Players Championship Saturday Afternoon

James Punt made a storming start at the Players Championship on Friday. In the afternoon session he went 5/6 and then in the evening session he fired in another flurry of winners. Let’s hope he can keep his good form going today. Check out his Players Championship Saturday Afternoon preview and free tips below.

Selected Second Round Matches

The field was whittled down to 32 yesterday and by the end of today we will be left with just eight going into the final day. There were not many surprises yesterday, Joe Cullen went down to Andy Boulton, Chris Dobey lost to William O’Connor and our long shot, Dirk van Duijvenbode lost 5-6 to Ryan Meikle, thanks to Meikle averaging 108, some 16 points better than his seasonal average.

There are 16 matches this afternoon, too many to cover in a short space of time, so I will select the ones which look to have some value opportunities.

These second-round matches are still the short best of eleven format before we move up to the best of 19 this evening.

Callan Rydz vs. James Wade

Rydz beat Mensur Suljovic 6-1, or rather he threw some darts and watched Suljovic beat himself. The Austrian averaged just 77.9 and it wasn’t a contest.

James Wade had an equally easy ride, beating Ricky Evans 6-1 and in that match, it was Evans who averaged 77.5. It was one of the worst displays of doubling you will see and eventually it rubbed off on Wade who found himself missing a lot of doubles. Wade averaged just 88.5 but it was his missed 13 doubles which did the damage.

I would expect this match to be more ‘normal’ and both Wade and Rydz playing more like themselves.

They have met just twice with Wade winning both, 0-3 in the World Championship in December and a players championship match in 2019. Rydz has improved since then and is now a two-time pro tour winner and a heavy scorer. He lacks the consistency of the top players, but his A game is top class. I am still concerned that his real target this weekend is the World Youth Championship tomorrow but if he can win this, he picks up £10k and right on the cusp of the top 32 on the OOM, so he has plenty to play for.

In a first to six format this should be close. Rydz has the scoring to match or better Wade, and he is a more accomplished and experienced player these days. There is enough value in his odds for a bet.

Players Championship Saturday Afternoon Tip: Players Championship Saturday Afternoon Tip: 1 point Callan Rydz to win @ 2.38 with Betfair

Rob Cross vs. Nathan Aspinall

This is the big test for our number one selection for the title, Rob Cross. It always was going to be a tough match, but Aspinall was one of the best performers yesterday. He beat Jeff Smith 6-2, averaged 100 and looked in very good form. A 100 average, 54% on the doubles and four 180’s it was a complete performance.

Cross beat Jermaine Wattimena 6-2, averaging 96, checking out at 40% but no 180’s. It is Cross who needs to up his game here. Their H2H record is 5-4 to Cross but Aspinall has won their last two, both this year and both close matches, 6-5 and 7-5.

The bookies can’t split them, and both can be backed at 1.95. I’ll settle of another close match and hopefully Cross to progress.

Players Championship Saturday Afternoon Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 1.91 generally available

Ryan Searle vs. Ryan Joyce

Their H2H record shows a surprising 3-0 lead for the outsider, Ryan Joyce. The form is quite old which may explain it, but it is till surprising.

Searle really struggled to beat Simon Whitlock in the opening match yesterday. Both were rubbish on the doubles and Searle was hitting them at just 26%, slightly better than his 23% in his last match at the Grand Slam. This is a ‘home’ event for Searle and it my just have been a combination of nerves and being first up on stage which made it such a poor match, but he is going to have to be a lot better on the doubles today.

Joyce beat Luke Woodhouse in another pretty poor match, and he averaged just 88 with 37% on the doubles and three 180’s. More will be required today, but Joyce is an underrated player and in a first to six leg format he is dangerous opponent. He has won seven of his last ten matches and while there have been some duff performances, there have been some really good ones.

Players Championship Saturday Afternoon Tip: 1 point Ryan Joyce to win @ 2.80 with Betfair

Gary Anderson vs. Ryan Meikle

Too many Ryans. This one ended Duijvenbode’s chances in the deciding leg of the best match of the day last night. Both players were averaging well over the ton and credit to Meikle, he was pulling out the big shots when he needed them. For a player that had lost seven of his last ten, it was a surprisingly good performance. Can he do it again? Probably not.

It was a one in a hundred kind of performance and he is unlikely to be able to match it, but what he did do was to slow the pace of the match down. The Aubergenius is a quick player and he had to play at a snail’s pace. To be fair, he kept his standard of play up, but will Gary Anderson?

Anderson likes everything to be just right, and he expects opponents to play just the way he wants, which is quickly. If not, he gets all het up and thinks they are cheating. If Meikle does the same thing and doesn’t let Anderson bully him, he has a decent chance of winning. Anderson has lost his second round matches here in three of his last five attempts.

Players Championship Saturday Afternoon Tip: 1 point Ryan Meikle to win @ 3.20 with Skybet, BET365

Damon Heta vs. Gabriel Clemens

Clemens fell over the line against Steve Beaton yesterday, blowing a big lead and was taken to a deciding leg. The crowd were on his back which didn’t help but he nearly blew it. He was just 21% on the doubles and he has been a bit cold in that department recently.

Their H2H record is 2-1 to Heta, all three played this year. The Aussie beat Steve Lennon 6-2 and while it wasn’t a great performance it was a win and a nerve settler. The Aussie is the 1.75 favourite which looks about right.

Both players are good 180 hitters, Heta ranked ninth and Clemens seventeenth for 180’s per leg. The bookmakers reckon this match should go to about nine legs (past scores 6-3,6-4, 6-4) and in their previous three matches there have been 6, 9 and 7 180’s hit.

Players Championship Saturday Afternoon Tip: 1 point over 5.5 180’s @ 1.91 with Ladbrokes

Gerwyn Price vs. Martin Schindler

A repeat of last week’s Grand Slam match which Schindler won 5-4. OK it was a meaningless match as Schindler was out and price already through to the knockout phase, but it was a good performance by the German, and he carried that through to his match against Ian White yesterday. It was good match, White played well, but Schindler did the right things at the right time and looked mentally tough.

Gerwyn Price didn’t impress in his 6-3 win over Jason Lowe. He averaged just 89.7 and while he is unlikely to play as poorly today, it was an under-par performance.

Price is the 1.25 favourite and Schindler 4.50. Their H2H record is 5-3 to Price and backing Schindler at 4.50 is tempting but I’ll choose to back it being a fairly close match without having to pick the winner.

Players Championship Saturday Afternoon Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 2.37 with Ladbrokes

Ross Smith vs. Luke Humphries

Smudger Smith is in good form and when he is playing well, he is a player to pay attention to. He is very streaky, and plays in spells and he seems to be in a good spell of form right now. He is scoring better than Humphries has been recently.

Humphries laboured to a 6-4 win over Jason Heaver last night, despite Heaver averaging just 84. Cool Hand will have to be playing better today if he is to see off Smith. They have only met twice in ‘real’ darts and it is 1-1.

Players Championship Saturday Afternoon Tip: 1 point Ross Smith to win @ 2.15 with Betfair

Dimitri van den Bergh vs. Danny Noppert

Both players put in great performances yesterday and looked in very good form. Picking the winner is difficult as they both impressed with very convincing displays. The bookies make Van den Bergh the favourite because he is the higher ranked player, but Noppert is a player on the rise, growing in confidence and playing some great darts. He has hit a ton plus in four of his last six matches and looks a different player on stage to what he did even a few months ago. He has had to grow up off the oche and he is growing up on it.

This could go either way, but the value lies with the Dutchman. Their previous two matches have been very one sided, but this looks like it could be close.

Players Championship Saturday Afternoon Tip: 1 point Danny Noppert to win @ 2.50 with Boylesports, Ladbrokes, Skybet

Players Championship Saturday Afternoon Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 2.00 generally available

Jose de Sousa vs. Darius Labanauskas

The Special One laboured to a 6-4 win over Devon Petersen last night and it was another underwhelming performance. De Sousa is one of the games heaviest scorers but in his last six matches he has averaged 93.2 which is nothing special.

Labanauskas is not a great player, but he is a tricky opponent. He beat Merv King 6-4 in a good match with both averaging 99. He may not be able to hit those heights today, but he may not need to.

De Sousa is 6-1 in the H2H’s and won their last five matches, but he just looks very flat right now and the value lies with Lucky D.

Players Championship Saturday Afternoon Tip: 1 point Labanauskas to win @ 3.40 with Skybet

-JamesPunt