DARTS analyst Andrew Francis (@ALeagueAndy) shares his verdict on the best bets from Thursday's Day 8 of the 2019 PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.
The tournament is really hotting up now with the big names starting to flex their muscles, but will that continue on Thursday?
Stephen Bunting v Luke Humphries | Thursday 20th 2018, 14:30 | Sky Sports
This one could be a really tight encounter with Humphries excelling in the first round, hitting a 97.58 average against Adam Hunt, the highest average in the first round so far. This is backed up by some solid numbers throughout the year. Bunting has his first match here and will hope to hit the ground running and, whilst he should have enough to win the match, the handicap market is very interesting.
Steve Beaton v Chris Dobey | Thursday 20th 2018, 15:30 | Sky Sports
Chris Dobey made short work of Boris Koltsov in the first round with a 92.56 average but this represents a tougher test for Hollywood with Beaton seeded at number 20 here. Dobey comes into the match as favourite but Beaton will have a point to prove and will believe he can make the fourth round with a tie against van der Voort for the winner of this match.
Mervyn King v Jan Dekker | Thursday 20th December 2018, 20:00 | Sky Sports
Mervyn King has plenty of talent but is sometimes let down his temperament. He’ll be keen to make it through this match however with his chances of winning this quarter increasing dramatically with the elimination of Peter Wright. Dekker is no slouch though with a good 2018 behind him. He made hard work of beating Lisa Ashton in round one though and King should have enough to sneak this one.
Adrian Lewis v Ted Evetts | Thursday 20th December 2018, 21:00 | Sky Sports
Ted Evetts looked every bit the next big thing against Simon Stevenson in round one, dispatching the elder statesman by 3 sets to 0 and he’ll be looking for a bigger scalp on Thursday as he takes on Adrian Lewis. Lewis hasn’t been looking great recently with some patchy form but both men know that a potential fourth round clash with Michael van Gerwen is the big reward for a couple of great performances. This could be Evetts time to shine.
Mensur Suljovic v Ryan Searle | Thursday 20th December, 21:00 | Sky Sports
The Gentle makes his first appearance in the competition this year, against Searle who pulled off a very good 3-0 win against Stephen Burton in round one. Suljovic is the big favourite for this one but the handicap line really favours Searle who needs to pick up just one set to claim the handicap win. A quick start by Searle could unsettle Mensur and prove very profitable.
Best Bets
Double – Luke Humphries +1.5 sets and Steve Beaton +1.5 sets (181/100 @Bet365)
Mervyn King v Jan Dekker – Mervyn King to win 3-2 (7/2 @Bet365)
Adrian Lewis v Ted Evetts – Ted Evetts to win (7/2 @Bet365)
Adrian Lewis v Ted Evetts – Ted Evetts +1.5 sets (11/8 @Bet365)
Mensur Suljovic v Ryan Searle – Ryan Searle +2.5 sets (4/7 @Bet365)
