2024 European Darts Open R1 Preview & Tips – JP
2024 European Darts Open R1 Preview
Now, it is time for James Punt’s 2024 European Darts Open R1 preview. His sole bet this afternoon was a winner, fingers crossed for more of the same.
Benjamin Pratnemer vs. Kevin Troppmann
Pratnemer is the Eastern European qualifier, Troppmann a local German qualifier. It is hard to get to enthusiastic about this match. No bet.
2024 European Darts Open R1 Tip: No Bet
Owen Bates vs. Joe Cullen
Both players are in poor form. Cullen has lost seven of his last ten matches and since losing the final of ET5, he has played seven and won just one match. Only two of those saw 90+ averages.
Owen Bates has lost five of his last ten Matches, and the last five in a row. Most of his wins in 2024 have been on the Development Tour. His record at senior level this year is a worry.
In all his Players Championship, Euro Tour and UK Open matches, he has played 18 and won just 3. He had a little run of results in Euro Tour qualifiers last month, winning six in a row to qualify for ET7 & 8. He averaged 78 in a 3-6 loss to Brendan Dolan in ET7.
Two players with little or no confidence, and very much out of form. What to do? Bates is the 3.25 outsider, Cullen 1.44. The temptation is to have a bet on the outsider and hope for the best, but it is probably a better idea to just give it a wide berth. No bet.
2024 European Darts Open R1 Tip: No Bet
Callan Rydz vs. Nico Kurz
Rydz needs a big result this weekend if he wants to qualify for the World Matchplay. However, he is not in good form, losing five of his last ten matches. His scoring has been quite good, with only one sub 90 average and five 95+.
Nico Kurz is a young German player who looked like he was going places. He beat Gary Anderson in a World Series event, reached the third round of the 2020 World Championship and won the German Super League, but then he sort of gave up.
I think it was to continue his academic studies, but he only played in Euro qualifiers and any Euro Tour events he qualified for, but without much success. He failed to win a tour card this year and he has played sixteen matches, all Euro Tour qualifiers, but only qualified for one, this one. His form, for what it is worth, is winning seven of his last eight matches, but just one saw a 90+ average.
If Kurz could hang in, he could catch Wiggy on a bad day and you never know, but it is hard to put cash on a part timer. No bet.
2024 European Darts Open R1 Tip: No Bet
Raymond van Barneveld vs. Krzysztof Ratajski
And finally…we have a darts match. Ratajski is in decent form, winning six of his last ten matches. He is playing with a little inconsistency, but most of the time he is scoring at a decent level.
Barney is in much the same boat, winning six of his last ten, and he reached the semi-final of PC11 last week. Like Ratajski, there is a bit of consistency missing , but most of his matches are seeing mid 90s.
Their H2H record is an impressive 5-1 to Ratajski, with Barney ending a run of five defeats when they last met in 2023.
The market has Ratajski a 1.95 shot, Barney 2.00. It has the look of a close match.
2024 European Darts Open R1 Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 2.10 with Betfair
Michael Smith vs. James Wade
Quite the match for a first round on the Euro Tour. Smith opted not to play in the last three Euro Tour events. As a result, he is currently outside the top 32 on the OOM.
James Wade is in danger of missing out on the World Matchplay, and he needs to bank some cash this weekend. He is the last player provisionally qualified and he has Kevin Doets right on his shoulder. Doets is already through to round 2 and a defeat for Wade here would put things in Doets’ hands. There is more pressure on Wade than Smith, that much is sure.
Smith is in decent form, winning six of his last ten. Mostly he is playing very well, but with too many sloppy matches to be winning many titles. He did win PC9 last month and he is looking to get stuck into the second half of the season.
James Wade is struggling. He too has won six of his last ten matches, but his win rate in 2024 is just 43%. He has not been playing that badly recently, but there have been three sub 90 averages in his last ten.
Michael Smith is the 1.54 favourite, Wade 2.63. But what of their H2H record? Wade is 21- 7 up. He won their only match in 2024 6-5 and is 4-0 in Euro Tour matches.
I give Wade a better chance here than the market does.
2024 European Darts Open R1 Tip: 1 point James Wade to win @ 2.63 with Betfred, Betfair, Betvictor
Mike de Decker vs. Luke Woodhouse
Both players have won six of their last ten matches. Woodhouse reached the quarter finals of ET7, his best ever result on the Euro Tour, and he is looking good for making the European Championship.
De Decker does my head in. Very gifted but very inconsistent. He played in the Euro Tour qualifiers last week and hit a 105 average in one match, a 106 in the next, but lost the match to qualify with a 91. He can be absolutely anything.
Their H2H record extends to just one match, a 6-3 win for De Decker….in 2015. I didn’t realise they have been around for quite so long.
De Decker is the 1.88 favourite with Woodhouse 2.10. The odds look about right to me. No bet.
2024 European Darts Open R1 Tip: No Bet
Gabriel Clemens vs. Dirk van Duijvenbode
Both players need big runs this weekend if they are to make the Matchplay, so there is more pressure than usual on a first round match, and I am sure both would have preferred a different draw.
Dirk reached the semi-final of PC11 last week and he has been showing some better form, although far from his best. He has won six of his last ten matches and things are heading the right way. He has won just the one match on the Euro Tour this season, so we should not expect too much.
Clemens has won five of his last ten matches and his struggles in 2024 continue. His win rate is just 41%. He has played pretty well recently but a lack of confidence is making him lose more than he should.
Two players who are a bit low on confidence, but one has a recent good run under their belt. Dirk is 2-1 against Clemens, with Clemens winning their only match in 2024, 6-4 in ET3 in April. Dirk is playing better now.
This could be messy and it could be close.
2024 European Darts Open R1 Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 1.91 with Ladbrokes, Hills, Boylesports
Ryan Meikle vs. Dimitri van den Bergh
Van den Bergh, who has had a poor 2024 so far, won PC12 last week. It was a strange tournament with some big names missing. He got a fairly easy draw and played well enough, but it was not the kind of win that makes you sit up and say WOW! That said, a tournament win will boost his confidence.
The Barber, Ryan Meikle, has won six of his last ten matches, but his scoring has been light. Just three saw averages above 93 and four had sub 90s, including a sub 80.
Their H2H record is 4-3 to Dimitri, but they have not played since 2022 and never on stage before.
Van den Bergh is the 1.44 favourite, But I will take him on the handicap,
