Come one come all to the FA Cup of Darts - David chooses tungsten to slay Goliath

So just as the football season finishes, we are treated to the FA Cup of Darts kicking off in Bolton as hopefuls from around the world turn up in Bolton with the hope of becoming the UK Open Champion.

128 players will be entering the first round at the Reebok Stadium on Thursday, but only 32 will still be in the tournament when the third round commences the following day.  Here’s my pick of the first round ties, and a tentative stab at who’s going to still be competing when the top 32 arrive.

Scott Rand v Steve Beaton

An interesting clash for the early stages which most would have The Bronzed Adonis Steve Beaton as favourite for, but his opponent has been in pretty good form so far this year and will give him a stiff challenge.  This year Rand has reached two Players Championship quarter-finals, and one semi-final just nine days ago in Crawley, Beaton hasn’t got past the last 32 in 2011.  He does have the pedigree and the experience live on TV though, so it will be a close one.

Prediction: Rand 3 – 4 Beaton

Priestley's Pick: Rand 2 - 4 Beaton

Darrin Pugh v Wayne Mardle

Well let’s be honest, I’m not the only one who doesn’t know anything about Darrin Pugh, but he is clearly a very capable player to get to this stage, the reason we’re all going to be watching this one is the return of Wayne Mardle.  Hawaii 501’s fall from grace was a sudden one, but he is on the come-back trail now, and just sneaking into this tournament could provide the boost he needs.  Being back in front of the fans might just spur him on as well.

Prediction: Pugh 1 – 4 Mardle

Priestley's Pick: Pugh 4 - 3 Mardle

Steve Hine v Arron Monk

Two players that the qualifiers are glad they have missed face off against each other in this one as the seasoned professional takes on one of the brightest young talents in the game.  Monkey pocketed £10k for winning the under-21 World Championships earlier this year, and has reached the last 16 a couple of times on the pro-tour, although he has struggled of late with his last four appearances yielding zero prize money.  The Muffin Man has been here plenty of times before, and reached the quarter-finals in 2007, but I’m going to go for a win for the youth on Thursday.

Prediction: Hine 2 – 4 Monk

Priestley's Pick: Hine 3 - 4 Monk

Colin Lloyd v Jelle Klaasen

I think this is, without doubt, the highest quality showdown that the first round has thrown up as a former World number one meets a former World Champion.  It’s fair to say that neither man is at the peak of their game anymore, but they are still fine competitors and Lloyd is the second highest rank player to be in at the first round.  The Matador has been disappointing in the last couple of years and Lloyd has been just slightly out-performing him in recent months, so I’m going with Lloyd for this one.

Prediction: Lloyd 4 – 2 Klaasen

Priestley's Pick: Lloyd 4 - 2 Klaasen

Peter Manley v John Bowles

Another one very similar to the Mardle game, there is only one party we’re really interested in here and it’s Peter Manley.  One Dart has had some quite serious health problems but is on the road to recovery now and his darts have improved sufficiently to warrant a place in Bolton.  His opponent is no mug and has qualified for the UK Open before, but like Mardle I think the return to the TV screens will excite Manley.

Prediction: Manley 4 – 2 Bowles

Priestley's Pick: Manley 4 - 3 Bowles

Davey Dodds v James Wade

In all fairness this one isn’t that interesting at all and will be a comfortable victory for The Machine, although simply having the World number four in at this stage creates some interest in the match.  Wade’s form clearly hasn’t been anywhere near what it can be so far this year, which is why he’s competing at this stage, but it picked up considerably at the end of the Premier League, and I still expect him to be challenging at the latter stages in Bolton.

Prediciton: Dodds 0 – 4 Wade

Priestley's Pick: Dodds 1 - 4 Wade

Magnus Caris v Kevin McDine

My final pick should be a very even battle, and these two will feel aggrieved they’ve drawn each other, as against qualifiers you would fully expect them to progress.  Poker Face Caris has been at this a long time and is a former World Championship semi-finalist, and since gaining his PDC pro-tour card at the start of the year has competed well, reaching the last 16 numerous times.  McDine has had a very similar year so far, and there seems to be nothing between the two.

Prediciton: Caris 3 – 4 McDine

Priestley's Pick: Caris 4 - 3 McDine

So those are the seven games to look out for in the first round, there are plenty of other top players around, not least Dennis Priestley, but as far as closeness and specific interest goes, I’d keep an eye out for these seven.

I have looked at the draw for the second round, which also takes place on Thursday, and have picked a 32 that I think will make the third round.  Some of this is complete guess work as I know nothing about some of the qualifiers, but it’s worth a pop I suppose.

Here they are..

Henderson, Alcinas, van Gerwen, McDine, Hylton, Stompe, C Monk, Dolan, Hill, A Smith, Wade, Gleeson, Beaton, Priestley, Pipe, Bates, Monaghan, Douglas, Maish, Scholten, Ellam, Boulton, Cooper, Ayres, Cartwright, Petersen, Pearce, Lloyd, Grubb, MaGowan, Suljovic

The Flying Scotsman hits the Jackpot where it hurts to claim the crown

Well I was proved completely wrong and Mr Priestley slightly less wrong by the overlords of the oche as my two tips for the final crashed out in the semis, but with hindsight I wasn’t too disappointed with how it panned out as we were treated to a belter of a night at Wembley, and one that will never be forgotten.

Semi Final One: Phil Taylor 3 – 8 Adrian Lewis

Reminiscent of the very first week of the tournament as Jackpot proved why he is the champion of the world yet again by handing out a thrashing to the greatest player of all time.

It looked like Adrian might be struggling with his first couple of throws, but a maximum put him back on course and Taylor missed his one chance at tops to let his opponent back in to go one up. 

It appeared it was the Power who was suffering as Lewis took the second against the throw without Taylor having a go at a double, and he was three up in no time with another 180 along the way.

The Power took the fourth needing just one dart at double 10 which showed he was still very much in the game and then hammered home the point with a 96 checkout to break the throw and come within one leg.  Things were clearly not quite right though as it was unlike the great man to miss two shots at double ten to even things up and Lewis needed just one attempt at tops to go in at the break 4-2 up.

Jackpot held in the seventh with ease and continued at his predatory best as he pounced on one missed double from Taylor to break again and open up a four leg lead.  The World Champ was in incredible rhythm now as he got seven darts into a nine darter, and eventually went out in ten to go 7-2 ahead.

The world number one notched up his third leg in the tenth but it was all over in the eleventh as Taylor missed two at double 16 which summed up how his night had gone, and Lewis moved in on double 18 to claim a resounding victory.

It was an incredible performance from Adrian Lewis who managed to defeat a man who has won thirteen games on the trot, and beat him comfortably.  Taylor was nowhere near his best, which is a compliment to the man as he still averaged 99.5, but it needed Lewis to capitalise, and he did just that averaging 104.6.

You did feel that if anyone could beat Taylor it would be Lewis, but I still didn’t see it happening, especially not in the way it did.  Usually you wouldn’t back the man who beats Taylor in the semi to win the final as they’re so mentally drained, but the win was so straight forward that you had to back him to take the final as well.

Semi Final Two: Raymond van Barneveld 6 – 8 Gary Anderson

Not the absolute highest quality that we have come to expect from these two men, but still a cracking match which went right down to the wire and proved how far Gary Anderson has come in the last couple of years.

It didn’t look like it was going to be his day at first as he made an incredibly slow start and was three-nil down in no time at all, missing six darts to take the second leg, and not really challenging the throw in the first and third.

The Scotsman finally kicked into life in the fourth leg, opening up with a maximum and then smashing in another to go out in 11 darts and get a leg on the board, but Barney continued his early dominance with a 13-darter to re-establish his three leg lead with ease.

The Dutchman then had a dart at double 16 to go in at the break four up, but couldn’t hit it and Anderson came back in to win the leg and crucially stay in touch at the break.

A vital break of throw came in the first after the interval with Anderson moving within one leg, and then a strong leg on his own throw saw the Scotsman level things up.

Barney was looking rattled now as the missed doubles continued to rack up and Anderson went ahead for the first time in the match, but it didn’t last long as it was Dream Boy paying for missed doubles this time as the Dutchman levelled up.

A maximum in the eleventh from Anderson saw him break again as this see-saw match continued, and it certainly continued in the next as Barney hit a 137 finish to make it 6-6.

It looked like it was finally swinging Anderson’s way though as two maximums put him on his way to take the leg and go within one of winning the match and one more was all he needed as double 18 set up a replay of the world championship final from a few short months ago.

It really was a mixed bag from both players as missed doubles were the order of the day and will have left Barney hugely frustrated not to win the match.  The scoring from both men, particularly Anderson was fantastic and that’s what got him to the final.

Despite the seemingly poor quality at times, averages of 96 and 98 showed how good the scoring was at times, Anderson hitting seven 180s and his guts to come back from three down meant that he deserved the win.

Third-Place Play-Off: Phil Taylor v Raymond van Barneveld

Not a whole lot to be said about this one, Barney wasn’t interested at all, and Taylor probably was but wasn’t showing it.  There was a bit of a lack of professionalism, especially from the Dutchman, who was showing a bit of distain for the match and the £10,000 difference in prize money.

The first three went with throw, but Barney was relaxed in this state so wasn’t missing so many doubles and took the first break to g 3-1 up.  The second break didn’t take long to come as Taylor took the next to stay within one.

The Power wasn’t looking in any kind of form though as he missed a couple at double 16 and found himself 4-2 down at the interval. 

He came flying out of the blocks after the break though and broke straight away.  The two men then opened up the eighth leg with a maximum as the standard was just improving slightly and Taylor took it to even things up.

The game was extremely tight but Barney took the ninth and tenth leg and looked like he might just push on to victory, but Taylor broke again to go just one behind his adversary and then eventually took out double two to level up again.

The Dutchman was well ahead in the thirteenth and really should have won it but fluffed his lines as Taylor stepped in to finish tops and go one away from victory and he wrapped it up in style hitting a maximum and then an 81 finish to take it 8-6.

The third-place play-off has to take place, but it really is a non-event and one the crowd just couldn’t get into despite it being a tight affair.  Both men will be hugely disappointed with their night at Wembley and will be looking to put it behind them and move on, you worry for Barney though and how it’s going to effect the rest of his year.

The Final: Gary Anderson 10 – 4 Adrian Lewis

With these two getting to the final, we were all expecting an absolute thriller, but it turned out to be a one-sided affair, thanks to Gary Anderson finding his brilliant best to blow the man who beat him in the World Championship final away.

The Scot started like a train, banging in his first maximum in the first leg of the final and breaking the throw of Lewis in just 13 darts and then spectacularly taking the second with a 121 checkout and a bull finish.

Another 180 in the third saw Dream Boy break for a second time and go three ahead in no time at all and then just needed two darts at 76 to extend his lead to four legs.

Finally it was Jackpot’s time to shine in the fifth leg as he opened it up with his first 180 of the contest to drag his average up towards the high 80s, and he chalked up his first leg on double 8.

The Scot was relentless though as yet another maximum and a 101 checkout saw him go into the interval 5-1 ahead.

The break in play didn’t derail the Flying Scotsman at all as he came back to the oche and broke yet again with a 13-darter and then went 7-1 up with of all things a double three.

It was a massacre at the hands of Anderson and there was nothing the World Champion could do about it apart from just keep plugging away, but he looked punch drunk quite honestly.  He came within a whisker of taking out a 131 in the ninth leg, but was immediately punished for the miss, and broken again as Anderson’s finishing was on the money again.

Lewis was nowhere near him in the tenth as Anderson went 9-1 ahead, but Jackpot showed his class by hitting a maximum to open up the eleventh leg and went on to win it comfortably.

Anderson seemed to just suffer from some nerves at the finishing line though as he missed four shots at doubles to win the match in the twelfth and Lewis stayed alive with double five, and then he took his third leg in a row to take it to 9-4.

There was a whiff of a comeback in the air, but a poor start to the fourteenth leg was penultimate nail in his coffin, the final one being a double ten from the Scot who by hitting that became the newly crowned Premier League Champion.

It was a sensational performance in the final who blew his opponent away with a blistering start and then held him at bay superbly to claim a resounding win.

You’d probably have to say that Phil Taylor has been the best player over the tournament, but you can take nothing away from Gary Anderson who thoroughly deserves the title after two brilliant wins on finals night, which Taylor couldn’t match.

It looks like it will be the first of many for The Flying Scotsman, and Adrian Lewis will certainly be in many more finals.  He was disappointing in the final, but in destroying The Power showed what a force he is nowadays.

Well that’s it for another Premier League, it’s been a pleasure covering it with you all, and see you back for the UK Open.

Could there be a new Premier League champion? Probably not.

So here it is; the showpiece event which we’ve been waiting for to arrive for the past fourteen and a half weeks.  Me and Dennis don't agree on how the night's going to pan out, except for the winner, but we do agree that it'll be a cracker.  If it’s a patch on last year then we’re in for a real treat, hold on to your hats Wembley!!

Semi Final One: Phil Taylor v Adrian Lewis

This is the match that everyone wanted to see at this stage of the tournament I believe.  Not only did Jackpot claim the World Title, which Taylor believes to be rightfully his, but then he had the audacity to thrash The Power in the opening week of the Premier League.

Taylor duly returned the favour later in the tournament, but that only makes them even, and I think The Power is only happy when he is one better than that.

Ever since that earth shattering defeat to Lewis fourteen weeks ago, the world number one has been the model of consistency, scoring a three-figure average every outing since week five, taking his tournament average to over a ton.  It really has been back to the Taylor of a couple of years ago when you can only see one result coming when he walks on the stage, as apart from Gary Anderson in Manchester, no one has even come close to taking points off him.

Adrian Lewis, in comparison, has been somewhat up and down, which is reflected in the league table as despite taking two points off Taylor in the first week he finished twelve behind him in the final standings.

He has looked brilliant at times, and has shown the attitude of a World Champion (especially in Glasgow) which maybe some people still doubted he had.  This however is an incredibly stern challenge and he is strong second favourite to make the final.

It is still a very short format of the game though and if Taylor has an issue with any part of his game it is his slightly slow starts, so if Adrian can come flying out of the blocks and find his rhythm early then he could still pull off the upset.

It would be incredibly unfair to write off the World Champion completely in what is a two horse race, but as I’ve said before, only the very rich or very stupid/brave will back against an in-form Phil Taylor.

Prediction: Taylor 8 – 4 Lewis

Priestley’s Pick: The first semi-final pits the 15 time world champion against the current world champion. Phil has been absolutely amazing this season since the opening week when Adrian grabbed a deserved win. Adrian has to get a good start and put Phil under pressure from the off. If Phil gets away early in the match then it could spell trouble for Adrian. Taylor to win 8-5

Semi Final Two: Gary Anderson v Raymond van Barneveld

The Flying Scotsman is going into this one as hot favourite with the bookies, despite the fact that he has been defeated in two games out of two in the Premier League so far by his adversary Barney and has actually failed to win for three weeks running.

That said, the Scot has still been in excellent form as was shown during his thrilling draw with Lewis last week and there are still plenty who will back him, even at odds on.

The Dutchman has been looking in fine fettle himself though and hasn’t lost for five weeks in the league which will mean his confidence is sky high, which is crucial for Barney if he is going to perform.

SkyBet are offering 8/15 for Anderson and 6/4 for Barney which I feel are far too contrasting for how tight a game I expect it to be.  If Gary is in full, free-flowing scoring form then Barney will struggle to keep up, but I expect the five time World Champ’s finishing to be the better of the two.

It’s a very tough one to call, but I’m going to go with Barney, just.

Prediction: Anderson 7 – 8 Van Barneveld

Priestley’s Pick: This could be an absolute classic. Only a point separated them in the league table and both have played sterling darts during the season. Each player has had the odd off week but I think both will bring their A game tonight. I think we are going to see lots of 180s and the odd crowd pleasing finish. If Gary hits his doubles then I can see him edging this match. Anderson to win 8-6

Third-Place Play-Off: Adrian Lewis v Gary Anderson

Although both players that are involved in this one will be hurting and probably won’t be fully focussed, there is £10,000 difference in prize money on it, so I should think they will be going for the win.

Basically, the third-place play-off will come down to who is more adversely mentally affected by their first game, and going on my predictions I’d have to say it will be Gary Anderson.

If his match with Barney goes the distance, which I reckon it will then he will be devastated to lose it and both mentally and physically drained.  Lewis will be very disappointed to lose, don’t get me wrong, but he might just have relaxed again by the time he gets back up on stage for this one, and that will help him succeed.

I do feel harsh putting Anderson as fourth for the tournament, as you’d say he’s probably been the second best player, but them’s the breaks.

Prediction: Lewis 8 – 5 Anderson

Priestley’s Pick: If my predictions are correct then both players will be bitterly disappointed to be playing this match. But the winner gets to take home a few extra pennies so they will be trying their hearts out. Barney admits that he needs something to play for to bring his A game so I think Adrian might just have a little more fire in his belly. Lewis to win 8-5

The Final: Phil Taylor v Raymond van Barneveld

Two of the greatest names in the history of the game are who I expect to square off in the final match of this year’s Premier League, and if it is indeed them who make it, then they thoroughly deserve it.

Barney will conquer some demons simply by getting to the final having crashed out in the semis four times over the years to James Wade (twice), Terry Jenkins and of all people Roland Scholten.  If he gets through his semi with Anderson then it might just relax him a little as it is the furthest he’s ever got, and this could work to his advantage.

However, as I said about the Scotsman, a full on heavyweight bout in the semi-finals is going to knock you off balance for the final, and this could turn out to be a problem for Barney.

The massive advantage Phil Taylor has is that he is so used to winning finals.  Barney used to be, but it’s been a fair while since he won a major trophy, whereas The Power has had no such problem, even continually reaching finals of Players Championships which Barney doesn’t seem to do.

All I hope for is a tight game and that the great Dutchman pushes Taylor all the way, I can’t look past The Power though.

Prediction: Taylor 10 – 5 Barney

Priestley’s Pick: In my eyes this is the final that is deserved from the season. In the early part no one could touch Gary and he was scoring better than anybody I have ever seen. The second half was all about Phil. Numerous 105+ averages and scintillating performances. I don't want to comment too much on this game as I want actions to speak louder than my words, although I think one break of throw will be the difference. Taylor to win 10-8

Semi-Finalists Shine by the Tyne

The Machine 8 – 4 The Bull

With the pressure off both men, it brought the best out of one of them as James Wade put in some spectacular darts to claim his second win over Terry Jenkins in the tournament.

The first two legs were of the absolute highest quality from Wade who fired in two maximums in the first on his way to an 11-darter.  Then he earned himself £1000 as he picked up his second 170 finish of the competition to break early on.

Wade held throw again to go three up, but a sloppy leg from both in the fourth saw Jenkins pinch it to get his first on the board.

The Machine showed who was in control of the game in the fifth leg though as he polished off his second huge finish of the night with a 142 to go three ahead again.  The Bull was tenacious as ever though as he took the final leg before the break to remain in touch despite clearly being second best.

Wade looked like the break had affected him as Jenkins looked like he was going to claim a first break of throw, but missed two chances at a finish, The Machine didn’t make the same mistake as he finished off 104 to win the leg.

The former Premier League champ wasn’t struggling at all on his doubles, unlike his opponent as he hit tops to go four up for the first time.

The ninth leg was a bizarre one with Terry eventually taking it on double two having kicked off with five perfect darts.  Jenks took the next one too to get back within two legs and give himself some hope of a result.

The Machine secured himself the point though next up with another 180 helping him on his way and then claimed the victory in comfortable fashion in just the twelfth leg.

James Wade looked in magnificent form at times during this game, but obviously it was too little too late as far as his league campaign goes.  If he can continue like this though he will have a really good chance at the UK Open.  Terry Jenkins will be disappointed with going out of the tournament fairly limply and will now need a pretty big year to get back into the Premier League.

Webby 3 – 8 Van Barneveld

Barney looked to pick up some momentum going into his huge semi-final clash with Gary Anderson and managed to do so with an impressive win over the hapless Welshman.

The match kicked off in sensational fashion as the Dutchman fired in a 180, but managed to lose the leg with Webster finishing off a 109, things were levelled up quickly though as Barney almost matched the achievement with a 107 checkout.

The third leg was the first without a ton-plus finish, but Barneveld still got rid of 82 as he picked up the first break of throw and then held his own comfortably to open up a two leg lead for the firs time.

Webster wasn’t getting blown away though as he has done in some other weeks as he claimed the fifth leg with a simple 60 finish.  Barney took the next one though to go in at the interval 4-2 ahead.

The game was very much in the balance when the pair returned to the oche as he took out another three figure finish, this time 108 and kept very much within touching distance of his opponent.

Barney didn’t look like he was going to lose his own throw at all, comfortably holding the eighth leg, and then managing to break for the second time, bizarrely on double one to move closer to victory.

He went to the hill with a 60 finish, but was made to wait a little longer for his two points as Webby made the score more respectable with his fourth leg.  It got no better than that for Webster though as Barney took the twelfth leg to win with relative ease again.

Barney is looking very good indeed going into the play-offs and will be very confident about his clash with the Scot at Wembley. It’ll be an incredibly close game, and it’ll be very hard to call.

Webster will be pleased the league is over now I should think and he will go away and regroup ahead of next month’s UK Open where hopefully he will have refound some form.

Jackpot 7 – 7 The Flying Scotsman

The World Champion booked his place at Wembley thanks to a hugely entertaining contest with his fellow semi-finalist Gary Anderson which saw them share the spoils.

Lewis kicked things off in style with a 13-darter and was looking very comfortable.  The next two went with throw but what looked like a turning point came in the fourth leg as Anderson missed six clear darts at doubles and was looking shakey to let Lewis in and break.

Jackpot was three legs ahead in no time at all, holding throw in the fifth, but the Scot’s heavy scoring was enough to claim him the sixth and go in just 4-2 down at the break.

Lewis immediately extended his lead after the interval, but then the tide suddenly turned out of nowhere.  Anderson held throw comfortably in the eighth and then threw a 180 followed by a 165 on his way to a 10-darter and a break of throw.  Then suddenly the match was level following a double one finish and Jackpot was shell-shocked.

The eleventh leg kicked off with a 180 for the Scot who claimed it and went ahead for the first time in the match.  He then fired in yet another maximum, but again had to finish on a strange double, this time three, but 

he didn’t care which one it was as he secured himself the draw.

Anderson had a huge chance to win in the thirteenth leg as he missed three shots at doubles to allow Lewis back in to take the contest to a decider, and what a decider it was as both hit maximums but it was Lewis who pinched it and secured his semi-final place.

It was an incredible game of the highest quality and at times both men looked like they could go on to be Premier League champions, especially Gary Anderson during his five leg spree when he looked like he couldn’t miss the treble twenty.

In a way it was the perfect way to go into the play-offs as both will be confident and in good spirits, for the good of the game, it was certainly the best result.

The Power 8 – 3 The Wizard

Neither were playing for very much in the last match of the night but in the form Phil Taylor is in, it is always an entertaining spectacle.

The world number one opened up the match with a maximum and went on to win the first leg comfortably, but Whitlock wasn’t intimidated as he fired in a 180 of his own in the second to even things up.

The Power looked slightly out of sorts as he missed numerous darts at finishes, but still just about claimed the third leg, and then was right back on form to take the first break of throw of the game in the fourth.

A classy bull finish gave The Power the fifth leg and by this stage Whitlock was looking completely off colour, struggling to score anything over 60, and he duly lost the sixth leg as well without presenting much of a 

challenge.

The interval seemed to improve The Wizard’s arrows as he hit a 180 on return, but unfortunately for him it didn’t do Taylor any harm either as he hit consecutive maximums to open up a five leg lead.

Whitlock had a chance at tops to get another leg on the board but couldn’t manage it and Taylor was in no mood to let him off as he secured the draw on the same double.

The Wizard showed what stern stuff he is made of though as he produced his best leg of the game to break throw in the ninth with a 92 finish and then held throw in the next to reduce his arrears to 7-3.

That was as much as the Aussie could manage though as he couldn’t quite manage another break of throw and The Power picked up his thirteenth win of the tournament.

Inconsistency is what has cost Simon Whitlock this year and that showed in this game alone, as he went through a patch when he couldn’t hit a treble and then hit some form late on in the game.  If he can rediscover his unerring accuracy, especially on the doubles, he’ll be right back up there challenging, as he isn’t too far away when he isn’t even at his best.

It is almost impossible to bet against Phil Taylor now in the finals.  He might not hit as many 180s as some, but he doesn’t ever seem to hit anything much below 100, and coupling this with his incredible finishing means that he is relentless and over powering for most.  It’s a brave person who will back anyone but him to lift the trophy in Wembley.

Money & Momentum on the line so forget your dead rubbers

Well there’s some seemingly unimportant games this week, but let’s not despair yet as there’s plenty to play for in terms of pride, financial rewards and of course momentum for those going into the play-offs at Wembley.  With the pressure off for some though it could mean their best darts for weeks, who knows?

The Machine v The Bull

James Wade’s hope of qualification might be over, but he has the chance of pipping Simon Whitlock to fifth place which would mean an extra £2,500 in prize money, which I’m sure would be very welcome when he’s booking his summer holidays.

Terry is nailed on to finish in seventh spot, but if anyone doesn’t need extra motivation then it’s The Bull who will give anyone a game no matter what the situation is.

Both these men will be wanting to have a really good crack at the UK Open which is just a few short weeks away now and will not want to lose any big stage confidence ahead of that.  

I expect strong performances from both, but Wade’s form has just been too good over the last month to ignore.

Prediction: Wade 8 – 5 Jenkins

Betting Tip: SkyBet offering Wade at over 2.5 180s, it’s only 4/6 but surely he’ll manage that

Priestley’s Pick:  Neither player has anything to play for as both are out of the play-off hunt. Could be a nice relaxed game which could make for a good match. James has been unlucky after a late surge but only has himself to blame after a poor start. Wade to win 8-5

Webby v Barney

The situation reminds me of when the two faced off in the third-place play-off at the World Championships two years ago and Webster won comfortable because Barney wasn’t interested and just wanted to go home.  I think this will be different though.

The Dutchman will not want to give Anderson an edge going into their huge semi-final clash and already has the mental advantage having defeated the Scot last week.  If Barney were to lose and Anderson defeat Lewis then the tide will have turned.  For this reason I expect him to be fully focussed and on his game.

Webby was much more like his best last week against Whitlock and picked up his first point in nine long weeks so will be much more relaxed and more capable of competing with the 5-time World Champ, I still don’t think he’ll be able to conquer him though.

Prediction: Webster 3 – 8 Van Barneveld

Betting Tip: Me and Dennis both think this will be done in 11 legs and you can get under 12.5 legs at 11/10

Priestley’s Pick: Another dead rubber with both players fate sealed. Barney cannot even influence who he will play in the play offs. A relaxed Barney is a dangerous player and I expect him to win tonight. Barneveld to win 8-3

Jackpot v The Flying Scotsman

Without a miracle taking place, Adrian Lewis is into the semi-finals of the competition; however he will want to make sure that no such thing could occur by securing at least a draw against Gary Anderson. 

The World Champ burst into life in the second half of his contest with Terry Jenkins last week and if he plays as he did in those five legs then he could well push Anderson all the way.  As far as a warm up for a clash with Taylor goes then the Scot is as good as it gets, so Jackpot will certainly be taking this one seriously.

As far as The Flying Scotsman goes, he is in a similar situation to Barney as they wage psychological warfare against each other.  If he goes out and dominates the World Champion then Barney will be worried, if he goes out with a whimper then he certainly won’t be.

It’s going to be a tight one!!!

Prediction: Lewis 7 – 7 Anderson

Betting Tip: Gary is favourite for high checkout, but I’d go with Adrian at evens

Priestley’s Pick: Adrian needs at least a point to seal his play-off spot and he will have to be on his game tonight. Gary is guaranteed to play Barneveld no matter what happens in the play offs so has nothing to play for. Interesting encounter with Adrian needing a point but Gary free to let the arrows fly. Anderson to win 8-6

The Power v The Wizard

It is Simon Whitlock that can capitalise on any miracle that occurs and grab the final play-off place, but it is extremely unlikely given who he is facing.  The Wizard will have to win and win comfortably to have any chance of qualifying and not many would back him to do so against Taylor who has been in relentless form for two months now.

The Australian is a determined sort and will go out there and do his best to get the result he needs, and I think he may well push the league leader to a reasonably close game, but beat him? I don’t think so.

This could be the game of the night though, and I reckon three figure averages from both men.

Prediction: Taylor 8 – 5 Whitlock

Betting Tip: Taylor 4-2 up at the break is 3/2

Priestley’s Pick: Simon needs a win and needs to Adrian to lose. You would feel Simon could crash the play offs but unfortunately he needs a win against no other than Phil Taylor. How Phil is playing I cannot see Simon been able to get the win and a big leg swing which he needs. Taylor to win 8-4

My four selections come in at 14/1 whereas The Menace’s picks are a miserly 5/1 with SkyBet.