2024 International Darts Open Friday Tips – JP
2024 International Darts Open Friday Preview
James has already posted an outright preview, you can read that here. His 2024 International Darts Open Friday match previews are below.
Jose de Sousa vs. Cor Dekker
The Special One is the 1.22 favourite to beat Norway’s Cor Dekker, despite the fact that Jose has lost eight of his last ten matches. So, could Dekker inflict another defeat?
Dekker plays on the Nordic Baltic tour, as well as some Modus Super League. His seasonal average is 82 and his last five matches have seen him average pretty much bang on 80. He is consistently mediocre. Even getting a +2.5 leg handicap, I can’t bring himself to back him. No bet.
2024 International Darts Open Friday Tip: no bet
Chris Dobey vs. Dylan Slevin
We have backed Dobey outright, so hopefully he can beat the reserve player Dylan Slevin. Dobey is fresh from winning PC7 on Monday and winning ten of his last eleven matches. He is in top form.
Slevin has won six of his last ten matches but he clearly struggles against the top players. The list of his recent scalps is far from impressive. He has already played and lost to Dobey in 2024, a 4-6 defeat in PC3. Slevin has only averaged over 90 once in his last ten matches.
Dobey is the 1.25 favourite with Oceans a 4.33 shot. There is no need to get involved here.
2024 International Darts Open Friday Tip: No Bet
Jan Dueckers vs. Martin Schindler
What can I say? Schindler is just 1.11 and Dueckers 8.50. The host nation qualifier averages 78.2 in 2024 and has career earnings of £75. In my days, the glory years, playing in the Dalbeattie and District B league, I’m pretty sure I won more than £75.
2024 International Darts Open Friday Tip: No Bet
Mike de Decker vs. James Wade
At last, we have a darts match. De Decker is the 1.80 favourite. That is quite surprising but underlines the fact that De Decker is a very handy player who underachieves, and that Wade has lost 60% of his matches in 2024. Wade has had wins over Littler and Michael Smith in 2024 but clearly, his game is not where it once was.
De Decker is not in great form himself and like Wade, has lost six of his last ten matches. He has been scoring better than Wade, but De Decker can lose with any score. His biggest asset is hitting 180s and he is ranked 10th over the last 12 months in that department.
Two players low on confidence going head to head is hardly a mouthwatering prospect. They have met five times and De Decker has won three, the last three in a row. Their last four have all seen at least ten legs and I can see another close affair.
2024 International Darts Open Friday Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 1.91 with Boylesports, Ladbrokes
Cameron Menzies vs. Simon Whitlock
A rare outing for The Wizard on the European Stage. He averages just over 90 these days and while only a fool would write off Whitlock, he is no longer the Beard to be Feared, just The Beard.
The veteran Aussie has won five of his last ten matches, and while he lost both his first round matches earlier this week, he averaged 96.5 in a 5-6 loss to Ryan Searle and 98.6 when losing 3-6 to Jonny Clayton. That suggests that he is not just here to make up the numbers.
Improving Menzies
Cameron Menzies is arguably one of the most improved players of the last year or so. Since becoming the beau of Fallon Sherrock, his game has improved quite markedly. He is averaging a very healthy 95.4 in 2024 and has a win rate of 68%.
Like Whitlock, Menzies has won five of his last ten matches, but only one of his last five. He only played in one of the Players Championship events earlier this week and lost his first round match 2-6 to Aiden Kirk. Menzies only averaged 82.8 in that match. He played better in the Euro Tour qualifiers on Wednesday but failed in his quest.
Their H2H record is 3-1 to the Scotsman and only one was relatively close.
2024 International Darts Open Friday Tip: 1 point Cameron Menzies to win -1.5 legs @ 2.00 with Hills (1.91 with actual bookmakers)
Gian van Veen vs. Raymond van Barneveld
These two met in the first round of the German Darts Grand Prix last month and it was a 6-5 win for Gian. The exciting young Dutch talent comes here on the back of a semi-final in PC8 on Tuesday.
Barney is in decent form, winning six of his last ten, but has lost four of his last five. Of his last five matches, he lost four in a deciding leg. Frustrating! Barney did win PC5 last month, so he still has the game and this is a tough opening match for one of our outright selections.
These two have met twice before, both in 2024, and both went over 9.5 legs.
2024 International Darts Open Friday Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 1.91 with Ladbrokes, Boylesports
Gabriel Clemens vs. Peter Wright
It will have been a bit of a rush for the two Premier League players to play in Birmingham last night, and then have the make their way to Riesa, in what was the old East Germany. It is not the easiest of places to get to. That is why they are playing the last two matches of the night.
The German Giant can’t be looking forward to this. A big home crowd, demanding a home win, and Clemens has lost 71% of his matches in 2024.
Wright is in poor form as well. He has lost eight of his last ten matches and his mini revival of a few weeks ago has gone AWOL.
Clemens is 5-4 against Wright and their two best of 11 leg matches in 2023 went to a deciding leg. Neither player should have the confidence to run away with the match, and we may get another last leg decider.
2024 International Darts Open Friday Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 2.10 with Betfair
Owen Bates vs. Nathan Aspinall
The Asp is in OK form, winning five of his last ten matches, and he reached the quarter final of the German Darts Grand Prix last month. He is hard to pin down and you can never be sure what you are going to get from Aspinall.
This will be Owen Bates’ Euro Tour debut and it will be quite a buzz for him to be playing in front of something like 4000 beered up Germans on a Friday night. He is not in great form, winning five of his last ten senior matches and he has struggled against the top players, of which Aspinall is one.
It could be that Bates can master the situation, offer some stiff opposition and pull off a surprise win, but in all likelihood, Aspinall should be able to pull this one off. Aspinall is the 1.29 favourite and it is a bit of a damp squib to end the night. It certainly isn’t the big climax the crowd deserve. No bet.
