PDC World Championship

It never fails to amaze me that darts has become such a popular spectator sport! Let’s face it, the game hardly lends itself to a viewing public who have to watch the action on giant TV screens because they are so far away from the oche only a bird of prey could possibly see what’s going on without visual aids. Then there’s the average darts player – hardly perfect specimens of athleticism, are they? But the sport has somehow transformed from a game played between mates at the pub or club into a worldwide phenomenon staged in front of thousands at venues like London’s Alexandra Palace, now the traditional home of the PDC World Championships. The sport is even endorsed by intellectuals like Stephen Fry nowadays and there’s sure to be plenty of interest among bettors in this year’s Christmas jamboree.

Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor is bidding for a 16th world title over the Festive period and it’s no surprise that he’s no bigger than 4/6 (general) to retain his crown. However, there have been a few cracks appearing in the champion’s armour over the last couple of months. Beaten by Steve Beaton in the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam Of Darts, the real Phil Taylor just never turned up when he and James Wade were amazingly beaten by unranked Spain in the recent World Cup. ‘The Power’ also has a tricky draw at Ally Pally, with former world champion John Part a possible second-round opponent and the likes of Co Stompe (a general 125/1), Adrian Lewis (a general 33/1) and Simon Whitlock potentially lying in wait. Whitlock, the fourth seed, is particularly interesting. ‘The Wizard’, losing finalist 12 months ago, can be backed at 16/1 with sportingbet. But it shouldn’t be forgotten that Taylor has still won six major titles in 2010 and is probably still the one to beat so it is with some reluctance that I am overlooking him in favour of James Wade. Rated a 9/1 chance by extrabet, at only 27 ‘The Machine’ is a comparative novice on the world stage but he arrives at these world championships as the in-form player on the PDC circuit having won the Grand Prix and reached the final of the Grand Slam in recent weeks. If everything goes according to plan, the Hampshire-born player shouldn’t encounter serious opposition before meeting Raymond van Barneveld (a general 14/1) in the semi-finals and has to be a bit of value on that basis alone.

Phil Taylor v Simon Whitlock
PDC Darts World Championship Final
Sunday, January 3rd

The darts powerhouse that is Phil Taylor has done it again. He has reached the final of the PDC Darts World Championship as goes I search of his 15th World title. After beating his protégé Adrian Lewis, and then destroying Mark Webster 6-0 in the semi finals, Taylor cruised his way through Sunday’s final. Everything was looking on course for a Phil Taylor v  Raymond van Barneveld final, but it was not to be, as there was a big  shock in the other semi final.

The big Dutchman, Raymond van Barneveld, who has apparently been struggling with diabetes through the tournament, could not quite pull through his semi final match. Despite being in a strong position of being four sets to two up, Simon Whitlock (aka The Wizard – if you want to know why, take a look at a picture of him), who is making his debut in the PDC Darts World Championships, staged a massive comeback to take the match 6-5. He himself had to hold off a late comeback by Barneveld, but held on a nail-biter.

Maybe the result should not have been as much as a surprise, as Australian Whitlock also knocked out third seed James Wade in the Quarter Finals, so he’s certainly doing things the hard way. So, now it will be Sunday’s showcase in which Whitlock has to take on and try and beat the best in the World. Phil Taylor has “been there and done it” several times over, and having one lost one set in the whole of the tournament, looks in some staggeringly impressive and inspirational form. With nerves coming into play in the big final, Taylor will also have the edge there as well. In terms of maximums, Taylor has hit ten 180’s, while Whitlock has mustered up just the one.

Phil “The Power” Taylor, will start as overwhelmingly strong favourite in the two horse race, and it is hard to raise any argument against him taking his 15th World Title. The bookies have him all at short odds against the debutant, and Whitlock, looking nervous in his semi final, will really have his work cut out as he steps up to the oche.

Phil Taylor to win: 1/10 at Paddy Power
Simon Whitlock to win: 11/2 at SkyBet

The draw for the Quarter Finals of the PDC World Darts Championship is nearly complete, with some shocks having happened along the way. Still on course at Alexandra Palace, London, for yet another title is Phil “The Power” Taylor (4/11 at BetFred) who cruised through his second round match against Steve Hines 4-1. The highest casualty of the tournament this year, is fourth seed John Part, who crashed out in the second round, losing 4-1 to Englishman, Kirk Shepherd (ranked 29th), who then proceeded to lose in his third round match by the same score line to Mark Webster.

Raymond van Barneveld (8/1 at BetFred) is looking strong, yet not at his very best, and the big Dutchman (ranked 2nd) hit a spectacular 9-dart finish for the second consecutive year. That accomplishment came in his second round 4-0 victory over Brendan Dolan from Ireland. He is now awaiting Kevin Painter in the third round. Third seed James Wade takes on Andy Hamilton in the last of the remaining third round matches, but all eyes will already be waiting on the Quarter Final match between Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis (10/1 at BetFred).

Lewis (aka Jackpot) is the protégé of Phil Taylor, with both players hailing from Stoke, and practicing together up until a couple of years ago. This latest showdown will take place on January 1st. Lewis, who, shall we say, is not short of self confidence, is pushing the competition hard this year, remaining right up there with Taylor for averages so far. Although Lewis hasn’t managed to get the better of Taylor so far, he is still talking up his chances. Unlike Taylor, who has romped to 12 World Titles, Lewis has yet to make it beyond the quarter finals in the competition. He could well be suffering the same fate again this year.

Phil Taylor vs. Adrian Lewis
Phil Taylor to win- 2/11 at Coral
Adrian Lewis to win – 4/1 at SkyBet

There is nothing quite like a throw of the arrows over Christmas and the New Year, and that is exactly when the world of Darts explodes into the public spotlight. Up first is the PDC World Championship, which is well underway, and then it will be the turn of the BDO equivalent, which kicks off in the beginning of January. Phil “The Power” Taylor is the true genius star of the Darting world, as he just racks up title after title, and will be looking to add to his collection of World Championship crowns with victory again this year in the PDC World Championship of Darts.

Taylor plays fellow England player Steve Hines in his second round match, after being first round opponent Steve Monk 3-0. This is all happening in the first quarter of the draw, where Hines, unseeded, beat the 32nd ranked player Rolan Scholten 3-2 in the first round. It will be a major surprise if Phil Taylor does not make it through as winner of his quarter. He is the ultimate powerhouse in the world of sport, as he completely dominates. He is at short odds with the bookmakers, and that is just the sheer class of the man, who personifies the word ‘consistency’.

Of course, all of the bookies have Taylor at the shortest odds, simply because he is such a strong favourite, even in such a large field, to take the title again. It is not often that you will see such an overwhelming favourite walk into a tournament in any sport. Taylor recently won the Grand Slam of Darts for the third time in a row, which was a showdown tournament between the players from the two main darting organisations. He triumphed in the final of that, 16-2 over Scott Waites, as he strode on in his darting prowess, looking as imperious as ever.

Taylor’s hunger simply never seems to wane, and if he can win again, it will be the fifteenth time he has triumphed in the pusuit of a world title. The closest challenger he has in the top quarter of the PDC World Championship draw, is eighth seed Adrian Lewis. All four of the top seeds safely negotiated their way into the second round of the tournament. Raymond Van Barneveld (2) and John Part (4) will take their place in the second round, while James Wade (3), remains the one many are tipping to be the one who can end Taylor’s reign of ultimate power.

Last year’s semi finalist, Wade made his 3-1 first round victory look a lot more hard work than maybe it should have been, and now he moves on to meet Michael van Gerwen in the second round. Wade won the darts Premier League this year and is why there is a lot of outside money going on him to stop Taylor somewhere along the line. There is still a distance to go before the two of them could come together, with them being in separate halves of the draw, with the top four seeds all being kept separate. Everyone going into the PDC World Championships know though, that Taylor is the one to beat, and that is what will be driving on his nearest competitors.

PDC World Championship Darts Second Round Draw
Phil Taylor v Steve Hine
Robert Thornton v Jyhan Artut
Adrian Lewis v Wes Newton
Kevin McDine v Barrie Bates
Mervyn King v Co Stompe
Alan Tabern v Mark Dudbridge
John Part v Kirk Shepherd
Mark Webster v Peter Manley
Raymond van Barneveld v Brendan Dolan
Kevin Painter v Vincent van der Voort
Ronnie Baxter v Gary Anderson
Colin Lloyd v Denis Ovens (23, Eng)
Terry Jenkins v Darin Young
Simon Whitlock v Wayne Jones
James Wade v Michael van Gerwen
Andy Hamilton v Steve Beaton

PDC World Championship Outright Winner Prices (top six)
Phil Taylor – 4/11 at Boylesports
James Wade – 9/1 at BetFred
Raymond Van Barneveld – 10/1 at SkyBet
Gary Anderson – 16/1 at Ladbrokes
Simon Whitlock – 28/1 at Boylesports
Adrian Lewis – 33/1 at Stan James

My wife dragged me into town to do the Christmas shopping yesterday. And when I say dragged, I mean I left marks all the way to the front door where I tried dig my fingernails into the laminated floorboards! You see, I’ve learned over the years that shopping and me aren’t compatible. I just can’t come up with an intelligent answer when asked if Auntie Edith would like a chunky cardigan or whether Grandad would appreciate a box set of Jackie Chan DVDs. I’ve decided it’s not my fault, it’s simply part of my genetic make-up. The experience did, however, prompt me to consider, on the trudge back to the car through the gathering gloom, that buying gifts for me is like betting on certain events for some people. I freely admit I know nothing of the wool-wearing or martial arts preference of near relations and certainly wouldn’t wager money on being correct in my assumptions why, then, do some folk let common sense fly out the window when it comes to wagering? So, when someone brings darts into the conversation and your first thought is of the Seventies be-bop band who had a hit with ‘Duke of Earl’, or with the pleats of a skirt, you probably shouldn’t be having a bet on the PDC World Darts Championship which gets under way at Alexandra Palace this week. Those of you, of course, who know that, in this case, ‘Barney’ doesn’t refer to Fred Flintstone’s best pal but world number two Raymond Van Barneveld will also know that Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, bidding for his 13th PDC crown, is virtually unbackable at a best 2-5 with boylesports and Stan James, though probably still a better investment than sticking a large wad of cash in a savings account nowadays. More interesting, however, is skybet‘s 12-5 about Mervyn King winning his quarter of the draw. King does have to get past 2008 champion John Part in his section of the draw but has an impressive pedigree in televised events and reached the last four of this competition 12 months ago. A finalist in this year’s Premier League, in which he took Taylor‘s notable scalp, ‘The King’  is a rather apt choice to do well in this festive event.