
Saturday Afternoon PDC World Championship Preview
James Punt has already penned outright winner and side market previews. Last night didn’t go exactly to plan but at least Florian Hempel did the business for us. James is determined to bounce back today. His Saturday Afternoon PDC World Championship tips are below.
*Please note that todays, and tomorrow’s, session times have been moved to accommodate the World Cup football matches. This session will start at 11.15 am local UK time.
Martin Lukeman vs. Nobuhiro Yamamoto
Lukeman ends a breakthrough year with his first run out on the Ally Pally stage. His most recent form sees just three wins from his last ten matches. He played quite well in most but was still losing. His last two defeats saw him average under 90 and he did have some trouble on the outer ring in three of those losses. His seasonal average is up to 92 and he should justify odds of 1.12, but any double trouble could present his opponent with a few opportunities.
Yamamoto qualified by winning the PDJ Japanese Championship. Of his eleven matches in the championship his highest average was 93.5 and the lowest 73.4. Overall, his average was 82.0. I am not going to write him off as no hoper as the Japanese qualifiers often perform well at Ally Pally, but looking at his form, he is hard to fancy. If Lukeman had an off day on the doubles, Yamamoto could get on the score board and I shall leave this match alone. No bet.
Saturday Afternoon PDC World Championship tips: No Bet
Simon Whitlock vs. Christian Perez
We got to see Perez at the recent Grand Slam where he lost all three group matches. He took Danny Noppert to a deciding leg but that was as much to do with Noppert playing poorly as it was about Perez playing well. He is a slowish, steady player who won the Asian Championship and has a seasonal average of 85.4.
As a form guide between these two we have the fact that they met in that Grand Slam group and Simon Whitlock beat Perez 5-3. Perez averaged 91 in that match, but Whitlock was too good with his 98.71.
Wizard Scoring Well
Whitlock has lost six of his ten matches, but he is playing a lot better than that sounds. His scoring has generally been very good of late. He has averaged 99.0 across his last five matches but lost three of them, two to Danny Noppert, the other to Raymond van Barneveld.
Whitlock has the luxury of knowing the player he is going to face in this first round match and that is not always the case. The Aussie should be too good once again. The Wizard has won 10 of his 13 opening world championship matches and six of them 3-0. He should make that seven this afternoon.
Saturday Afternoon PDC World Championship tips: 1 point Simon Whitlock to win 3-0 @ 2.00 with Unibet
Adam Gawlas vs. Ritchie Burnett
Burnett has a strange cult following but I am not one of his acolytes. He has a throwing style which is all his own and it is not easy on the eye. His fame has as much to do with bad behaviour as it does with his darting prowess. His last PDC World Championship was in 2014.
He had been due to play in 2015 but he failed a drugs test and was banned from playing for 18 months. His best days are behind him, and this is little more than a last Hurrah for the former BDO World Champion. He has won seven of his last ten matches and hit a 110 average against Brian Raman in one of the tour card holders qualifying events for this. Burnett’s seasonal average is 90.93 and his win rate 48%.
Gawlas Hasn’t Kicked On
These two played each other in late October and it was Burnett who was the 6-3 winner. Gawlas has won five of his last ten matches and he hasn’t really kicked on in 2022. His seasonal average is just 88.15 and his win rate 58% but that includes his Development Tour matches.
We last saw Gawlas at the Grand Slam where he lost all three group matches. Six of his last ten matches have seen sub 90 averages and he is very far from consistent. This will be his Ally Pally debut.
Two players who can be anything does not make for a great betting opportunity. Burnett is the 1.75 favourite with Gawlas 2.20. No bet.
Saturday Afternoon PDC World Championship tips: No Bet
Daryl Gurney vs. Alan Soutar
Alan Soutar breezed through is first round match yesterday, beating a disappointing Mal Cumming 3-0. Cumming only averaged 78.2 and even a modest 86.9 average from Soutar was too much for him.
Soutar has now played five matches at Ally Pally and his highest average has been 90.92, but he has won four of them. His recent form sees seven wins from his last ten and while it is true to say that he is not terribly consistent, he is nearer his best form than his worst.
Chin Needs Consistency
Superchin has lost six of his last ten matches and his seasonal average has dropped to 92.98, quite some way short of best form of 2017 and 2018. His A game remains top class, but his consistency has gone AWOL. In his last ten matches he has hit a 103.7 average but also an 81.9 and everything in between. You don’t know which Daryl Gurney is going to show up which makes him a poor betting proposition.
The H2H record is 1-1, both matches were played last year, and both ended 6-3. The market is making Gurney the 1.75 favourite with Soutar 2.10. Gurney remains the better player, but his recent form makes backing him difficult. Whoever turns up on the day wins. Soutar’s recent form suggests that will be him, but his odds are a little cramped for me. No bet.
