Saturday 2024 WC Darts Preview & Tips – JP
Saturday 2024 WC Darts Preview & Tips
What an incredible night of darts we had on Friday. Ven den Bergh vs Hempel and Dobey vs O’Connor were absolute barnstormers and what made the night even better was James Punt landing winners at 1.91 and 5.00. More of the same today? Yes please James. Check out his Saturday 2024 WC Darts match previews and tips below.
Kim Huybrechts vs. Richard Veenstra
Veenstra won his opener 3-0 but it was a low quality affair and he averaged just 85.3. He has won seven of his last ten matches and two of his last three on TV. He has been playing better than he did the other day and so long as he can relax a bit more, he can play his part.
Huybrechts has won six of his last ten matches but his scoring hasn’t been great at times. His seasonal average is actually a little shy of Veenstra’s, but only by half a point.
Their H2H record is 3-2 to Huybrechts and in 2023 2-1 to Veenstra. Three of their matches have required a deciding leg and given that their seasonal averages are so close, that is perhaps not a surprise.
Huybrechts has a stack of experience at the Ally Pally and he has won five of his last six second round matches, and reached the fourth round last year. Veenstra has only had the one match here and while he won it, Huybrechts will let him know he is in a big match.
Veenstra is the 1.91 favourite, but I think the Ally Pally factor is being missed here.
Saturday 2024 WC Darts Tip: 1 point Kim Huybrechts to win @ 2.02 with Unibet
Callan Rydz vs. Ricardo Pietreczko
Pietreczko wasn’t put under any pressure by Mikuru Suzuki in the first round and the possibility of any hostility from the crowd was closed down. He has won five of his last ten matches but he had two matches which were virtual walkovers, such was the paucity of opponent.
I feel this one is all about Rydz. He is an ultra-fast player who is also very hard on himself. When he is good, he is very good, but he can find bad form and really let it get to him.
Rydz All Over The Place
He has lost six of his last ten matches and it is fair to say he has been all over place. Two sub 80 averages but four 94+ and a couple of sub 90s. He can be very good at beating himself and in Rydz’ matches his opponent has two ways to win, to beat him, or hope Rydz does it to himself.
Pietreczko has not been at his best recently but he has the ability to win this on merit, or hope that Rydz has an off day. He may be inspired by the performances of his fellow Germans. Clemens, Schindler and Hempel all made it to the third round and we have the very real chance to have four German players in action after Christmas.
Their H2H record is 3-1 to Rydz and in 2023 2-1. Their last two went to a deciding leg with Pietreczko winning their last match in July.
Ricciardo is the 1.62 favourite but I’ll try a small bet on the match requiring a decider.
Saturday 2024 WC Darts Tip: 0.5 point Ricardo Pietreczko to win 3-2 @ 5.00 with Fitzdares
Jonny Clayton vs. Steve Lennon
It was a case of job done for Steve Lennon in round one. He needed to win to keep his Tour Card and he pulled off a remarkable comeback win.
0-2 down and looking out against Master Bates, Lennon was able to stiffen his resolve, take matters into his own hands and finish with a flourish, winning 3-2. It was a great performance but how much has it taken out of him?
He faces an out of form Clayton, who has lost six of his last ten matches. The Ferret has won five of his seven last 64 round matches at Ally Pally so he knows the ropes.
His form in the Majors, however, has collapsed. He was runner up at the Matchplay but his father died shortly afterwards and Clayton has won just one match at the Players Championship and one group match at the Grand Slam, since then.
These two have not met since 2021 and Clayton has won four of their six matches.
Mental Health
Lennon has only won one second round match here, that was in 2022 when he beat Ratajski at this stage. Lennon said that he had considered withdrawing from the Championship due to mental health struggles. That win will have made things a bit better but how will he have come down off the top of the mountain after his win on Wednesday?
Normally, this would be a simple pick for Clayton to win, but his form in the majors recently is a big worry. Lennon won a very important match last time, a career saver in some respects, but previous to that he was not in great form and half his last ten matches have seen sub 90 averages.
Clayton is the 1.33 favourite and Lennon 3.50. The temptation is to back Lennon and hope that he will be able to lift his game and beat an out of form Clayton, but even an out of form Ferret can be hard to beat.
Mentally, Lennon could be drained and I am happy to sit back and watch this one. Whoever wins, isn’t going to go much further.
Saturday 2024 WC Darts Tip: No Bet
Daryl Gurney vs. Steve Beaton
It is not great scheduling for the international players today. Having to play their match, do the press and then find a flight back home for Christmas.
Steve Beaton overcame Wessel Nijman 3-1 in the first round and then announced that he is retiring at the end of next season. I wonder if that will have a relaxing effect on him. A big decision has been made and he can now treat the next 12 months has a lap of honour, starting with this match.
He will have the crowd on his side so Superchin is going to find this a hard match to win. Beaton has won six of his last ten matches but half have seen sub 90 averages.
New Beginnings
Daryl Gurney has made his own big decision, deciding to split from his longtime manager from the start of next year. How will that affect his performance is hard to say and we will not know until next season, I guess.
His recent form is strange. He has lost six of his last ten matches but has hit some big averages and you cannot tell what you are going to get.
Their H2H record is 7-3 to Steve Beaton and Beaton has won their last five matches. It is pretty old form, with their last match being back in 2021. Gurney has won their only two matches on TV.
Gurney is the 1.40 favourite with Beaton 3.30. It is a hard one to call. Gurney is the better player but he is inconsistent. Beaton will be very much the crowd favourite and he might be the more relaxed of the two players. The stats say that Gurney wins, but I’ll take a chance that Beaton’s lap of honour starts with a win.
