DARTS expert expert Kyle Brown (@Kyleianbrown) talks us through the sixth week of Premier League action, picking out his favourite fancies.
Week 6 – Thursday 14th March 2019 | Nottingham
- Nathan Aspinall (21/10 Betfair) v Michael Smith (11/10 William Hill)
- James Wade (1/1 Bet365) v Mensur Suljovic (21/10 Betfair)
- Rob Cross (1/2 Betfair) v Raymond van Barneveld (9/2 Betway)
- Gerwyn Price (4/1 Coral) v Michael van Gerwen (8/15 Betfair)
- Peter Wright (21/20 Bet365) v Daryl Gurney (9/4 888)
*Predicted winners in bold, neither indicates draw.
The Week 6 Betting Angle
Aberdeen looked like it was going as expected with the first four games going the way of the pre-match favourite. The final match featured Northern Scotland native John Henderson (priced at 10/1) against the world number one Michael van Gerwen (1/5), and with the crowd firmly behind him, Henderson grabbed a well-earned draw.
The draw puts MvG in a four-way split for first place, alongside James Wade, Rob Cross and Rob Cross: all three of whom took maximum points last week.
MvG faces Price this week who is well overpriced to grab the win considering his current form, so it should be an opportunity for Cross and Wade to try and pull away from the rest of the league.
Still winless, Barney sits at the bottom of the table and I don’t see that changing between now and judgement night. He’s still two points within three players, but even that is too big a gap considering he is playing the poorest darts of any player in the tournament – including the one week only contenders.
Speaking of which, UK Open champion Nathan Aspinall will have a well-deserved spot on stage as he takes on Michael Smith, who due to injury has been playing sub-par. Aspinall will see it as an audition to get his name included in the list of participants for next year, while Smith needs a win to ensure top four doesn’t get out of his reach.
Wade will keep winning
Table-topper (on legs difference) Wade produced a stunning night of darts last week to condemn Daryl Gurney to a 7-0 defeat. It was hard to see how Wade could possibly top beating MvG the week before, but he did so sensationally with a 109.59 3-dart-average: the best of the tournament so far.
Mensur Suljovic has only managed one win from the opening five matches this year but if he isn’t too far behind the top four if he can hit a good run of form. Unfortunately for the Austrian, he’s playing an opponent who won’t be short of confidence and looking to make a gap between himself and the rest of the table.
Wade has a better average, is hitting more 180’s and an average higher checkout than Suljovic – Wade being even-money to win (Bet365) is generous and he's 6/4 to overcome a -2.5 handicap.
Cross will cruise past Barney
Another week and another preview piece where I say Barney will lose. Shocker. The truth is, until one of Barney’s opponents is priced worse than 1/2, the challenger will be good value for a win.
Cross is himself 1/2 this week, but like Wade, I see value in the handicap. Cross is in good form following his UK Open appearance, and while he looked deflated in the final, he reappeared in Aberdeen energised and confident: dispatching Michael Smith 7-3.
Again, drawing comparisons to the Wade and Suljovic game, Cross beats Barney in three-dart average, checkout average and number of 180’s. He will see this as the easiest opportunity (there aren’t many, if any) to pick up maximum points.
Cross can cover the -2.5 handicap at evens (Ladbrokes) and looks worth sticking in a double alongside Wade at a kind 2/1 (Betfair).
Best Bets
James Wade v Mensur Suljovic – James Wade -2.5 (6/4 Bet365)
Rob Cross v Raymond van Barneveld – Rob Cross -2.5 (1/1 Ladbrokes)
James Wade and Rob Cross both to win (2/1 Betfair)
