The Price Is Wright As Gerwyn Wins Grand Slam of Darts

The Price Is Wright As Gerwyn Wins Grand Slam of Darts

Gerwyn Grand Slam of Darts

In a memorable final to last week’s brilliant Grand Slam of Darts, an imperious Gerwyn Price outplayed a rejuvenated Peter Wright to successfully defend the Eric Bristow Trophy, a title he won one year ago. Price, who knocked out Michael van Gerwen at the 20th attempt earlier in the afternoon, will now be a lot of people’s favourite for next month’s World Championship, such was the manner of his performance.

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It was here in Wolverhampton 12 months ago that The Iceman beat Gary Anderson in the final and where he established himself as the game’s bad boy. The boos have followed him from tourney to tourney this past year, but the Welshman is now turning those boos into cheers as spectators and commentators alike begin to appreciate his talent.

A look back at the Grand Slam of Darts

Price rounded out a memorable week in Wolverhampton with a 16-6 victory over Snakebite. Price threw 11 maximums, averaging almost 108 as he dominated the final, threatening nine-darters on numerous occasions. On both of these, however, he lost the leg and on the second occasion, it allowed Wright to cut the deficit to 7-5.

Any hopes Wright might have harboured that that leg win and see the Iceman melt were quickly dashed as the former rugby player reeled off eight legs in succession. Aside from Snakebite, who performed well all things considered, claiming one leg back, the game was as good as gone and all wrapped up inside the hour.

Price was even within range of breaking Phil Taylor’s record 109.04 average for a Grand Slam final — set in a 16-4 triumph over Gary Anderson in 2011 — but three missed match darts put an end to that.

The Iceman’s success is his second major trophy, the same as his first, and comes in his fourth televised final. A win in this week’s Players Championship Finals will shorten his second favourite World Championship odds of 7/1 further still.

As for Snakey, he can take comfort in a campaign in which he rediscovered the form that was missing in the first part of the year. An improvement, and perhaps a win on Sunday in Minehead for 2019’s last trophy, will definitely put a happy ending on an otherwise horrible year.

Players Championship Finals Betting Tips

The last trophy of the year is on the line this weekend as the players take their final run out before next month’s PDC World Championships at the Alexandra Palace, Ally Pally to you and me. This year’s Players Championship Finals will be taking place at the Butlins Minehead Resort.

Running from Friday November 22 through to Sunday, all of the action will be broadcast on ITV 4 as Daryl Gurney bids to defend the title he won against Michael van Gerwen 12 months ago. The Dutchman is understandably Betway’s 6/4 favourite to win the event for the fifth time, but many will have been impressed with Gerwyn Price last weekend and so his price of 13/2 will be tempting.

The Iceman became only the seventh player in history to successfully defend a PDC televised title with his Wolverhampton win last week where he also took down Gary Anderson, Michael van Gerwen and Peter Wright. Price will now look to ride the momentum to another title as the best possible warm-up for the World Championships.

The first two rounds here are fought over 11 sets so there isn’t much room for errors, which more than anything else explains why longshots often do well here. Defending champion Daryl Gurney is a 25/1 shot and well worth considering as is Dave Chisnall, who also put in a good show at the Grand Slam of Darts and is a slightly shorter 22/1, both with Betway.

Last week’s runner up, Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright, can be confident given the quality he showed last week but in a punishing event, the tourney’s third seed could end up regretting missed chances. That said, should the real Snakebite stand up, his 12/1 price tag will look generous.

World number two Voltage Rob Cross is available at 14/1, Michael ‘Bully Boy’ Smith can be picked up for 22/1, while Glen Durrant and Mensur Suljovic can be backed at 25/1 for the pair, all at Betway.

Players Championship Finals Schedule

Friday November 22

First Round (Best of 11 legs)

  • Dimitri Van den Bergh v Stephen Bunting
  • Jose de Sousa v James Richardson
  • Glen Durrant v Scott Baker
  • Max Hopp v Jelle Klaasen
  • Chris Dobey v Cristo Reyes
  • Jeffrey de Zwaan v Simon Whitlock
  • Michael Smith v Martin Schindler
  • Ian White v Devon Petersen
  • Harry Ward v Darius Labanauskas
  • Justin Pipe v Mervyn King
  • Brendan Dolan v Ross Smith
  • John Henderson v Ryan Joyce
  • Keegan Brown v Andy Boulton
  • Steve Beaton v Ricky Evans
  • Danny Noppert v Ryan Searle
  • Dave Chisnall v Matthew Edgar
  • Krzysztof Ratajski v Steve Lennon
  • Gerwyn Price v Mickey Mansell
  • James Wade v Ted Evetts
  • Mensur Suljovic v Kim Huybrechts
  • Daryl Gurney v Luke Woodhouse
  • Michael van Gerwen v Luke Humphries
  • Peter Wright v James Wilson
  • Nathan Aspinall v Raymond van Barneveld
  • Jonny Clayton v Ryan Meikle
  • Joe Cullen v Kyle Anderson
  • Vincent van der Voort v Arron Monk
  • Gabriel Clemens v Mark McGeeney
  • Adrian Lewis v Josh Payne
  • William O’Connor v Steve West
  • Jermaine Wattimena v Jamie Hughes
  • Ron Meulenkamp v Rob Cross

Saturday November 23

Second Round (Best of 11 legs)

  • Price/Mansell v Brown/Boulton
  • Wade/Evetts v Beaton/Evans
  • Suljovic/Huybrechts v Noppert/Searle
  • Gurney/Woodhouse v Clemens/McGeeney
  • Lewis/Payne v Van Gerwen/Humphries
  • Wright/Wilson v Dobey/Reyes
  • Aspinall/Van Barneveld v Cullen/Anderson
  • Wattimena/Hughes v Meulenkamp/Cross
  • De Zwaan/Whitlock v Henderson/Joyce
  • Clayton/Meikle v Ward/Labanauskas
  • De Sousa/Richardson v Van den Bergh/Bunting
  • White/Petersen v Van der Voort/Monk
  • Ratajski/Lennon v O’Connor/West
  • Durrant/Baker v Hopp/Klaasen
  • Chisnall/Edgar v Pipe/King
  • M Smith/Schindler v Dolan/R Smith

Sunday November 24

  • Quarter-Finals (Best of 19 legs)
  • Semi-Finals (Best of 21 Legs)
  • Final (Best of 21 legs)

QUICK GLANCE AT THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Venue: Butlin’s Resort, Minehead
Dates: Friday 22.11.2019
Format: Best of 11, 19. 21
Current Champion: Daryl Gurney
Where To Watch: ITV 4
When To Watch: (1245 GMT)

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2019 PDC Darts Masters Betting Tips As The New Season Begins

2019 PDC Darts Masters Betting Tips As The New Season Begins

PDC 2019 Darts Masters

The new PDC darts season gets underway this weekend in Milton Keynes with the 2019 Darts Masters at The Marshall Arena. Last season’s winner – and indeed the winner of the previous four Masters events – Michael van Gerwen is once again the favourite. His main challenger, Gary Anderson, who is the only other player in the top half of the draw to make the quarter-finals at the Ally Pally, has withdrawn due to a back injury.

However, 15 other big names from the PDC world will be on show, including Stephen Bunting, who replaces The Flying Scotsman.

Quick glance of the 2019 PDC Darts Masters

Venue: The Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes
Dates: Friday, February 1 to Sunday, February 3
Prize Money: Winner £60,000, Runner-Up £25,000, Semi-Finalists £17,500, Quarter-Finalists £10,000, First Round Losers £5,000
Format: First Round – Best of 19 legs, Quarter-Finals – Best of 19 legs, Semi-Finals – Best of 21 legs, Final – Best of 21 legs
Current Champion: Michael van Gerwen
Where To Watch: ITV4

Previewing the 2019 PDC Darts Masters matchups

This year, Mighty Mike goes into the event as World Champion, having won at the Alexandra Palace back on New Year’s Day. His rivals will be all too aware of his preference for the Masters’ longer style format, with the first round being best of 19. It is also true that he always starts the season strong, having refreshed himself over the January break and it usually shows by the time the world’s best head to Milton Keynes. Indeed, in 11 of his last 12 Masters matches, MVG has posted averages of 100 or more.

Mighty Mike opens up against sixteenth seed Jonny Clayton on Friday night. Welshman Clayton beat MVG in a Grand Slam of Darts group match last year and also came close in the quarter-finals. Given that match, who’s to say he’s not capable of winning here? Given his 125/1 price at Betway, he might be worth a small each way flutter. Also in the top half of the draw are Mensur Suljovic, who goes head to head with Simon Whitlock, Daryl Gurney will take on Dave Chisnall and Anderson’s stand-in, Stephen Bunting will face 13th seed Darren Webster.

Daryl Gurney is another who knows what it takes to beat MVG, having done exactly that at the Players Championship Finals. A poor World Championship display should inspire him to show his best again, especially with the Premier League campaign coming up on the horizon. In the absence of Gary Anderson, Gurney and his opponent Dave Chisnall might both be looking ahead to the semi-finals already.

In the bottom half of the draw, things are equally as competitive. Second seed Rob Cross begins his campaign as the solid favourite against Joe Cullen, while the ever (un)popular Gerwyn Price takes on the game’s other pantomime villain, one James ‘The Machine’ Wade. Sixth seed Michael ‘Bully Boy’ Smith faces Ian White in his opener, while Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright will need to improve drastically if he is to make it past first-round opponent Adrian ‘Jackpot’ Lewis.

Peter Wright is the biggest name in this side of the draw, having a great deal more to prove than most after suffering a horrible 2018. His season came to an abrupt end at The Ally Pally where he fell at the first hurdle to distant outsider, Spain’s Toni Alcinas. During 2018, Wright only collected three titles, pitiful given his standing as world number two for the majority of the year. The year came after a strong 2018 where Snakebite picked up eleven titles including the UK Open. However, last year he did reach the finals of both the World Grand Prix and Champions League Darts, so there were fleeting moments of hope for the Scotsman, including his impressive if unexcepted demolition of MVG in the semi-final of the Champions League.

Wright has a tough start against two-time World Champion Adrian Lewis, who is slowly returning to form after a poor couple of seasons himself. Jackpot made the last 16 at the World Championships before coming up against MVG and could easily dismiss Peter Wright at the Darts Masters. Should Wright progress, he could face Ally Pally runner-up Michael Smith, who is now playing like an unofficial member of the top three, which is why his Betway price of 7/1 looks like a bargain worth taking. The St Helens thrower is second favourite ahead of Rob Cross, although he is outperforming Voltage massively as evidenced by his numerous ton plus averages at the World’s last month.

Elsewhere, Gerwyn Price, who was hit with a £21,500 fine plus a suspended sentence for his behaviour during his Grand Slam of Darts match against Gary Anderson, takes on James Wade. The English darter will also feel the boos rain down on him following his horrible attitude against Seigo Asada in North London. While neither are fancied to walk away with the season’s first trophy on Sunday, this match will provide an early season indicator on who this year’s public enemy number one will be.

2019 PDC Darts Masters betting lines

The following OUTRIGHT victory prices are all available at Betway.

(4/7) Michael van Gerwen v Jonny Clayton (125/1)
(20/1) Mensur Suljovic v Simon Whitlock (66/1)
(28/1) Daryl Gurney v Dave Chisnall (33/1)
(66/1) Stephen Bunting v Darren Webster (100/1)
(9/1) Rob Cross v Joe Cullen (50/1)
(28/1) Gerwyn Price v James Wade (28/1)
(7/1) Michael Smith v Ian White (66/1)
(12/1) Peter Wright v Adrian Lewis (20/1)

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Ian ‘Diamond’ White Claims First European Tour Title Win; 2019 PDC Schedule Released

Ian ‘Diamond’ White Claims First European Tour Title Win; 2019 PDC Schedule Released

Ian Diamond White

Darts fans were treated to a surprise winner last week when Ian White won his first ever PDC European Tour title at the MECC in Maastricht. In doing so, he beat another surprise package, world number 56 Ricky Evans, by winning 8-5 in the Dutch Darts Championship final.

The 48-year-old from Stoke, ranked 13th in the world, had already recorded a superb triumph over Peter Wright in the last four and went on to average a mere 89 in the final. Despite the low average, it proved to be enough as he made the most of Evans’ 13 missed doubles from 18 shots. Amazingly, White’s win was also recorded six years to the day since he reached his first European Tour final in 2012. In that match, he lost in the final of the German Darts Masters 6-3 to Adrian ‘Jackpot’ Lewis, but this time he was determined to get the win.

A recap of the MECC

Playing in his 63rd European Tour event, White began his road to the final with a 102.26 average in a 6-4 victory over Arron Monk before reaching the quarter-finals, courtesy of an outstanding 6-2 victory over Mervyn King. He then moved on to get his revenge over the two-time World Champion and fellow potter Adrian Lewis in the quarter-finals before successfully getting the better of Snakebite in the semis.

28-year-old Ricky ‘Rapid’ Evans’ brilliant run to his first PDC ranking final — his first in nearly five years — saw him record impressive victories over Jan Dekker, Steve West, William O’Connor, Joe Cullen and Ritchie Edhouse, before his meet-up with ‘Diamond’ White in the final. He also established himself as a firm crowd favourite thanks to his ‘Baby Shark’-inspired walk-on music.

Once there, both players made a strong start with White scoring first thanks to a 14-dart hold of throw. Evans responded in kind by duly hitting back with a 13-darter. From there, he grew stronger, recording the first break of the match to go 2-1 up, only for White to hit straight back with an 11-darter to level the score.

The game continued with serve for the next few legs until White’s 14-darter cracked his rival and opened up a two-leg advantage for the first time. Evans then took out a double 16 with his last dart to break throw and keep the game alive. It wasn’t to last long, however, as White immediately broke back before holding throw to move within a leg of victory, which came two legs later after he pinned tops for the title. For White, that meant that he has now won 10 PDC titles in total.

Elsewhere, William O’Connor inflicted world number one Michael van Gerwen’s first Last 32 exit in Europe in almost three years when he somehow beat the world number one 6-1.

2019 PDC schedule announced

The 2019 PDC calendar has now been published and it includes over 200 days of darts. Highlights include an expanded Darts Premier League, which now stretches to 17 nights and includes doubleheader in Rotterdam.

This year’s UK Open format has been tweaked to include 128 Tour Card Holders, 16 Challenge Tour Order of Merit Qualifiers plus 16 Rileys Amateur Qualifiers. The Rileys Qualifiers were the same route taken by current World Champion Rob Cross when he turned professional before stunning the world last January.

Prague will join the list of European Tour hosts alongside established destinations in Germany, the Netherlands, Gibraltar and Austria. Following a successful inaugural event in Copenhagen, the European Tour will be returning to Denmark for the second time. Amsterdam will also be hosting a PDC televised event for the first time.

Next year’s World Cup of Darts will take place in Hamburg, while Blackpool’s World Matchplay retains its traditional date in late July. In the autumn of 2019, the Darts Champions League and the European Championship will follow the World Grand Prix.

The Grand Slam of Darts will then be held in Wolverhampton before the Players Championship Finals in Minehead in November. Finally, the World Darts Championship will close the season out over the Christmas holidays, although no starting date has yet been announced.

January

  • 1 (London) World Championship Final

February

  • 1 – 3 (Milton Keynes) The Masters
  • 7 (Newcastle) Premier League Darts Matchday 1
  • 14 (Glasgow) Premier League Darts Matchday 2
  • 21 (Dublin) Premier League Darts Matchday 3
  • 28 (Exeter) Premier League Darts Matchday 4

March

  • 1 – 3 (Minehead) UK Open
  • 7 (Leeds) Premier League Darts Matchday 5
  • 14 (Nottingham) Premier League Darts Matchday 6
  • 21 (Berlin, Germany) Premier League Darts Matchday 7
  • 22 – 24 (Leverkusen, Germany) European Tour 1
  • 27 (Rotterdam, Netherlands) Premier League Darts Matchday 8
  • 28 (Rotterdam, Netherlands) Premier League Darts Matchday 9
  • 29 – 31 (Hildesheim, Germany) European Tour 2

April

  • 4 (Belfast) Premier League Darts Matchday 10
  • 11 (Liverpool) Premier League Darts Matchday 11
  • 18 (Cardiff) Premier League Darts Matchday 12
  • 20 – 22 (Munich, Germany) European Tour 3
  • 25 (Birmingham ) Premier League Darts Matchday 13
  • 26 – 28 (Saarbrücken, Germany) European Tour 4

May

  • 2 (Manchester) Premier League Darts Matchday 14
  • 3 – 5 (Graz, Austria) European Tour 5
  • 9 (Sheffield) Premier League Darts Matchday 15
  • 10 – 12 (Sindelfingen, Germany) European Tour 6
  • 16 (Aberdeen) Premier League Darts Matchday 16
  • 23 (London) Premier League Darts Play-Offs
  • 24 – 26 (TBC, Netherlands) European Tour 7

June

  • 6 – 9 (Hamburg, Germany) World Cup
  • 14 – 16 (Copenhagen, Denmark) European Tour 8
  • 28 – 30 (Prague, Czech Republic) European Tour 9

July

  • 20 – 28 (Blackpool) World Matchplay

August

  • 3 (Hildesheim, Germany ) Players Championship 21
  • 4 (Hildesheim, Germany) Players Championship 22
  • 30 – Sep 1 (Vienna, Austria) European Tour 10

September

  • 6 – 8 (Mannheim, Germany) European Tour 11
  • 13 – 15 (Riesa, Germany) European Tour 12
  • 27 – 29 (Gibraltar) European Tour 13

October

  • 6 – 12 (Dublin) World Grand Prix
  • 19 – 20 (VENUE TBC) Champions League
  • 24 – 27 (Göttingen, Germany) European Championship

November

  • 1 – 3 (Amsterdam, Netherlands) World Series Finals
  • 49 – 17 (Wolverhampton) Grand Slam of Darts
  • 22 – 24 (Minehead) Players Championship Finals

December

  • TBC (London) World Championship
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