Sunday Afternoon European Darts Open Tips and Preview

James Punt fired in three more winners on Saturday evening, including a 4.50 shot. We are back in action in Leverkusen today, check out James Punt’s Sunday Afternoon European Darts Open preview and tips below.

Gerwyn Price vs. Nathan Aspinall

Gerwyn Price overcame Luke Woodhouse 6-4 yesterday. Woodhouse wasn’t able to reproduce his stunning form from Friday, not surprisingly, but he gave Price a game. Price averaged 91.3, so it wasn’t classic Price, but he looked OK.

Nathan Aspinall beat Karel Sedlacek 6-2 and it wasn’t vintage Aspinall, but as he said himself, his treble hitting lately has been poor, but his finishing top class. If you can’t have both, best to have the finishing, at least against modest scorers.

It is fair to say that neither player is at their best. Both have been dealing with injury and both are now on the comeback trail. Their scoring is well short of what we have become used to, but they are both top operators. The big difference is that Aspinall is on a very impressive winning run, losing just one of his last twelve matches despite scoring averages nearer 90 than 100 most of the time.

Premier League Problems

Gerwyn Price on the other hand has lost six of his last ten but he has been playing six of those matches in the Premier League. You are very exposed if you are not at your best at that level. What was different about Price yesterday, was that he enjoyed playing in front of a crowd that didn’t give him a hard time. The Premier League is more of an ordeal to be endured, especially when not playing his best.

In terms of standard of play and form, while Aspinall’s looks better, there is nothing between them. This is all about who can get the most out of their post injury game. Their H2H record is 11-7 to Price but if we look a bit closer there are some hints.

Prices Edges Recent H2H

Their last two meetings have both been on the Euro Tour, both semi-finals and Price won both 7-3. Their previous four matches were all stage matches and Aspinall won three, Price one. The only one that Price won was in the World Series Finals, and that was held in……Amsterdam. All of his defeats came in the Premier League, and The Grand Slam. Those are all played in England. With most of those matches played behind closed doors, the crowd factor doesn’t come into it so much, but Price does play well in Europe, closed doors or not.

He has won five Euro Tour titles, a World Cup and a World Series all in Europe. He won PC7 last month, in Germany. The majority of his titles will have been won in the UK, but that is because most of them are held in the UK. It should be said that of his major titles, three were won behind closed doors.

Asp Needs The Crowd

It would seem that Price plays his best either with a ‘friendly’ crowd, or no crowd at all. He would deny that and says he likes the buzz that a crowd gives him. The facts suggest otherwise. Today, he goes for another Euro Tour title with a friendly crowd and, in my opinion, helps him.

Aspinall on the other hand needs a crowd to get him up for the job, so both players are getting what they need.

We are on Aspinall for the title, and this is his first big test. It looks a bit of a coin toss given their mixed form of late. Price is the 1.62 favourite and Aspinall 2.60. I am happy to leave it and hope that Aspinall comes through, but if push came to shove, the value lies with Aspinall.

Sunday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: No Bet

Luke Humphries vs. Brendan Dolan

Brendan Dolan is doing me a confusion. His start to the year was dreadful, with eight straight defeats. Hie Euro Tour form was equally poor, with three first round defeats. He turned his players championship form around, reaching a quarter final and a semi-final in the last players championship event, PC13 last month.

Yesterday he got his first Euro Tour win of the season, a 6-0 win over Andrew Gilding, a player who has been in good form but who had no answer to Dolan and his 103 average. The Euro Tour stage is not his natural environment, but he will take a lot of comfort from that performance. His overall form is that he has won six of his last ten with four ton plus averages amongst them.

Luke Humphries, winner of ET3, beat Darren Penhall 6-2, averaging 99 yesterday and has won seven of his last ten matches. His H2H record with Dolan is scant with one win each.

Humphries is the 1.57 favourite, Dolan 2.50. The odds look about right but Dolan can give Humphries more of a game than the odds suggest. He gets involved in a lot of long matches and is a bit of a deciding leg merchant. The fact that his last two Euro Tour matches have ended 6-0 is very unusual and I’ll back that mini trend to end.

Sunday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 2.00 with Ladbrokes, Boylesports, Hills

Joe Cullen vs. Dirk van Duijvenbode

Cullen beat his mate Devon Petersen 6-1 yesterday. It was a facile win and no more than gentle warm up for the rest of the tournament. He has only won four of his last ten matches, but he is playing in the premier league and all his last ten have been either PL matches or Euro Tour. His form is very up and down, ton plus averages mid 90’s, sub 90, you are not sure what’s coming.

Dirk van Duijvenbode also beat his mate, Maik Kuivenhoven 6-1 yesterday, so for both players, the real tournament starts here. Dirk has won seven of his last ten and he won PC12 a month ago. He has played ten ET matches in 2022 and won six. Like Cullen, his form has been a bit in and out, but there have been more big averages and fewer blips.

Their H2H form is 5-2 to Duijvenbode but most of that form is old and their only match in 2022 was a 6-3 win for Cullen.

Joe Cullen is the 1.80 favourite and Dirk 2.10. Again the odds look right and we are on Van Duijvenbode for the tournament. It is a hard call and I’ll sit this one out a hope that Dirk does the job.

Sunday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: No Bet

Michael van Gerwen vs. Jonny Clayton

MVG averaged 113 when beating Daryl Gurney 6-3 yesterday. Superchin was 3-2 up and missed a double twelve to nearly steal a leg after MVG had missed a nine darter. That was the match over. It was one of his best performances for some time, not messing up big doubles and operating at his best level.

Jonny Clayton beat Rowby-John Rodriguez 6-3 in a standard win. He averaged 96.8 and was in cruise mode. He said afterwards that he was sick of playing Van Gerwen and he meant it in the sense that they have played no less than seven times in 2022, six of them in the premier league. Jonny has won four, MVG three. The Ferret has won the last three, 6-5,6-5,6-3.

These are two of the best players in the world, I’ll say that Clayton is better at the moment, but it is a fluid situation.

MVG is the 2.00 favourite with Clayton 2.10. I would say it’s hard to make either the favourite but Clayton would be mine. When he wins, it tends to be close and I’ll have a small bet on him to make it their third 6-5 in four matches.

Sunday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: 0.5 point Clayton to win 6-5 @ 7.50 with Betfair, Hills

Scott Williams vs. Josh Rock

MVG vs. Clayton is merely the appetiser for the BIG match. The two newcomers have been the stars of the show so far. Rock continues to impress with his performance, while Williams dazzles with his pants and taking it to the wire wins.

Rock has only dropped two legs from his first two matches and is averaging a shade under a ton. He beat Ratajski 6-2 yesterday and Ratajski played well, averaging 98 .7. Williams beat world number 1 Peter Wright 6-4 but it was another duff performance by Wright and Williams 84.9 average should have been punished.

Rock is, quite rightly, the 1.44 favourite and I’ll take him to cover the handicap.

Sunday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: 2 points Josh Rock to win -1.5 legs @ 1.83 with Betfair

Dimitri van den Bergh vs. Martin Schindler

Schindler beat Rob Cross 6-4 in a strange match where he started well, lost the plot, but rallied to take the match. It’s fair to say that the crowd played their part and will try and do so again, but it’s Sunday afternoon, so it will be a more family, less pissed up crowd.

Dimitri had no problem beating Cameron Menzies 6-1 in a routine win. That was his fifth win from his last ten and while he isn’t in top form, he is playing well enough. Schindler has won seven of his last ten and is looking like his first PDC title isn’t far away.

The problem is that Van den Bergh is the much more accomplished player, and he has less pressure on his shoulders. Schindler really wants to win and that can be against him. 

This is another match where we have backed one of the players for the tournament and I will be happy to hope that The Wall can play his best and get the win, but it looks very open.

Sunday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: No Bet

Jose de Sousa vs. James Wade

A match between two management stable mates and one player, James Wade in great form, and the other, not.

Jose got a win yesterday, beating Dennis Nilsson 6-5. Nilsson is no James Wade, and he was getting outscored but De Sousa mad a meal of it. His confidence is low, and Wade will take advantage of that. Wade is playing with the elite week in week out and has won seven of his last ten.

Their H2H record is 2-2 with a PL draw, but they haven’t played for over a year and Wades form has really picked up while De Sousa’s has dropped off.

Wade is the 1.67 favourite, De Sousa 2.38, but I’ll take Wade to cover the handicap.

Sunday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: 1 point Wade to win -1.5 legs @ 2.00 with Ladbrokes, Sporting Index, BET365

Ryan Searle vs. Dave Chisnall

Searle got a welcome Euro Tour win beating Kciuk 6-2. It was hardly a surprise. Kciuk doesn’t have the fire power to live with Searle, especially when he averages 102.

Chisnall averaged 100.9 when beating Damon Heta 6-4. It was another first fence fall for Heta on the Euro Tour and he continues to play well but is finding converting that into long runs and tournament wins.

Their H2H record is 2-2 but they have only met once in the last four years, Searle winning 7-4 in a players championship semi-final last year.

Both players have won six of their last ten matches and I find this a hard match to call. The market makes Searle the 1.80 favourite, Chizzy 2.10 and while there might be a bit of value in Chizzy, they are hard to separate.

Sunday Afternoon European Darts Open Tip: No bet

That is all from this weekend. The Miami GP beckons.

-JamesPunt