Judgement Night Preview

Who Will Have the Last Laugh on Judgement Night?

We have seen some incredible darts in the first eight weeks of this years Premier League and up until this point it has all been for one reason, to avoid being dumped out at the first hurdle as two players will eliminated on Thursday. Judgement night is upon us and there are five of the world's best players involved in a relegation scrap, it will take self-confidence, immense bottle and a bit of luck for results to go in their favour to survive, but all I know is that its going to be great entertainment for the Manchester crowd and the viewers at home. Below I have put together a match-by-match preview and outlined what the players in danger need to achieve in order for them to remain in the League.

 Michael van Gerwen vs. James Wade

The opening match of the night may not have any impact on who gets relegated, but it is a mouth watering prospect with two of the most consistent players this year going head-to-head in what is sure to be a game full of big checkouts. I believe that Wade is the best player in the word at finishing with anything between 100 and 130, but on the other hand MVG is the best at anything 131+, it could take one of Might Mike's magical finishes to continue his remarkable run.

Van Gerwen's 7-2 victory against fellow Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld with 109 average was impressive and he still remains unbeaten in this years edition of the Premier League. The short format suits him perfectly with the World Number 1 liable to switch off and lose concentration during longer games, but you can always guarantee he will come flying out of the blocks.

Wade has had a good campaign himself with 3 wins, 3 draws and only 2 losses. He is fresh off the back of a 7-3 win against Peter Wright last week despite just a 92 average and 25% checkout rate, but he has showed better form than that by winning a Pro Tour event recently after finishing runner-up in an event the day before, pocketing a cool £15,000 in just two days.

For 'The Machine' to get a result he will need to slow van Gerwen down and not allow him to get into a rhythm, because once he does, we all know what he can do. I think that van Gerwen's scoring power will prove too much for Wade but I'm sure he will give it a good shot.

Prediction: Michael van Gerwen 7-4 James Wade

Phil Taylor vs. Dave Chisnall

On a night where most eyes will be fixed elsewhere, this match could be key in determining the players who qualify for Finals Night in a few weeks time. Taylor is in 5th place level on points with Wade and just two points behind Chisnall in 3rd.
'Chizzy' is the surprise package of this years Premier League winning five matches, drawing one and losing just two and has hit 27 180s in the process. Before the start of the Premier LEague, bookmakers made the St Helen's man favourite to be eliminated at this stage, but he has silenced those doubters with some brave performances where he has had to dig deep in order to get a result, most notably in week 2 where he grinded out a 7-5 win against van Barneveld despite a 91 average on a night where nothing was happening for him. This attitude alongside his high scoring could give him a chance in this match, although he will need to be at his best to keep up with the 16-time World Champion Phil Taylor.
'The Power' has played better than his position suggests and has found himself unlucky not to win some weeks, especially against 'Barney' two weeks ago when he averaged 115 and somehow lost the match. He has averaged over 100 in 15 out of his last 17 televised matches and I wouldn't back against him doing it again. A 104 average in a 7-4 victory against Kim Huybrechts last week showed that Taylor shows no signs of slowing down and I expect him to continue that form on for the foreseeable future.
This should be a entertaining fixture that will produce high scoring, but they key will be who can hit those doubles with only one dart in hand. That is where I think this match will be won or lost and experience should prevail.

Prediction: Phil Taylor 7-4 Dave Chisnall

Stephen Bunting vs. Kim Huybrechts

Now onto the first match of the relegation battle. A lot of people predicted Huybrechts to be eliminated at this stage but I doubt many of them thought he would have played so well and still be struggling. He has been very unlucky throughout and should have more points to show for his efforts including a 7-5 deat to Dave Chisnall despite an average of 107. On another day he would have taken the points rather comfortably, but that is what the Premier League is all about, one mistake, one missed double and it could cost you the match and turn a likely win into a heartbreaking defeat.
Bunting has had an up-and-down debut, he started poorly and found himself bottom of the table with just 1 point after four weeks, but a victory against Adrian Lewis the following week gave him the boost he needed as he went on to win against Chisnall and managed a draw against Peter Wright. These results have put him in a good position and he should be safe come the end of Judgement night.
Huybrechts needs a darting miracle to extend his stay in the Premier League as Bunting only needs to win two legs to guarantee his place and even if 'The Hurricane' does, he still needs van Barnevled and Lewis to lose and win by enough legs to better them on leg difference. Even though his days are numbered, the Hurricane has justified his wildcard selection and has been a joy to watch for the past eight weeks.

Prediction: Stephen Bunting 6-6 Kim Huybrechts

Adrian Lewis vs. Peter Wright

All Wright needs is a win or a draw against Lewis, sounds simple but I don't think it will be as straight forward as that. He is up against, who I think is the most naturally gifted player in the world right now, when he is focused he can beat anyone and with him knowing that anything short of a win means elimination, you can assure every ounce of concentration and effort will be put into this match.
Peter Wright has been the draw specialist of this years Premier League sharing the spoils on four occasions but last week saw him producing his worst performance so far, losing 7-3 to Wade and averaging just 87. He will need a big improvement on that to challenge the two time World Champion.
Lewis has been disappointing after such a promising start winning 7-2 against Barney with an average of 113 in the first week, experts were tipping him to return to his best and go all the way this year but it hasn't went to plan for the former World Champion, three draws and four defeats later he finds himself in a position that his undoubted talent shouldn't allow him to be in, but the reality is that he needs to win and a draw will only save him if van Barneveld loses to Gary Anderson, but Jackpot will not want his place being in the hands of anyone else other than himself.

Prediction: Adrian Lewis 7-3 Peter Wright

Gary Anderson vs. Raymond van Barneveld

If we make it to this match not knowing who the relegated pair are then we are in for a treat. Current World Champion Anderson will not lie down and give his struggling opponent an easy route to safety, he will be battling to get more points on the board to cement his place in the top 4. His match last week against Bunting was fairly straight forward as he won 7-4 with a 96 average and 33% checkout rate and looked every bit like a World Champion.
Van Barneveld is safe if Kim Huybrechts fails to beat Stephen Bunting and he betters Adrian Lewis' result against Peter Wright. I have predicted a Lewis win, if that's the case then the Dutchman will need to come out on top here, not so straight forward considering his patchy form lately. He has averaged 104 for two weeks running now but the previous week he averaged just 88 in a defeat to Wade.
This is a hard one due to the circumstances and we could be in for one of the best matches of the year, but on current form I think the World Champion Gary Anderson has too much in hand over an inconsistent van Barneveld.

Prediction: Gary Anderson 7-5 Raymond van Barneveld


Bottom Two Prediction: Kim Huybrechts and Raymond van Barneveld

Players Championship Finals Preview

This weekend will be our final chance to see the World Championship contenders fighting it out on the big stage. The winner of this tournament has went on to win the 'Big One'on three of the last 5 years , so its should not be taken lightly as a big performance here could see them being taken very seriously next month.

The first round of The Players Championship Finals is best of 11 legs.

Robert Thornton hasn't had much going for him recently. He had an dismal Grand Slam tournament which resulted in three defeats in the group stages, but the bare result doesn't tell the whole story as he averaged 90+ in all of the matches and even managed a 97 average against Vincent van der Voort. 'The Thorn' will face Darren Webster in the first round, a match that he will be favourite to win considering he has won all five of their previous meetings. The draw has been kind as he will avoid Phil Talylor, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and James Wade until the Semi Finals if all win accordingly. The Scotsman will feel he is due a good run in a tournament and I feel that this could be his chance.

Benito van de Pas faces Peter Wright in the first round this weekend. 'Snakebite' Wright has not been anywhere near the form that he showed this time last year when he went all the way to the final in the World Championship although he came 2nd in a tournament last weekend. Van de Pas is capable of an upset here and will fancy his chances against either Andy Hamilton or Vincent van der Voort in the 2nd round if he is successful on Friday. He could meet Wade in the Quarter Finals but his price of 250/1 is very big considering his talent which has saw him claim the scalps of Newton, Pipe, Thornton, van Gerwen and van der Voort in recent months.

Simon Whitlock is another player who is capable of more than he has been producing lately but the draw has been kind to him this weekend. He may meet Wade in the 2nd round but if he can get over that obstacle then he will have a relatively easy Quarter Final match. His record against World Number 5 James Wade is impressive as he has won 19/33 meetings (57%) . He has drawn Dean Winstanley in the 1st round and the Aussie has the better of him in the head-to-heads winning 4/6.

Stephen Bunting is a regular on the blog. He is the current BDO World Champion and since his switch to the PDC in January, he has flew up the World Rankings to number 27 defeating many of the top players along the way including a 10-9 win over Phil Taylor in the European Championships last month. The man from St Helens is up against World Number 21 Steve Beaton and in the only previous meeting between the pair, Bunting won 6-2 in February. A stiffer task lies ahead in the latter stages as he will likely face Gary Anderson in the last 16 and Phil Taylor in the Quarter Finals but his high scoring and great checkouts will help him overcome any challenges he will face.

Predictions:

Robert Thornton - 35/1

Benito van de Pas - 250/1

Simon Whitlock - 33/1

Stephen Bunting - 22/1

World Championship. Who's Involved?

It's approaching that time again, on December 18th the World Championship will commence and it will showcase the best the PDC has to offer and will surely be the hardest to predict in recent times.

Phil Taylor has dominated this event for the best part of a quarter of a century but this years edition will not be as easy as some years have previously been. 

Even though 'The Power' is fresh off the back of an impressive Grand Slam which saw him being crowned champion for the 6th time and averaged over 100 in every game, he still faces stiff competition with many players in scintillating form, no more so than World Number 1 Michael van Gerwen. The Dutchman has had an impressive 2014 winning the World Grand Prix, The European Championship and of course The World Championship in January. He will no doubt feature in the latter stages and fans will be drooling at the prospect of a Van Gerwen and Taylor final.

James Wade is for me one of the best players never to be crowned World Champion, but he does have strong claims this time round after a fine 2014, most notably his triumph in the Masters where he showed great character coming from 9-2 down to win the match with a 135 checkout 11-10 against a stunned Mervyn King. Bookmakers make him a fair 10/1 third favourite to go all the way, not many would argue against that possibility.

Current BDO World Champion Stephen Bunting is also in the frame on his debut after quickly adapting to life in the PDC rocketing to number 23 in the Order of Merit despite only joining in February. Phil Taylor speaks highly of the man from St Helens saying that he has a lot of time for Bunting and that he's 'One to watch'.
'The Bullet' has produced some great performances recently averaging 100+ multiple times and his devastating success rate on double 16 is an incredible trait to have, every time he steps up to hit the green bit, I have no doubt that he will close out the leg accordingly.

Mervyn King may be a dark horse for the World Title but he is the most consistent players in the PDC at this current time. He is in the form of his life recently making the Quarter Final in the World Grand Prix (losing to eventual winner van Gerwen), Semi Final in the Grand Slam (losing to eventual winner Phil Taylor) and came second in the European Championship. 50/1 shows that he may have slipped under the radar yet again and could be a bit of value.

Kim Huybrechts had a great Grand Slam, but it was something i didn't see coming, he had failed to get past the last 16 stage in any televised tournament since November 2013, but if he can reproduce the form we seen last week then he will make an impact. He deafeated Michael van Gerwen in the Quarter Final averaging 104 and even hit a 9-dart-finish. He was unlucky to lose in the Semi Final to Dave Chisnall in a sudden death leg and it will be interesting to see if this form continues.

Phil 'The Power' Taylor is 7/4 favourite and its justifiable, but the amount of players on form is nothing short of incredible. If he wins his 17th World Title, it will probably be his best one to date. 

European Championship Darts Preview

Another huge darts tournament is on the horizon, this time it is the European Championship.. It has been unsurprisingly dominated by Phil Taylor, winning in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 and only two other players have lifted the trophy in its 7 year history, Simon Whitlock in 2012 and Adrian Lewis in 2013. This year there is a possibility of a 4th name being added to the list with a number of players having an impressive 2014 campaign and other big names having a dip in form. 'The Power' Taylor has been out of sorts lately having not got past the quarter final stage in his last two tournaments. Adrian Lewis has also had a quiet year having not won a competition since March.

The draw has been announced and it has thrown up some eye-catching matches. Justin Pipe has not had the luck of the draw as he is up against World Number 1 Michael Van Gerwen. MVG is fresh off the back of winning the World Grand Prix and will surely be wanting to win this for the first time and add it to his ever growing trophy room. The pair have met twice this year winning one apiece, it promises to be an exciting encounter where bookmakers will have The Dutchman as big favourite but Pipe is more than capable of causing an upset when on his game.

The current BDO World Champion Stephen Bunting has also been drawn a tough opponent in Andy Hamilton. This will be the first ever meeting between the pair and will be one of the highlights of the first round. 'The Hammer' Hamilton is known for his 'Never say die' attitude and his knack for grinding out results when he looks down and out, however Bunting is throwing some mesmorising darts and the man from St Helens will feel he can progress into the last 16 where he will by no means have an easy match.

'The Bullet' will face the winner of the 2009 final rematch between Phil Taylor and Steve Beaton. This pair also met last month in the Grand Prix, ''The Power' made it look easy that day winning 2-0 and a repeat performance could set up a mouth watering clash in the last 16.

The performer of the year in many fans eyes, Gary Anderson, faces a respected opponent in Terry Jenkins. In the last 7 bouts between the pair Anderson has failed to be victorious on every occassion and this could be in the back of The Scotsmans head making it an edgy affair,

The final fixture in the fixture list is 2012 winner Simon Whitlock up against the current Premier League Champion Raymond Van Barneveld, two players are used to the feeling of winning major honours. There will be 100+ checkouts and 180s galore in a match up that has seen Whitlock coming out on top on the last 3 encounters, he loves it here in Muelheim Germany and always seems to bring his A-game to this competition.

The European Championship will gives darts fans an idea of what players have to offer in The World Championship in December although the short format could prove problematic to some players as they will have to come out of the gates fast to avoid defeat. The usual faces will be there in the later stages but up-and-coming stars such as Bunting may cause a few upsets, the World Number 31 has flown up then rankings since joining the PDC in February and has the potential to win a major tournament sooner rather than later, but can anyone stop the 'Mighty' Michael Van Gerwen?