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August8August 9, 2019

2019 Brisbane Darts Masters Betting Tips

The PDC pick up their popular World Series of Darts tour again this week as they play the first of three Antipodean stops with week one in Brisbane, Australia. Following this week’s event at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC), the action will then head over to Melbourne Arena in — wait for it — Melbourne on August 16 through 17, before crossing the Tasman Sea to Hamilton’s Claudelands Arena for the New Zealand Darts Masters on August 23 and 24.

So far this series we have seen Nathan Aspinall win in Las Vegas to take home the US Darts Masters and Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright scoop the German Darts Masters and the Brisbane Darts Masters is sure to offer more of the same.

Made up of 16 players in total – 8 PDC professionals and 8 Oceanic Representatives – ITV4’s coverage of the Brisbane Darts Masters will not be broadcast live due to Brisbane being 10 hours ahead of the UK. Instead, live action can be streamed through the PDC itself, while delayed coverage will be going out from 20.00 GMT both nights.

A look at this years Brisbane Darts Masters

In 2018, when Rob Cross won the inaugural event in Brisbane, Australia had three representatives who made it as far as the quarter-finals. Kyle Anderson was on a PDC invite and was joined by wildcard Corey Cadby and DPA World Series Order of Merit qualifier Raymond Smith. While none of the Aussies made it to the last four, there were some impressive performances along the way, not least when Smith thrashed Michael Smith 6-1.

This year, Simon Whitlock is a homegrown PDC representative, while Corey Cadby is once again a wild card and is again joined by Kyle Anderson who will play Peter Wright first. There will also be debuts for local stars James Bailey, Haupai Puha, Koha Kokiri, Brendon McCausland and Ben Robb. Whitlock will actually begin his campaign against McCausland who once tattooed his arm.

As for the PDC, Michael van Gerwen, Rob Cross, Gary Anderson, Daryl Gurney, Peter Wright, James Wade, Simon Whitlock and Raymond van Barneveld will all be making an appearance down under so there are plenty to consider when making your picks.

It’s also worth noting that Aussie pair Simon Whitlock and Kyle Anderson, along with big Dutch Barney, all competed in a Players Championship event in Germany over the weekend before making their way to Australia. Damon Heta, on the other hand, won the Australian Open event staged by Darts Australia as he warmed up in style for the World Series.

Betting wise, world number one and Dutch darting phenomenon Michael van Gerwen, who opens up against Ben Robb, will be keen to show a dominant performance after a disappointing World Matchplay campaign. The online bookmakers Betway reckon on Mighty Mike as the favourite, placing an 11/8 price on his head. This event does provide the Dutchman with a massive bounce-back opportunity. Its fast-paced format means he only needs four victories to raise the trophy, something that won’t faze him whatsoever, so this price is unlikely to be bettered elsewhere.

MVG’s early elimination in Blackpool offered the opportunity for others to gain some wins along with some confidence heading into this series. No one does this apply to more than Matchplay champion and world number two Rob Cross. Voltage overcame some incredible tests against Daryl Gurney and Stephen Bunting as well as a near fightback attempt from Michael ‘Bully Boy’ Smith in what was otherwise a disappointing final. The last time Cross won a major, his form dipped for a while, but now he is older and more experienced this time around. Don’t be surprised to see his good form continue, in which case the 5/1 offered feels very generous indeed. James Bailey will provide the first test for Voltage.

Peter Wright is another man in good form with a string of recent successes on the PDC tour including a win in the recent German Darts Masters. He has rightly been installed as the second favourite and can be picked up for 5/1. Gary Anderson is still working his way up to full form following a lengthy layoff that saw him miss the Darts Premier League a few months ago, but bettors could still profit from his 7/1 price tag especially if he gets off to the perfect start against former world youth champion Corey Cadby on Friday.

Daryl Gurney (12/1), James Wade (14/1) and Raymond van Barneveld (50/1) are the rest of the PDC representatives on show in Brisbane, save for local hero Simon ‘The Wizard’ Whitlock (33/1), who always saves his best for back home. As for the rest of the Aussies on show, Corey Cadby looks to be the standout which is reflected in the betting where Betway have priced him at 28/1, just ahead of Kyle Anderson’s 33/1 with the same sportsbook.

Damon Heta (100/1), Haupai Puha (150/1), Koha Kokiri (150/1), Ben Robb (200/1), James Bailey (200/1) and Brendan McCausland (250/) bring up the field.

PDC Representatives: Michael van Gerwen, Rob Cross, Gary Anderson, Daryl Gurney, Peter Wright, James Wade, Simon Whitlock, Raymond van Barneveld

Oceanic Representatives: Kyle Anderson, Corey Cadby, Damon Heta, James Bailey, Ben Robb, Haupai Puha, Koha Kokiri, Brendon McCausland

Brisbane Darts Masters Schedule of play

Friday, August 9 (Best of 11 legs)

Raymond van Barneveld v Haupai Puha
Daryl Gurney v Koha Kokiri
James Wade v Damon Heta
Simon Whitlock v Brendon McCausland
Rob Cross v James Bailey
Michael van Gerwen v Ben Robb
Gary Anderson v Corey Cadby
Peter Wright v Kyle Anderson

Saturday, August 10 (Best of 15 legs)

Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final

QUICK GLANCE AT The Brisbane Darts Masters

Venue: BCEC, Brisbane
Dates: Friday 09.08.2019 – Saturday 10.08.2019
Format: First round, best of 11 legs, QF, SF, F, best of 15 legs
Current Champion: Rob Cross
Where To Watch: ITV 4
When To Watch: (08.30 GMT PDC TV & delayed coverage on ITV 4 from 20.00 GMT)

August5August 5, 2019

Rob Cross Wins 2019 World Matchplay Darts

By Peter FryersIn

Darts Betting Tips

Rob ‘Voltage’ Cross picked up his second ever major title on Sunday when he beat Michael Smith 18-13 in the final of the World Matchplay Darts in Blackpool. The 2018 world champion has now landed the two biggest prizes in the sport, becoming only the ninth ever winner of the Matchplay and the fourth player to win both, despite having only turned professional three years ago.

The final was another low-quality affair with Smith starting poorly and allowing Voltage to race into a huge 9-0 lead, threatening Blackpool’s biggest ever final victory when in 2009 Phil Taylor destroyed Terry Jenkins 16-4.

A look back at Cross’s 2019 World Matchplay Darts win

While this wasn’t the fitting climax that what was otherwise an excellent week’s darts, the crowd were soon to be suitably entertained as another epic comeback was on the cards. When Bully Boy finally got his first leg on the board, he was greeted with a chorus of ironic cheers before clawing the match back to 11-4.

Bully Boy managed to stop Cross running away with an uncontested – if inevitable – victory by landing a 147 checkout plus legs of 12, 13 and 12 to follow. Following the break, Smith managed to land an 11-darter which reduced the deficit still further to 14-11. A brilliant save from Cross, checking out from 110 when Smith had only 16 left, in the next helped to nip Smith’s momentum though. Had Bully Boy got the chance to shot for the 16 and pin it, perhaps that would have been the pivotal point of the contest.

Still, Smith managed to close the gap on his own throw to within two legs, and finally enjoying themselves, the Winter Gardens crowd began cheering Voltage’s six missed doubles. Smith, though, also wasted five of his own before pinning tops for a 20-darter that brought the game to as close as it would ever get. From here, Cross closed out the match and the title by taking down the next three legs, albeit surviving multiple bullseye shots from Smith.

Cross had himself needed to stage a dramatic comeback only 24 hours earlier against Daryl Gurney when he found himself 13-7 down only to win 17-15. In turn, what had been a great week of darts also saw Gurney star in a quarter-final epic against Peter Wright in which Superchin came out on top in a 13-16 thriller.

In the other semi-final, 28-year-old Smith, who is still seeking his first major title, saw off the challenge of MVG slayer Glen Durrant 17-10. The Bully Boy keeps on coming close and the 2018 Premier League, 2018 World Series of Darts Finals and 2019 World Championship runner-up is now 14/1 to go one better and win the World Championship of Darts at the Ally Pally, which starts in December.

For Voltage, he is celebrating his first title of any kind since the Brisbane Darts Masters in August last year. Since then, he has finished second to Nathan Aspinall at the UK Open and again to Michael van Gerwen in the Darts Premier League, a win that would have seen him complete the Triple Crown of Darts if he had beaten the Dutchman. Naturally, Mighty Mike is in the elite group of players to have won the Triple Crown of Darts that also includes Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor and Gary ‘The Flying Scotsman’ Anderson.

For now though, he can enjoy being in the same esteemed company of those who have collected the top two trophies in darts. What’s more, is that he would be the second quickest to have achieved such a feat having taken only three seasons to do so. Phil Taylor, who Cross beat in the 2018 World championship final -– a match that was Taylor’s last professional appearance — managed to achieve both titles within two years but it took Michael van Gerwen eight and Gary Anderson ten.

World Matchplay Most Titles

Phil Taylor (16)
Michael van Gerwen (2)
Rod Harrington (2)
Gary Anderson (1)
Larry Butler (1)
Peter Evison (1)
Colin Lloyd (1)
James Wade (1)
Rob Cross (1)

A look at World Darts Championship

At Betway, they still consider Michael van Gerwen to be the favourite for the World Darts Championships at the end of the year, putting an 11/8 price on his head. Value has been lost on Rob Cross though as his recent win draws his price into a still pretty decent 15/2. Gary Anderson is 9/1 to pick up his third ever World Championship, while Peter Wright is worth 12/1. Current BDO World Champion, Glen Durrant is available at 16/1, Nathan Aspinall 25/1 and Gerwyn Price 28/1. James Wade can be picked up for the same price, while Daryl Gurney is 33/1. Others, including 65-year-old Singapore star Paul Lim, who qualified through a PDC Asian Tour event over the weekend, are available at Betway.

July25July 25, 2019

Big Names Tumble In Blackpool As Peter Wright Hits Top Form

By Peter FryersIn

Darts Betting Tips

Peter Wright looks very much the man to beat as we approach tonight’s Darts World Matchplay Quarter Finals. Full of confidence following 20 straight wins, Snakebite has seen the draw open up for him – and others – after Tuesday night saw the duel eliminations of the top two seeds, Mighty Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson. While in the betting, those results leave Rob Cross and Snakebite as Betway’s new joint 11/4 tournament favourites, Wright is the player showing the best form right now and looking in his best condition for perhaps the past three years.

The Scotsman’s current good form has seen him collect three titles in succession having picked up the German Darts Masters and two Players Championship events last week. Having cruised through Monday’s round one game against Vincent van der Voort, Snakebite moved on to last night’s match against Aussie Simon Whitlock whom he calmly dismissed 11-2, while averaging over 100 for the 11th time during his recent good run of form. Note, his average of 103.01 is the best of all the remaining players in this year’s tournament.

A look at previous action

Last night’s match against the Wizard peaked with a stunning 170 checkout that allowed Wright to complete a 12-darter in the fourth leg, a score he almost bettered in the final leg when he fell just short of banking a nine-darter. The Australian, on the other hand, banked a measly average of 87.42 while reaching only five darts at doubles.

Also last night, Rob Cross saw off Polish chucker Krzysztof Ratajski 11-5 to book his spot in the Quarter Finals. Voltage joins Wright at the top of the betting and showed why as he coolly shot down the Polish Eagle. Ratajski briefly offered some kind of resistance, taking out the first two legs to take advantage of Cross’ notorious slow starts, which included a 160 checkout as part of a 12-darter. That, however, would be the last leg he would win until falling 9-2 behind.

Cross, 11/4 against the field with Betway, averaged 98.47 compared to Ratajski’s 94.54, hitting three more maximums. Unfortunately, as the one side of the draw thins out, the other side – the one that features both Snakebite and Voltage – looks likely to be the side from which the winner will come, although the two favourites can’t meet until the semis on Saturday.

Wednesday night also saw Stephen ‘Bullet’ Bunting force a comeback on Ian ‘Diamond’ White, as Diamond’s long history of televised capitulations continued. White, looking to reach the Matchplay Quarter Finals for the first time since 2015, was leading 9-4 in a race to 11 legs before the nerves set in. Beginning to wobble, White failed to make it down to a finish as Bunting took down four legs on the spin while falling just short in the next. This allowed White, who has never gone beyond the Quarter Finals of any major televised tournament, to move one away from the win. With three match darts at double 16, Diamond White lost his fizz and Bunting, who was seen packing up, returned to take the game to tie break before securing a 14-12 win.

In the night’s opener, Daryl Gurney beat Keegan Brown to reach his second-ever World Matchplay Quarter Finals. Superchin landed eight 180s compared to the Needle’s six but both were unconvincing on their doubles in a match which finished 11-9 to the Northern Irishman. Gurney, the 2017 World Grand Prix and 2018 Players Championship Finals winner, will need to improve on this display against Peter Wright on Friday night if he’s to reach the Semi-Finals, a feat he last achieved back in 2017.

Events on Tuesday night blew the tourney wide open as current BDO world champion and three-time winner Glen Durrant beat current PDC world champion and three-time winner Michael van Gerwen in an epic match that ended 13-11. Duzza only joined the PDC in January after banking his third world title in the other code, a feat that equaled Eric Bristow’s record of three successive BDO world titles.

He showed no fear up against MVG here, leading 8-5 at one point prior to the Dutchman staging a comeback to move 10-9 up, just the one leg from victory. Duzza fought back though, hitting a 112 checkout to take the contest to a tie break. Both players would waste numerous chances to put the game to bed before Durrant pinned tops to score a famous victory.

MVG wasn’t the only big name to tumble on Tuesday as the defending champion Gary Anderson was unable to get the better of the unseeded Mervyn King. Finding himself down by 8-7, King won four legs on the trot to claim a famous upset. On the same night, Michael ‘Bully Boy’ Smith came through against Max Hopp to reach the Matchplay Quarter Finals for the first time, while James ‘The Machine’ Wade needed all of his famed battling skills to make it past Mensur Suljovic 13-11 in a tie-break.

As we reach the last eight, Betway has priced the remainders as follows: Peter Wright and Rob Cross, who cannot meet in the final, are both priced at 11/4, up from Glen Durrant’s 9/2, a decent price for what would be his first PDC title proper. Not to be forgotten, Michael Smith has an 11/2 price on his head, just in from James Wade’s 7/1. Daryl Gurney is 10’s, Mervyn King is 25’s and Stephen Bunting is 28/1.

THURSDAY JULY 25

Quarter-Finals (Best of 31 legs)

Glen Durrant v James Wade
Michael Smith v Mervyn King

FRIDAY JULY 26

Quarter-Finals (Best of 31 legs)

Rob Cross v Stephen Bunting
Peter Wright v Daryl Gurney

SATURDAY, JULY 27

Semi-Finals (best of 33 legs)

Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 2
Winner QF 3 v Winner QF 4

SUNDAY JULY 28

Final (best of 35 legs)

QUICK GLANCE AT THE WORLD MATCHPLAY DARTS QUARTER FINALS

Venue: Winter Gardens, Blackpool
Dates: Thursday 25.07.2019
Format: Best of 31 legs, SF best of 33 legs, final best of 35 legs
Current Champion: Gary Anderson
Where To Watch: Sky Sports
When To Watch: (1900 GMT)