THE Two-time World Champion makes toes the oche tonight looking to make it three, but his opponent Jan Dekkar will have something to say about this.
As we come to the close of round one there are four more ties to decide who progresses and who does not before the tourney resumes again on Boxing day evening.
Andrew Gilding takes on Welsh powerhouse Gerwyn price in the opener. Goldfinger and iceman have only met once, with Gilding reigning supreme on that occasion. The layers edge Iceman to win this, which we can put down to Price’s increasing presence on TV. Gilding had a great 2014, which saw him break into the world top 32, although 2015 in retrospect has been a quieter affair. Price has picked up the pace and looking to enter the top 32 into 2016 and his TV performances have not gone unnoticed with a last eight at the matchplay back in July.
Benito van de Pas versus Max Hopp is an interesting tie, with Big Ben leading the head to head 2-1 and could be the game of the night for entertainment. With the European Tour expanding, this has benefited the likes of Benito and Max in generating further experience in front of crowds.
The recently crowned Youth Champion at the last TV event Max Hopp plays a quick pace, so this will suit Benito and this is where we may see maximums roll in. I can make a case for 3-0 to either, but there again can make a case for a four or five setter. This helps our bet in looking to take on Benito with the maximums and think layers have this wrong. For Big Ben to hit four or more is as big as 6/5 with Paddy Power and this will suit us. The longer the game goes on, the better the chance this will land.
Adrian Lewis will want to put his tie to bed as he takes on Jan Dekkar. In their only meeting, Jackpot, who teased coming out to new music leads the head to head. We have our concerns in respect of how motivated Lewis will be. He knows he has the talent, and it is whether he takes the wrath of Double Dekkar. Their only meeting was a pro tour event, where Lewis bossed this 6-2, has the scoring power, which makes me reluctant to pick a winner here other than Lewis to win this to nil, but will be tentative with corals 6/5.
The final game of the evening an nearly a week after the event begun, Jelle Klassen and Joe Cullen get their moment to decide who progresses to round two. Klaasen leads the head to head 4-1 and by no means a player you want to face. Joe Cullen has not had good experiences on this stage, having lost all of the five exiting at the earliest opportunity. Cullen has the courage and determination; we know that and will need to maintain his scoring to potentially give the former Lakeside champion a scare.
Recommendations
- Benito van de Pas – over 3.5 180s – 6/5 Paddy Power (1pt)
- Adrian Lewis to win 3-0 – 6/5 Coral (1pt)
In December 2020 we sadly 
Cheers Lock up , I took a treble from your picks yesterday
Jenkins -1
Over legs winstanley
Most 180s the Spanish guy against Newton
World Championship Darts day 7
Singles:
Price vs Gilding, Pice most 180’s 6/4
Van de Pas vs Hopp, Van de Pas over 3.5 180’s 10/11
Van de Pas vs Hopp, over 7.5 match 180’s 5/6 **NB**
Klaasen vs Cullen, Klaasen most 180’s 20/21 **NAP**
Price’s throw is one in which there is very little backlift on the dart and it seems to be fairing quite well for him as he i scoring well and advancing in events. Gilding literally stands right at the edge of the oche and throws his darts. Initially it seemed like a good method as he was getting a decent amount of 140’s and 180’s but from around April this year his scoring seems to have dipped, he’s not getting as many 180’s as he used to and there are a lot more wayward darts being thrown. I think Price will really want to go as far he can in this years Worlds and I believe he can get the most 180’s at a good price.
Hopp vs Van de Pas could be a 180 fest as both get all three darts in the treble twenty bed very frequently in their matches. Van der Pas, fresh from destroying James Wade 10-3 at the Players Championship and posting an impressive 105.39 average in the process, heads into the worlds in good form. Hopp, the newly crowned World Youth Champion, is considered to be the brightest prospect to come out of Germany in recent times. If Van de Pas performs at his usual capability, his 180 line stands a great chance of being exceeded and as both players go tit for tat trading maximums the total 180 line should also be surpassed.
Former Lakeside winner Klaasen has always been a heavy scorer especially on 140’s and 180’s. His opponent Joe Cullen does get 180’s in matches but the main problem is the grouping on his darts for the most part is poor so he cant always maintain hitting the big scores. Over the course of the match Klaasen should accuire the most 180’s with his fast, consistant throwing action.
Prices with Bet365
Good luck all
@bullseye take it your a big dart fan ? me to are u on any of the darts sites on facebook like darts collectors
Yeah @paulcwn Im a big darts fan. There’s not many sports that can compare to the excitement of it IMO. I dont have facebook but Im on darts forum.
For anyone doing Van de Pas over 3.5 180’s it’s 6/5 with William Hills
Bet of the tournament for me coming up on Tue 29th
Mervyn King v Jelle Klassen
Im going big on this one as i think Klassen is a steal @ 4/7. If he continues to pepper the T20 he WILL simply be to good for The King. Merry Xmas lads Hope you all have a good one