Sporting Life
Michael van Gerwen is back in action
Michael van Gerwen is back in action

World Darts Championship: Sunday preview, predictions, odds, betting tips, order of play & TV times

By Chris Hammer
Darts
Sun December 22, 2019 · 6y ago

Our guide to Sunday's action at the William Hill World Darts Championship includes the order of play, match-by-match previews, predictions and a suggested acca.

The third round gets under way at the Ally Pally but only a nine-darter could possibly create the kind of atmosphere that greeted Fallon Sherrock's unbelievable victory over Mensur Suljovic last night!

Here's a quick run through of all six of today's matches...

World Darts Championship: Sunday December 22

AFTERNOON SESSION

Jonny Clayton (10/11) v Stephen Bunting (10/11)

Head-to-head: 5-2
2019 Meetings: 0-1
PDC Titles this season: 1-0

Stephen Bunting was my speculative 28/1 pick to come through this quarter of the draw so it came as a huge relief to see him sneak past Jose Justicia 6-4 in a deciding set.

It was surprisingly to see him run so close considering his encouraging form this form, which included impressive performances at the World Matchplay and the recent Players Championship Finals.

That said he still managed a creditable average of 93.49 and hit 10 180s so the Bullet should now be able to look forward with confidence.

He said: "I haven't won on this stage in four years and that was at the back of my mind, so it's good to get rid of that record. I truly believe I can win this tournament and now it's about going out there and showing it."

With that win under his belt, we can perhaps expect a more relaxed Bunting against Jonny Clayton, who wasn't really given much of a game against Jan Dekker, who only hit three of his 13 attempts at doubles.

As dangerous as the Ferret is, I'm going to stick with the St Helens man to move a step closer to that potential quarter-final with MVG.

Prediction: 2-4

Darius Labanauskas (1/1) v Max Hopp (4/5)

Head-to-head: 0-2
2019 Meetings: 0-2
PDC Titles this season: 0-0

After winning two matches last weekend, Darius Labanauskas is finally back on the oche in what must feel like a new tournament in terms of time lapse.

The Lithuanian made short work of Matthew Edgar on the Saturday before upsetting the odds against Ian White 24 hours later thanks to an average of 96.31.

Labanauskas is no stranger to this stage of the competition having stunned Raymond van Barneveld 12 months ago to get here and I have no doubts he'll run Max Hopp close.

The rising German star was given a stern test by Benito van de Pas, who always seems to play above his form guide on this stage, but he's the fresher player and that might just prove crucial.

Prediction: 3-4

Nathan Aspinall (4/6) v Krzysztof Ratajski (6/5)

Head-to-head: 0-2
2019 Meetings: 0-2
PDC Titles this season: 2-3

Anyone who has been following these daily previews and my outright tips will know all the reasons why I feel strongly about Nathan Aspinall's chances of going the distance.

But the UK Open and US Darts Masters champion will need to play close to his best against the incredibly dangerous Krzysztof Ratajski to keep his dream alive.

The pair have met twice this season and the Polish Eagle has won them both, most recently in the televised World Series of Darts Finals, while he also beat the Stockport man to a Players Championship title.

That was one of three titles for Ratajski this season and it could have been four had Gerwyn Price not got the better of him in what was his fourth of five finals.

However, he wasn't too impressive against Zoran Lerchbacher and he'll be short of support when he faces the popular Aspinall - a crucial factor when he doesn't have a great record on televised stages.

The Asp admitted he struggled with the nerves of expectancy during the first set against Danny Baggish last time out but he roared back in such emphatic fashion that he ended with an average of 95.38.

More of the same please Nathan!

Prediction: 4-2

EVENING SESSION

James Wade (2/5) v Steve Beaton (2/1)

Head-to-head: 20-3
2019 Meetings: 0-0
PDC Titles this season: 5-0

James Wade hit the darting headlines after his 3-0 victory over Ritchie Edhouse by effectively dismissing his chances of being in the Premier League line-up for 2020 and not being bothered by it.

The Machine may have won five titles in floor tournaments this season but he's struggled in the winter majors and that's put him at risk of being overtaken in the selection process by even those below him in the rankings.

Obviously, a run to the world final would surely seal his spot, especially if he wins it for the first time, but standing in his way of getting to the fourth round is Steve Beaton, who rolled back the years with a 170 checkout during his victory over Kyle Anderson.

This is the first time Bronzed Adonis has featured in the third round since 2005 and he's determined to finally create some positive memories on his 19th consecutive appearance in the PDC World Championship.

However, the 1996 Lakeside king, who competed in 10 BDO world championships before crossing over to the PDC in 2002, has a miserable record against Wade and last beat him back in 2013.

Although they've only met five times since then, Beaton did admit his record might play in his mind up on the oche and he can't really afford to have any negative thoughts ahead of a match in which he's already the underdog.

Prediction: 4-2

Kim Huybrechts (6/5) v Danny Noppert (4/6)

Head-to-head: 2-1
2019 Meetings: 2-1
PDC Titles this season: 0-0

A lot has happened since Kim Huybrechts thrashed Rob Cross 3-0 on the second night of the World Championship but now he's back to try and go beyond the third round for the first time since reaching the 2012 quarter-finals.

Quite how the Hurricane whitewashed the 2018 world champion with an average less than 90 owes much to how poor his opponent was, although to his credit he did produce a sparkling 152 checkout and pinned over 50% of his doubles.

His achievement was overshadowed in terms of headline making by Raymond van Barneveld being sent into retirement earlier in the night but his bank balance won't mind that.

Huybrechts' main problem now is the long break before games, and if he wins today, he'll have another before his next. It'll almost like playing in three different weekend tournaments.

Danny Noppert was given a scare by rising star Callan Rydz on Wednesday night but he still averaged 92.85 in a rusty performance and we can expect those levels to improve.

Prediction: 2-4

Michael van Gerwen (1/14) v Ricky Evans (7/1)

Head-to-head: 8-1
2019 Meetings: 1-0
PDC Titles this season: 14-0

Blink, and you may just miss the last match of the night, even if it goes to a deciding set.

If it hadn't been for Fallon Sherrock, Ricky Evans' 170 checkout would probably be up there fighting for moment of the tournament so far. And then there was his dancing.

If Evans can continue to compliment his entertainment value with an ever improving standard of darts then we may just see him in the Premier League within the next few years and what a fantastic addition he'd be.

The crowd already love him and victory over MVG tonight would be celebrated as wildly as Sherrock's two coronations.

Interestingly, he's the same odds to beat the defending champion as the Queen of the Palace was to shock Mensur Suljovic last night so anything's possible - as we knew already in darts.

However, the fastest thrower in the game has a poor record against MVG like so many other players and he lost their previous meeting 6-0 in the quarter-finals of the Austrian Darts Championship.

Van Gerwen has been enjoying a long week of practice and rest since his shaky victory on opening night but there's no way he'll allow himself to be complacent having seen so many other seeds fall.

Prediction: 4-1

SUGGESTED ACCA

CLICK HERE FOR FULL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE, RESULTS & FORMAT

Related Darts Content