2024 WC Darts Monday Previews & Tips – JP
2024 WC Darts Monday Preview & Tips
We managed to land one winner last night but it could, and probably should, have been more. Darren Webster was in the ascendancy vs Zonneveld but missed doubles cost him dearly. Fallon Sherrock did a Jermaine Wattimena against Jermaine Wattimena and folded under pressure. We go again tonight, check out James Punt’s 2024 WC Darts Monday match previews and tips below.
Mario Vandenbogaerde vs. Thibault Tricole
Two players making their tournament debuts. Super Mario is in decent form, winning seven of his last ten matches, not with a great deal of consistency, but still getting the job done. His seasonal average is a reasonable 92.4.
Tricole is a Challenge Tour player who gained entry via the Western Europe qualifier. He has won nine of his last ten matches but those were in the qualifier and Modus Super Series matches, so both short format matches and at a lower level that Vandenbogaerde has been playing.
Six of his last ten matches saw sub 90 averages and one of just 70, but he has a good A-game and at one point he won thirteen consecutive matches in the Super Series. Wins breed confidence and helps explain him making the Championship. His seasonal average is 88.76.
Perhaps the key stat here is that they have played each other five times and Vandenbogaerde has won four, and all by comfortable margins.
Super Mario is the 1.54 favourite with the Frenchman 2.70.
2024 WC Darts Monday Tip: 1 point Mario Vandenbogaerde to win -1.5 sets @ 2.10 with SpreadEx
Gian van Veen vs. Man Lok Leung
Another first round mismatch. Van Veen is one of the very best up and coming players in darts. He is good enough to have reached the semi-final of the European Championship and two Players Championship finals.
Leung qualified via the Asian Tour where he has won five titles. We saw him take three legs off Luke Humphries at this year’s Bahrain Darts Masters.
Van Veen has lost six of his last ten matches and he just looked to be getting frustrated after that big run in the European Championship. Maybe he was expecting the rest to come more easily. I imagine having a couple of weeks off to prepare for this tournament will have allowed him to get his head down and get ready for this match.
Van Veen is the 1.06 favourite and Leung 11.00. You can back Van Veen at 1.57 to win 3-0 but this is not a betting match for me. No bet.
2024 WC Darts Monday Tip: No Bet
Martin Lukeman vs. Haupai Puha
Kiwi player ‘Hopes’ Puha is making his second appearance at Ally Pally, having lost 0-3 to Mickey Mansell in 2021. He qualified by winning the Oceanic Masters. His seasonal average is 87.99.
We have also seen him play in World Cups and World Series events but it is fair to say he has struggled when playing the Tour Card holders.
He has warmed up by playing some Super Series matches, winning seven of his ten matches. His scoring was mixed but he has a ton plus A-game. He beat Dimitri van den Bergh in a World Series match in August and he is not without a chance of getting something out of this match.
Lukeman has lost six of his last ten matches and he isn’t enjoying the same sort of success he had last year. His scoring has been very inconsistent and there have been four sub 90 averages in the last ten, but also three 98+. He is hard to call in other words.
Lukeman is the 1.40 favourite, Puha 3.40. Lukeman beat a Japanese qualifier 3-0 in his first round match last year and it is hard to see much value in this match. Martin Lukeman is 3.80 to win 3-1 but Hopes failed to win a single leg in his previous appearance here so I will leave this one alone.
2024 WC Darts Monday Tip: No bet
Gerwyn Price vs. Conor Scutt
Scutt put in one of the better performances of the first round matches so far by averaging 95.97 in a 3-0 win over Krzysztof Kciuk. He says he is looking forward to facing Price and hopes that the Welshman brings his A-game as he wants to test himself at that level. Very bold, but probably just bravado. Nobody wants to play against Price’s A-game.
Price has won eight of his last ten matches and has a seasonal average of 98.65. That is his average and that is likely to be too good for Scutt, never mind if he brings his A-game. It has been a funny season for Price. He has won 73% of his matches but hasn’t landed a major despite being one of the very top players.
Scutt Must Improve
Scutt’s seasonal average is 91.50 and needless to say that he will need to play a lot better than that and probably better than he played in the first round.
He has won six of his last ten matches and has hit some decent end of season form, but that may have come too late to prevent a return to Q school. Scutt is provisionally ranked 67th and to make the top 64, he needs to win this match. He is playing for much more than just a third round berth.
Price has won five of his eight last 64 round matches at the Ally Pally. He has only won one to nil and that was against Ted Evetts in 2017. The last four opening matches for Price saw scorelines of 3-2, 3-2, 3-1 and 3-1.
Slowish Starts
It is not unusual to see the very top players get off to a less than stellar start and for them, it is all about the win and coming back after Christmas when the real tournament starts.
These two have met twice, both Players Championship matches, and Price won both, 6-2 and 6-3 last year.
Price is the 1.13 favourite and Scutt the 8.00 outsider. Can Scutt be the fifth player in a row to win at least one set off Price in a last 64 match?
