DARTS analyst Andrew Francis (@ALeagueAndy) shares his verdict on the 2nd Quarter of the upcoming 2019 PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.
PDC World Darts Championship | 13th-29th December 2018 | Sky Sports
The 2nd Quarter preview is here!
This segment features the number four and five seeds, and at first glance looks fairly easy to predict. But dig a little deeper and there might be a couple of surprises.
Here’s how I see things for the second quarter:
Gary Anderson
- PDC Order of Merit – 4
- Odds – 7/2 (Paddy Power)
Gary Anderson is second favourite for the competition and looks set to continue his rivalry with Michael van Gerwen as the two have been drawn on the same half of the championship.
‘The Flying Scotsman’ has a very good 3-dart average in 2018, with his 99.29 putting him second overall. There is much support for Anderson too, with many tipping him to win his third World Championship after picking up wins in 2015 and 2016.
He’ll have to be at his best though with some good players drawn on his side of the draw with no less than eight players who have previously reached the quarter-finals or further.
A potential semi-final with MvG could give us our overall winner but Anderson will have to perform from the start to make it that far.
Daryl Gurney
- PDC Order of Merit – 5
- Odds – 33/1 (Bet365)
‘SuperChin’ has enjoyed a great 2018 and that is reflected in his high placing on the odds market here. Averaging over 94 with three darts and hitting over 40% of his outshots, he has looked better and better as the year has gone on.
His year was capped off when he beat Michael van Gerwen 11-9 in the Players Championship final to pick up his first event win of the year.
The draw has been somewhat kind to him and he shouldn’t have any trouble reaching the 3rd Round but he’ll need to improve match on match as he is likely to face Jamie Lewis and then, if he advances, Dave Chisnall.
Gurney could be a contender for the title and will need to be watched.
Dave Chisnall
- PDC Order of Merit – 12
- Odds – 80/1 (Bet365)
‘Chizzy’ hasn’t enjoyed a great year, consistently making the quarter-finals of events but failing to advance further than that. That also matches his best ever World Championship finish and it could be a similar story for Chisnall here.
His 3-dart average (95.86) and percentage of legs won in 12 darts or less (19.35%) are both very high and he lies second for both categories in this quarter but he seems to have a real issue with finishing with a rather average 37% of outshots taken.
That could prove to be vital when looking at Chisnall’s chances and it is hard to see him getting past Gurney and Anderson on his way to the semi-final.
Darren Webster
- PDC Order of Merit – 13
- Odds – 300/1 (SkyBet)
Often seen as the joker of the darts circuit, Darren Webster doesn’t look like he stands much chance of dropping that tag and being taken more seriously with his chances of winning the competition looking slim. His record this year isn’t great with just five events for ‘The Demolition Man’ and a quarter-final appearance being the best he’s achieved.
His stats don’t make much better reading with a 3-dart average of 92.96 and an outshot percentage of 37.88%. It looks like a big ask for Webster once again and it’s possible he could face an early exit.
Vincent van der Voort
- PDC Order of Merit – 37
- Odds – 500/1 (Bet365)
Vincent Van der Voort looks a little overpriced here with a good showing this year, averaging 93.55 over three darts and appearing in two previous quarter-finals in 2011 and 2015. He likes this event but hasn’t featured much on the tour this year which could go against him.
His outshot percentage is one of the lowest in this quarter and he’ll have to improve that greatly to advance to where he wants to be but it’s not outside the realms of possibility that ‘The Dutch Destroyer’ could make a run to the 3rd Round where a tie against Gary Anderson is likely.
2nd Quarter Betting Angle
This quarter looks to be all about Anderson and Gurney but there is a little value outside of the two favourites if you look closely.
Dave Chisnall (8/1 Bet365) has the ability to beat Daryl Gurney but the biggest threat to ‘SuperChin’ could come from Kim Huybrechts (40/1 Betfair).
The Belgian constantly threatens and if Gurney is having a bad day, Huybrechts could easily take advantage.
Best Bets
PDC World Darts Championship – Dave Chisnall to win the 2nd Quarter (8/1 Bet365)
PDC World Darts Championship – Kim Huybrechts to win the 2nd Quarter (40/1 Betfair)
