Saturday Afternoon European Darts Open Tips – JP
Saturday Afternoon European Darts Open Preview
It was a tricky evening for James Punt yesterday but we at least finished with a couple of decent winners. Hopefully we can build on that today, check out his Saturday Afternoon European Darts Open preview and tips below.
Damon Heta vs. Andy Boulton
Boulton put in a good performance when beating Luke Woodhouse in yesterday’s first round, averaging 98.4 with a checkout rate of 48%. Something similar to that and we have a contest, and perhaps a surprise.
Heta is struggling in 2023. A seasonal win rate of 48% is alarming and most recently he has lost five of his last ten matches. One of his wins came against Boulton just six days ago, when he edged out a 6-5 win in PC7. Boulton had a dire day on the doubles with a checkout rate of just 26%. He does have a tendency to struggle on the outer ring with 22% of his last 50 matches seeing a checkout rate of less than 30%.
Heta Edges H2H
Their H2H record is 4-3 to Heta and they have played five best of eleven leg matches, three of which went to a deciding leg. Heta has a decent record in his opening matches in the Euro Tour. He has played 18 and won 11. He is the better player, a heavier scorer, but not in good form. We haven’t seen much of his heavy scoring in 2023, but he is still averaging 94.2, compared to 89.4 for Boulton.
Heta is the 1.50 favourite with Boulton 3.00. There is some value in Boulton’s odds, especially if he can repeat yesterday’s performance, but if he could do that on a regular basis, he would still have a tour card. Heta should win. Boulton’s experience on the Euro Tour is mostly a while ago and he has lost half of his eight second round matches. That said, Heta is not at his best and if Boulton can stick in a put up some resistance, he could make a match of it.
Saturday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 2.05 with Boylesports
Rob Cross vs. Ryan Joyce
This is a very similar situation as the match above. Rob Cross is not in good form, losing six of his last ten matches (and five of his last six). He lost his opening match of ET1 5-6 to Martijn Dragt and Joyce is a much more formidable opponent.
Joyce is in poor form himself but dragged out a proper performance to beat Jermaine Wattimena 4-6 yesterday. We were on Wattimena and it was a case of sods law that Joyce found his scoring boots, averaging 99.6 with four 180’s. He was very relieved to have won and he nearly let a big lead slip out of his hands. That is a sign that he knows he is struggling.
Their H2H record is 5-2 to Cross. Their last match was a 6-4 win to Cross in ET13 last September. Something similar today? Quite possibly.
Cross is the 1.44 favourite with Joyce 3.00. Neither player in in good form, but two of Joyce’s last three matches have seen a 99 average, so maybe he is turning a corner. I will take the same route as the match above and hope that we get a close match.
Saturday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 2.10 with Betvictor
Dave Chisnall vs. Jim Williams
Chisnall was playing some fantastic darts at the recent Euro Tour events, hitting seven ton plus averages across his nine matches, with a low of 94. He was the winner of ET1 and has won two of the last three Euro Tour events.
Williams averaged 93.9 in his 6-2 win over John Henderson. It was a decent performance but he was greatly helped by Henderson’s poor performance on the outer ring. Williams has won six of his last ten but yesterday’s win ended a four match losing run.
Chizzy is the 1.44 favourite, Williams 2.75. We have backed Chisnall outright which is enough interest for me.
Saturday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: No Bet
Dirk van Duijvenbode vs. Ted Evetts
Super Ted beat Jose de Sousa 6-0 yesterday, averaging 98 and checking out at 54%. De Sousa is struggling and low on confidence, but it was a good performance from the talented but under achieving Evetts. He has won five of his last ten matches and is hard to pin down performance wise.
Dirk will be a much tougher opponent. He has won eight of his last ten matches and has already won two players championship titles in 2023. He is playing better than ever and is another of our outright selections.
They have met three times, the last match saw a 6-5 win for Evetts in a Euro Tour event back in 2021. Dirk won the other two matches but they in 2020 and 2017.
Dirk is the better player and in great form. He is the 1.30 favourite and his superior firepower will be hard for Evetts to resist.
Saturday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: 1 point Dirk van Duijvenbode to win -2.5 legs @ 2.10 with Paddy Power
Joe Cullen vs. Ross Smith
Smith averaged 100 in his 6-0 win over Rupprechts last night. He has won nine of his last ten matches and while he hasn’t been quite at his best, he has got a winning habit. He was excellent on his doubles yesterday, checking out at 75%.
Joe Cullen has lost five of his last ten matches and he has been very inconsistent, which makes him hard to call. Half of his last ten matches have seen sub 90 averages but the rest are around the 95+ range. He will need to be nearer his best today.
Their H2H record is 7-6 to Cullen and 2-1 on the Euro Tour. The tide is turning with Smith winning three of their last four matches and six of the last ten. They last met in last year’s European Championship finals which Smith won 6-4 and he went on to win the title.
Saturday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: 1 point Ross Smith to win @ 1.83 with SpreadEx
Jonny Clayton vs. Ryan Meikle
Meikle put in one of his best performances when beating Nico Kurz 6-2. He averaged 100 and will be hard to beat if he keeps that up. It was his first ton plus average in 22 matches so expecting a repeat might be a little optimistic.
Their H2H record is 5-2 to Jonny Clayton and he is the 1.44 favourite. The Ferret is not in good form, losing six of his last ten matches and he averaged just 80.9 when losing to Price on Thursday night.
It is hard to back a player at short odds who has lost six of his last ten, but His B game would usually be enough to beat Meikle. No bet.
Saturday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: No Bet
Danny Noppert vs. Chris Dobey
Credit to Dobey. He showed no signs of fatigue when beating Kuivenhoven 6-2, but it must be said that Kuivenhoven was really poor on the doubles, hitting just two from 15.
Noppert is not in great form, losing five of his last ten matches. He has got a good B game and he will likely give Dobey a proper match.
Their H2H record is 2-2, both are averaging 95 over the last 12 months and this looks like the proverbial coin toss. All four of their matches have been over 9.5 legs and another close one would be no surprise.
Saturday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs with Hills, Ladbrokes, Boylesports
Ryan Searle vs. Stephen Bunting
Bunting beat Daryl Gurney 6-5 in a low scoring affair. Both players averaged under 90 and Bunting was only 29% on his doubles. He will have to find his A game against one of the form players of 2023.
We have backed Searle outright and while he could have hoped for an easier 2nd round match, he should justify odds of 1.80.
Their H2H record is 3-2 to Bunting but they haven’t played since October 2021. The outright bet is enough interest for me in this match.
