Bloody hell it’s been a while since James Wade lifted the UK Open Championship in Bolton, it feels long enough since the Flying Scotsman Mr Anderson picked up a double win in Holland in the Players Championship which was the last event on the PDC boys’ calendar.
We finally find ourselves in Blackpool and ready for one of the finest events in world sport that is the World Matchplay.
We’re going into this gruelling nine day event with about as open a field as we have seen for a decade and for the first time in a long while there isn’t too much “safe” money being laid down on Mr Taylor.
The Power is still the favourite for a tournament that he has won 11 times, and seven of the last nine, but the 7/4s and 13/8s that are the best prices being offered is nowhere near as tempting as it would have been 12 months ago, and I for one won’t be nibbling at them.
This isn’t to say that the world number one won’t be making it 12 titles by the seaside, but the fact is that now there are a few lads who have got about as good a chance as him.
If you look at how SkyBet have seen it they give us just 11/8 on Taylor whereas former champion and current UK Open champion is out at 9/1.
In my eyes, The Machine and The Power have near enough equal chance as they head to Blackpool and I know if I was going to throw a fiver at either of them I’d plump for the one with the higher return.
Gary Anderson will, of course, be a genuine contender at the Winter Gardens as well and I don’t think he’ll really be troubled before reaching the quarter-finals. As he has said: “If I play my darts well enough, I'm not scared of anybody.” If he’s in confident mood then again the 6/1 you can get on him is a lot more tempting than Taylor’s odds.
Not that I would ever rule out players of their class completely, but the rest of the top six’s form has been far too patchy this year for you to be putting any money on them with any confidence, and it’s the players just behind them that would be a lot more tempting a punt.
Certainly the form of Newton, Nicholson and Chisnall compared to that of Barney, Lewis and Whitlock would give you confidence in them over the more established trio.
When you can get 50/1 on Chizzy and The Warrior compared to 12/1 on Barney, I know where my money will be being placed.
I hate to say it, but a Barney win at a major would be seen as an upset nowadays and I don’t see much value in him at anything under 20/1.
So tournament betting-wise I’d throw some decent money towards James Wade at 9/1 with Totesport and have a little dabble with Newton at 50/1 with various bookies (I would have thrown Chisnall in there too but he is set to face Wade in the quarters).
As far as the opening round ties go there are some real gems, as you would expect with only 32 players competing, there is nothing below the highest quality.
The opening night is a cracker as we will see the most gentlemanly of all contests as Terry Jenkins faces Steve Beaton, then we’ll get to see if Kevin Painter’s medically enhanced eyes have made a difference. Match of the night for me will be Webster against Part though which I reckon will go the distance, with Webster just pinching it.
I’ll throw some predictions out there early on as well, as far as the quarter-finals. My final eight, before a dart is thrown, will be: Webster, Lewis, Nicholson, Wade, Whitlock, Anderson, Taylor, Newton.
Nothing too shocking there I’m afraid, but it is a seeded tournament. What I will say is though that it has been so long since we’ve seen any of these men there could have been all sorts of changes in form, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
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