Wednesday Evening Grand Slam Of Darts Preview

James Punt was 1/1 on Tuesday night with Cullen to win and hit the most 180s and Wright to hit the most 180s at odds of 2.93. We move into the knockout stages tonight and James is hoping to do more damage. Check out his Wednesday Evening Grand Slam of Darts tips and preview below.

Ryan Joyce vs. Rob Cross

The last time these two met was just over two weeks ago and it ended with a 6-5 win for Rob Cross. Their career H2H record is 3-2 to Cross. Their respective tournament stats are very similar. Both have averaged 98, both have hit six 180’s and Joyce’s checkout rate is 45% to Cross’s 41%.

Joyce’s performances have been less consistent. His first two matches saw averages of 98 and 108 but he went AWOL in his third match, losing 3-5 to Chris Dobey and averaging just 89.

Cross on the other hand has improved his average round by round, 96.97 and 101. He too lost his third match but to be fair, he lost to James Wade who averaged 111.7. The only thing Cross did wrong was miss five of seven doubles and needless to say he can’t afford to do that against anyone.

Nothing In It

Joyce has won seven of his last ten matches, Cross six and on paper there isn’t much to separate the two. Except a lot more experience in Major Championships. Cross has reached six major finals and won four, including last month’s European Championship. On a more worrying side, he has played in four Grand Slam second round matches and won just one. This stage of the tournament has been a bad one for Cross.

Ryan Joyce hasn’t enjoyed much success in majors. His best result was to reach the quarter final of the 2018 World Championship. In ranked majors, his record is played 25 won 11.

Rob Cross is the 1.40 favourite, Joyce the 3.25 outsider. Given their H2H form and recent form, Cross looks a bit short. These second round matches are best of 19 legs and the longer format tends to favour the better players, which Cross is here. Their previous matches have all been best of eleven, two have gone to a deciding leg but the other three 6-2 or 6-1. Not much of a guide from that.

We have backed Cross for the tournament so hopefully he gets through this, but I expect Joyce will make him work hard for it.

Wednesday Evening Grand Slam of Darts tips: 1 point over 16.5 legs @ 2.00 with Hills, Skybet, Betfair

James Wade vs. Rowby-John Rodriguez

James Wade destroyed Rob Cross in his last match, averaging 111.7. That is exceptional by anyone’s standards but especially so for Wade, a player not regarded as a heavy scorer but a deadly finisher. The stats back that up as only 14% of his last 50 matches saw him average over a ton. His 12 month average is 95.7 which is still very competitive. Wade has checked out at 48.6% and hit six 180’s at 0.26 per leg.

Rowby-John Rodriguez also finished his group matches with a big performance, beating Stephen Bunting 5-1 and averaging 104.8. His tournament stats show a 99.8 average, 42.5% checkout rate and he has hit seven 180’s at 0.35 per leg.

Wade Dominant in H2H

There isn’t much between these two in terms of tournament stats but their H2H record is 6-0 to Wade. Or at least that is what the database says, but I can find no evidence of them ever playing, so I am taking that with a large pinch of salt.

A bit like Ryan Joyce in the first match, Rowby-John has played just 21 major matches and won just eight. Wade on the other hand has played around three hundred. He has played 68 Grand Slam matches and won 45. That is an impressive win rate, but he has played thirteen second round matches and won just four.

Wade is the 1.47 favourite, Rodriguez 2.75. This is a match where it is hard to find any edge. Wade should win and that is reflected in his odds, but he is not a rock solid proposition, he rarely is, while Rodriguez is not very experienced and blows very hot and cold himself. No bet.

Gerwyn Price vs. Bradley Brooks

Another match with a very experienced player going up against a youngster with little top-flight experience. Bradley Brooks is the World Youth Champion, Gerwyn Price the World Champion. Brooks is just starting out on his darting career while Price has reached the very pinnacle of the sport.

So far in this tournament Gerwyn Price hasn’t exactly dazzled. He has averaged 96.67 compared to his 12-month average of 99.3. His checkout rate is 39.8% and he has hit just three 180’s at a rate of 0.13 per leg. He was quite lucky to get through the group, having been taken to the wire by Nathan Rafferty and beaten by Martin Schindler. We know Price has gears and we have seen him labour through a tournament only to suddenly find his A-game and lift the trophy. He may need to do that this evening.

Lacks Firepower

Brooks lacks the firepower to live with Price. His tournament average is 90.3, better than his 12-month average of 87.2 but still not good. His checkout rate is 47% and he has hit seven 180’s at 0.32 per leg. He has taken his chances well, but he got a free pass vs. Merv King, played well against Clayton but ultimately lost 3-5, before beating Rusty Jake Rodriguez 5-3 in a low quality match.

Price is lucky he isn’t facing Merv King or Johnny Clayton this evening or there would be a good chance he would be heading home. Against an inexperienced Brooks in a longer format match, he can bring his greater scoring power to bare and win the match. Brooks is free rolling and has no pressure on him, but his chances are reflected in his odds of 8.00. They have only played once before and that was on the remote Home Tour.

In a first to five leg format Price could have been in trouble here, but this longer match plays to his strengths. His odds are prohibitive at just 1.10 and the handicap markets mean giving Brooks a +5.5 leg lead before Price becomes odds against. Price beat Josh Payne 10-5 at this stage of the tournament in 2018 and a repeat of that kind of score line would not be a surprise.

Wednesday Evening Grand Slam of Darts tips: 0.5 point Price to win 10-5 @ 7.00 with Betfred, Skybet

Wednesday Evening Grand Slam of Darts tips: 0.5 point Price to win 10-4 @ 6.50 with Betfred

Jonny Clayton vs. Nathan Rafferty

And another elite player vs. a youngster match up. Rafferty is right up against it here as Clayton is playing well and doing so consistently. The Ferret is averaging 101.4, better than his 12-month average of 98.7. His checkout rate is an encouraging 48.4% and he has hit nine 180s at 0.36 per leg.

Rafferty’s tournament average is 90.2, better than his 12-month average of just 84.1. His checkout rate is 43.9% and he has hit just two 180’s at a rate of 0.08 per leg. He took his chances well against Ratajski the other night, but he was handed those chances and Clayton is much less likely to be handing out many chances, he is just too good.

Much like the previous match, the less experienced player has done well to get this far and can play without fear, but the difference in scoring power here is vast.

Jonny Clayton is the 1.10 favourite and like Price he has to give up 5.5 legs to get an odds against price. Rafferty has beaten Clayton once before, but this is a different kettle of fish. Clayton is in top form and comfortable winning on the big stage. Clayton is a good enough price to play on the -4.5 leg handicap.

Wednesday Evening Grand Slam of Darts tips: 2 points Jonny Clayton to win -4.50 legs @ 1.75 with Ladbrokes

-JamesPunt