It feels like an age since the last big Euro Darts Darts tournament. The Premier League of darts has taken centre stage the past few weeks, but this weekend sees the first renewal of the brand spanking new Belgian Darts Championship. All the big names will be in action (bar Gary Anderson) and it should be a cracking event. James Punt has previewed the tournament, check out his free Belgian Darts Championship tips below…

Belgian Darts Championship Tips by James Punt

The 2020 European Tour kicks off with a brand-new tournament, the Belgian Darts Championship. As usual there is no Gary Anderson but we are also missing Daryl Gurney and Dave Chisnall this weekend as they have decided to take some time out.

As usual Michael van Gerwen heads the betting as the 3.00 favourite, a price that you would not have seen in 2019. The reason? The competition has gotten stronger. Van Gerwen changed his darts after the World Championship which may have unsettled him a little but he is still playing at a very high level. Van Gerwen is averaging 99 across the first six players championship events and 102 in the Premier League (before Thursdays matches in Dublin).

Belgian Darts Championship Tips: No Cakewalk For MVG

The problem isn’t his new darts, it is that his opponents are stepping up to the plate and beating him. His last tournament win was last November in the Players Championship Finals. Since then he has lost three finals, the World Championship to Peter Wright, player’s championship 3 to Ryan Searle and player’s championship 6 last weekend to Gerwyn Price.

He has also lost matches to Brendan Dolan, Jamie Hughes, Danny Noppert, Nathan Aspinall and Christian Bunse. Again, to put that into context, he has played 33 matches and won 25. That’s a 75% win rate, which not exactly shabby.

Snakebite The Form pick

Arguably, well not arguably, its just a fact, the best player on recent form is Peter Wright. Winning the World Championship was only his second major title, but he has picked up the winning habit and he won the Masters at the start of February and Player’s championship 5 last weekend.  Nobody has won more matches this year and Wright has played 42 matches and won 35, a win rate of 83.3%. He also has a very good European Tour record, winning six titles, five of them in 2017 when he was also in great form. It’s hard not to see Wright winning more titles in Europe this season, especially when we get to Germany.

Van Gerwen and Peter Wright are in the top half of the draw so they cannot met in the final. Also in the top half we have Michael Smith, Rob Cross, Krzysztof Ratajski and Glen Durrant amongst others and that is the toughest half of the draw.

Can White Deliver?

The Bottom half sees Ian White as the number two seed and it also features in-form Nathan Aspinall and the other big form player of 2020 so far, Gerwyn Price.

White has been scoring very well in the players championship events, averaging 100.3, just shy of Peter Wrights incredible 101.4. White has the reputation as a master of floor tournaments, but he picked up two Euro Tour titles in 2019 and one in 2018. He is in decent form, winning seven of his last ten matches and was runner up to Ratajski in PC 4 a couple of weeks ago.

Gerwyn Price was majestic when beating MVG in the final of PC 6 last Sunday. He has started to get a winning habit against his old nemesis. After 18 straight defeats, he has won two of their last three matches and Price fears no one. He is in great form, winning 13 of his last 14 matches (before Thursdays PL match). His only defeat was to the King of the Hill, Peter Wright in the final of PC5. He has averaged over the ton in seven of last ten matches and he looks like another player who will be adding to his two Euro Tour titles.

Belgian Darts Championship Tips: Dark Horses

Of the unseeded players who will play in the first round on Friday we have a few interesting outsiders who might have a good run. Danny Noppert has been playing well in the players championship events, averaging 96.2 and winning seven of his last ten. Sadly for him he has been drawn in the same quarter as Peter Wright. While he should get past his local qualifier in the first round and very probably Jermaine Wattimena in the second, he looks set to face Wright in the third

Steve Lennon had a poor 2019, the World Cup of Darts aside, but he has started 2020 by putting in some eye-catching performances. He too has won seven of his last ten and is averaging 96.3 in the players championship. His three defeats have all been in deciding legs and he has definitely got the bit between his teeth. He has reached the final in a Euro Tour event in the past (2018 Dutch Darts Masters, losing 5-8 to MVG).

Gabriel Clemens has been winning plenty of matches without being very consistent scoring wise but if he starts stringing more of his heavy scoring matches together, he is another outsider who can win titles. However, he has been hitting ton plus averages one minute and sub 90 the next which won’t do at this level.

Pressure Getting To Searle

Ryan Searle won his first pro tour title a couple of weeks ago, beating the likes of Michael Smith, Gerwyn Price, Glen Durrant and MVG in the final. That is how good he can be, but it must be said that his scoring has deserted him since winning that title.  He looks to be suffering from mental let down. Searle doesn’t have a lot of Euro Tour experience and his best run was a quarter final appearance in 2018.

Luke Humphries is the World Youth Champion and reached the quarter final of the World Championship in December. He has been putting in some big averages but still losing too many matches, five from his last ten. Humpries lacks any great experience in the Euro Tour, but he is a player that the seeds will be hoping to avoid. He looks set to face Michael Smith in the second round if he can get past a local qualifier on Friday.

Another player who is scoring very heavily is Dirk van Duijvenbode. He has been around a while and not really progressed, but he has been playing some good stuff in the players championship events, reaching the semi-final of PC2. Van Duijvenboode has lost last four matches in a row but that was to MVG, Glen Durrant twice and Gary Anderson and the gave Durrant and Anderson a tough time. He is averaging 96 in the players championship and is another player who could upset a seed or two.

Belgian Darts Championship Tips: Outright Selections

Peter Wright remains the man to beat. Nobody is winning more matches nor scoring as well. He is a proven Euro Tour winner and full of confidence.

Belgian Darts Championship Tips: 2 points Peter Wright to win @ 6.50 with Sportingbet

Gerwyn Price is in the slightly easier looking bottom half of the draw. Jamie Hughes could be a potential banana skin in the third round but Hughes apart, Price looks to have a decent path to the quarter final.

Belgian Darts Championship Tips: 1 point e/w Gerwyn Price to win @ 7.50 with Betvictor (1/2 the 0dds 1-2)

Steve Lennon looks a good price given his recent upturn in form. If he can beat Rowby-John Rodriguez in the first round, and he should, he faces James Wade who hasn’t really impressed for a while, despite reaching the quarter final of PC6 last weekend.

Belgian Darts Championship Tips: 0.25 point e/w Steve Lennon to win @ 111.00 with Betfair, Paddy Power

Match betting will be posted on the TXODDS app over the weekend, starting with selected first round matches on Friday.

-JamesPunt