2024 WC Darts Wednesday Preview & Tips – JP
2024 WC Darts Wednesday Preview & Tips
Yet another doubling disaster cost us (and Keane Barry) against MVG on Tuesday night. At least the Bronzed Adonis and Wessel Nijman ensured we landed at least one winner. James Punt is back in action again today, check out his 2024 WC Darts Wednesday match previews and tips below.
Radek Szaganski vs. Marko Kantele
This looks like a good draw for the Irish based Pole, Radek Szaganski. He has become a much improved player in 2023, reaching the semi-final of PC11 in May, the quarter final of PC15 in July, winning PC27 in October and he reached another quarter final last month.
His stage form is very limited, winning one match in the UK Open, losing a World Series match and beating Ian White in the first round of the Players Championship finals. He then averaged 98 in the second round against Luke Humphries and lost 0-6.
It is fair to say he has proven to be a better floor player but at least his game is improving. He only averages 91.04 but he can be a very effective player.
Ally Pally Veteran
Marko Kantele is an Ally Pally veteran thanks to being a big noise on the Nordic – Baltic tour. He has played in four previous World Championships and lost all four first round matches.
He warmed up by playing in the Modus Super Series earlier this month, playing twenty five matches and winning eleven. His seasonal average is 86.05 and while this may be a good draw for Szaganski, it isn’t the worst for Kantele. At least he is playing a tournament debutant who is bound to be nervous.
Szaganski is the 1.29 favourite with Kantele 4.50. I don’t know if Szaganski should be quite that short as he is playing a more experienced player who is, at least, match fit. Kantele took two sets off John Henderson in his last visit here and if Szaganski shows the kind of form he has shown on stage so far this year, this could be a bit of a grind.
2024 WC Darts Wednesday Tip: 0.5 point Szaganski to win 3-2 @ 5.25 with Fitzdares
Steve Lennon vs. Owen Bates
The biggest disappointment about this match is that Owen Bates has been banned from using his darting nick name of The Master. Boo! I am not sure if he has settled on a new one, but rumours that it will be The Onanist are untrue.
Bates beat off some stiff competition to qualify via the Challenge Tour OOM where he averages 88.76. He won his place by winning his penultimate match of the season to reach the final of CT24.
He picked up a Series win on the Modus Super Series, he plays on the Development tour and has picked up some Players Championship entries, beating Andrew Gilding, Dimitri van den Bergh, Matt Campbell, James Wade and Jim Williams amongst others. Bates does have a very good A-game and if he takes to being on the big stage, he could be a lively outsider.
Big Pressure
Steve Lennon needs to win this to keep his tour card. That is more pressure than he would like. His recent form sees five wins from his last ten matches, very much in line with his seasonal win rate of 51%.
He shows flashes of good form, like qualifying for the Grand Slam but he lost all three group matches. He beat Andrew Gilding in the first round of the Players Championship finals but went down tamely to James Wade in the second round, averaging 82. Lennon still has a good A-game but he is very inconsistent.
The Irishman has played in five previous World Championships and he has won four from nine matches, including three first round matches.
Lennon is the marginal 1.73 favourite with Bates being backed and now just 2.20. Bates is just 1.67 to hit the most 180s (he hits at 0.29 per leg to Lennon’s 0.19) and it looks like the market is wise to the non-tour card holder’s abilities. I’d have to say that any value has gone.
2024 WC Darts Wednesday Tip: No Bet
William O’Connor vs. Bhav Patel
Patel only got here as the India qualifier, Prakash Jiwa, has been suspended from all DRA sanctioned events for suspected match fixing. As runner up, Patel takes his place.
His seasonal average is 72.3 and he has played some Challenge tour events winning just five of his nineteen matches. His very best won’t be good enough and O’Connor will justify odds of just 1.15 to win 3-0. No bet.
2024 WC Darts Wednesday Tip: No Bet
Ross Smith vs. Niels Zonneveld
Zonneveld beat Darren Webster 3-1 in the first round with an average of just 79.86. It was a ridiculous match of missed doubles. It really was Dog and Duck standard with Webster missing twenty three doubles and Zonneveld, twenty five. He can’t be that bad again, he just can’t.
He has won five of his last ten matches but he is playing very inconsistently and he is hard to call at times. Having won his first round match, and his first win at the Ally Pally, the pressure is off and anything more is a bonus.
Heavy Hitter
Ross Smith has won six of his last ten matches and he is one of the game’s heavy hitters with a 12 month average of 96.26 bettered only by five other players.
However, his form in the majors in 2023 has been very poor. He won one match here last year, won one match at the Grand Prix and one at the Players Championship finals, otherwise he fell at the first fence. His World Championship record isn’t good. He has played in six previous Championships and won five matches, including four opening matches.
Smith is a frustrating player. He should win a lot more than he does, given his scoring. Confidence, or lack of it, may be his problem. He will feel the pressure a lot more than Zonneveld but if he settles early, he should win at a canter.
Smith is the 1.33 favourite with Zonneveld 3.65. Smith has won his four opening matches here either 3-0 or 3-1. Something similar looks likely.
