Nathan Aspinall

PDC World Darts Championship: Day eight predictions, betting tips, acca, order of play and TV time

By Chris Hammer

Darts

Wed December 22, 2021 · 4y ago

The William Hill World Darts Championship continues on Wednesday so here's Chris Hammer's match-by-match predictions, best bets and a suggested acca.

Just two days of pre-Christmas action remain and the losers at this stage of the tournament certainly won't enjoy their Turkey dinners - or find any comfort in a pair of festive socks from the in-laws. All eight matches across both sessions will appear on Wednesday morning...

Darts betting tips: World Championship day eight

1pt Ryan Searle to win the match, score over 3.5 180s and checkout over 94.5 at 6/4 (Sky Bet)

2pts William O'Connor to win, hit most 180s and the highest checkout at 11/10 (Sky Bet)

2pts Joe Cullen to win and hit most 180s at 4/5 (Paddy Power)

1pt Nathan Aspinall to win, hit most 180s and the highest checkout at 11/10 (Sky Bet)

1pt Martijn Kleermaker to beat Simon Whitlock at 6/4 (General)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

SL Acca: Koltsov (+1.5), Beaton (+1.5) & Kleermaker (+1.5) at 11/2 with Sky Bet

Bet on Sporting Life's RAB and you could qualify for a free bet

Click here for a 10/1 Sporting Life RAB for Cross v Barney

Wednesday December 22: Evening session

TV Coverage: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
Format: Best of five sets (Round 2)

Nathan Aspinall (1/7) v Joe Murnan (9/2)

Head to Head (TV): 0-2 (0-0)
2021 Head to Head (TV): 0-0 (0-0)
2021 Titles (TV): 0-0 (0-0)
PDC Three-Dart Average (2021): 96.41 – 91.61
PDC 180’s per leg (2021): 0.31 – 0.2
PDC Checkout Percentage (Stage Events 2021): 40.72% – 30.3%
PDC 100+ checkouts per leg won (2021): 10.58% – 11.35%

Nathan Aspinall is one of my each-way outsiders for the title and will revel in the atmosphere of the Ally Pally crowd that have helped him reach two semi-finals here in the past three years.

He got off to a very slow start this season but recovered to grind his way into the Premier League play-offs and then reach the World Matchplay quarter-finals, where he couldn’t get going against MVG in a sound 16-9 defeat.

However this winter his averages have rocketed and during the European Championship he soared above 100 on three occasions including an agonising 11-10 loss to the Dutchman in the semi-finals.

In the last three Pro Tour events of the season he reached one final – losing to MVG again with a 103 average noless – and recorded eight 100+ averages in his 12 games so he’s certainly trending in the right direction. Even at the Players Championship Finals, he averaged 100 in round one before being edged out 6-4 in a high-quality encounter by Rob Cross.

He should make light work of Joe Murnan, who averaged less than 80 in an awful match with Paul Lim, and he admitted afterwards how much he struggled with the crowd treatment of him as he tried to see off a darting legend. He can’t play much worse but even an improved display closer to his season average of 92 will struggle to cope with the firepower of Aspinall.

He has one of the highest 180s per leg ratio in the world this year and if he wins the vast majority of legs like I expect, the highest checkout should also be his.

CLICK HERE to back Nathan Aspinall to do the match treble with Sky Bet

Scoreline Prediction: 3-0

Dirk van Duijvenbode (1/3) v Boris Koltsov (23/10)

Head to Head (TV): 0-1 (0-0)
2021 Head to Head (TV): 0-0 (0-0)
2021 Titles (TV): 0-0 (0-0)
PDC Three-Dart Average (2021): 96.52 – 87.65
PDC 180’s per leg (2021): 0.38 – 0.18
PDC Checkout Percentage (Stage Events 2021): 33.56% – 41.38%
PDC 100+ checkouts per leg won (2021): 12.09% – 15.18%

Boris Koltsov's emotional post-match interview following his first ever victory on the Ally Pally stage made for quite interesting viewing and I think we could be about to see him reach another level to his game.

Uncharacteristically, he showboated and whipped up the crowd during a fired up performance 3-0 thrashing of Jermaine Wattimena and afterwards admitted he's only allowing himself to do that now that his father can only watch from above rather than tell him to stay focused on the board.

Maybe coming out of his shell is what Koltsov needed all along - no disrespect to his dad of course - and we can now look forward to a lot of energy and personality on that stage when he faces the charismatic Dirk van Duivenbode this evening.

"𝗟𝗘𝗧 𝗠𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗬𝗢𝗨!"

Boris Koltsov is LOVING IT up on that stage and he can't get enough of this Ally Pally crowd!

He leads Wattimena 2-1 in the second set! pic.twitter.com/Q0S3IX2E7J
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 17, 2021

Although there's a sizeable difference in their seasonal average, the former World Grand Prix runner-up has been inconsistent this season and has lost in the first round of his last three major tournaments - while he was also given a real scare in his opening match this time last year, coming from two sets down to defeat Bradley Brooks.

The only 'guarantee' is that van Duivenbode fires in most 180s given his maximum per leg ratio is the highest on tour this season at a staggering 0.38 so if Koltsov can take at least a set off him and lengthen the game time then going high on the match 180s looks a sensible option.

Scoreline Prediction: 3-2

Kim Huybrechts (4/9) v Steve Beaton (7/4)

Head to Head (TV): 8-6 (0-1)
2021 Head to Head (TV): 0-0 (0-0)
2021 Titles (TV): 0-0 (0-0)
PDC Three-Dart Average (2021): 94.7 – 90.97
PDC 180’s per leg (2021): 0.23 – 0.19
PDC Checkout Percentage (Stage Events 2021): 38.05% – 28.79%
PDC 100+ checkouts per leg won (2021): 14.91% – 9.48%

Steve Beaton defied the boos brilliantly for the first time in his long esteemed career as he upset the odds to defeat Fallon Sherrock ton a record-breaking 31st consecutive World Championship appearance - but now he'll have the crowd back unanimous on his side to face Kim Huybrechts.

At one point in the match, the Bronzed Adonis was averaging well over 100 and although that ended up dropping to 90.69, he should be feeling confident enough to give the Belgian a run for his money at the very least.

Huybrechts is averaging considerably higher than Beaton this season but he remains as inconsistent as ever and very hard to back for that very reason. Last year he averaged over 100 in two successive victories on this stage then went right down to 90 in a third-round defeat to Ryan Searle.

Anything is possible with the Hurricane so siding with steady Beaton on the handicap is a credible option.

Scoreline Prediction: 2-3

Simon Whitlock (8/15) v Martijn Kleermaker (6/4)

Head to Head (TV): 0-0 (0-0)
2021 Head to Head (TV): 0-0 (0-0)
2021 Titles (TV): 0-0 (0-0)
PDC Three-Dart Average (2021): 92.61 – 91.41
PDC 180’s per leg (2021): 0.28 – 0.19
PDC Checkout Percentage (Stage Events 2021): 33.57% – 23%
PDC 100+ checkouts per leg won (2021): 10.54% – 10.25%

Simon Whitlock has endured a terrible season by his high standards and nobody would be surprised to see Martijn Kleermaker upset the odds in the final match of the night.

The Wizard has only reached one quarter-final in all competitions this season and has lost 10 of his last 15 matches, including first-round encounters at the televised European Championship and Players Championship Finals, averaging under 90 in both.

Sure, Whitlock is a player for the biggest stages but those latter two performances show something just not right with his game this year and he's suffering a continued slide down the rankings.

Martijn Kleermaker averaged a solid 91.17 and hit four 180s during his winning debut against John Michael and he should be backed to cause a minor shock against Whitlock.

CLICK HERE to back Martijn Kleermaker to win with Sky Bet

Scoreline Prediction: 2-3

Afternoon session

Ryan Searle (1/3) v William Borland (23/10)

Head to Head (TV): 1-1 (0-0)
2021 Head to Head (TV): 0-0 (0-0)
2021 Titles (TV): 0-0 (0-0)
PDC Three-Dart Average (2021): 95.96 – 90.34
PDC 180’s per leg (2021): 0.25 – 0.17
PDC Checkout Percentage (Stage Events 2021): 32.76% – 33.33%
PDC 100+ checkouts per leg won (2021): 12.66% – 12.37%

Nine-dart sensation Willie Borland has spent so much time milking his new found fame - and deservedly so - that he's probably had very little time to practice ahead of a clash with one of the rising stars of the game.

He jokingly admitted to the media on Monday that he's contributed to about 500 of the multi-million views of his historic perfect leg on social media since Friday but to be fair, that wouldn't have taken up much of his schedule considering the whole leg took 40 seconds.

As sad as it sounds (darts geeks may have sympathy though), I actually enjoyed the chore of watching every single televised nine-darter over the past few days to see if anyone has ever produced a quicker one, and I couldn't.

Timing each visit from when a player’s arm starts its throwing motion until the third dart lands in the board, Borland’s scores of 180, 177 and 144 took him just 11.25 seconds to compile - and the closest I could find to that was Michael Smith’s Premier League perfect leg against Daryl Gurney in Dublin just before the pandemic hit in 2020 - which was timed at 12.10 seconds.

William Borland winning a World Championship match on debut in a deciding leg with a NINE-DART FINISH!!

Absolutely sensational! pic.twitter.com/SxfgYhgOfB
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) December 17, 2021

I can't claim I'm an official time keeper but that's my research anyway - and it's pretty pointless in terms of giving you a tip for this match.

It's 80/1 for either player to hit a nine-darter and of course, if it's Borland then he'll land the cool £50,000 prize for anyone who managed two perfect legs in the tournament.

Looking a little more realistically, I do feel Ryan Searle will be more focused for the serious business of booking his place in the third round and there's no denying he's been one of the form players on the circuit over the past few months.

"I still think of myself as a nobody!"@WBorland9 on shooting to stardom Fallon Sherrock-style after hitting 'that' match-winning nine-darter.

He's also had time to watch it a "few hundred times" but that's no surprise as it's the fastest in history at under 12 seconds! pic.twitter.com/vavs9eSudY
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) December 20, 2021

He was outstanding during his run to the Players Championship Finals, where he gave Peter Wright a real scare in a dramatic finale, and their paths will probably meet again later in this quarter of the draw.

Heavy Metal's 180s per leg ratio of 0.25 this season is pretty strong and I'd expect him to meet Sky Bet's Player Performance of targets for him to win, hit over 3.5 180s and checkout over 94.5 at 6/4.

Scoreline Prediction: 3-1

Glen Durrant (9/2) v William O’Connor (1/7)

Head to Head (TV): 0-0 (0-0)
2021 Head to Head (TV): 0-0 (0-0)
2021 Titles (TV): 0-0 (0-0)
PDC Three-Dart Average (2021): 85.55 – 91.61
PDC 180’s per leg (2021): 0.09 – 0.19
PDC Checkout Percentage (Stage Events 2021): 26.45% – 39.13%
PDC 100+ checkouts per leg won (2021): 16.25% – 9.88%

There's no darts fans looking forward to this match because it's so hard to watch Glen Durrant suffer like he has done on the oche over the past year or so.

After everything he's been through, it would be truly inspiring to see him produce a decent 90+ average to give Willie O'Connor a real game but he has only won 10 of his 44 matches this season in all competitions, and lost all 13 on TV, including all nine in the Premier League. His seasonal average of 85.55 is well outside the top 100 and the only stat he's excelling at is percentage of legs won with a 100+ checkout - but that's obviously because he's not winning many.

O'Connor averaged 96 during his thrilling first-round win over talented Danny Lauby while he also hit seven 180s so it's hard to see him not dominate all areas of this match.

As much as I'd like to say an upset is on the cards, I have to go with the evidence in front of us so the match treble looks a pretty solid 11/10 at Sky Bet, especially as its odds-on in other places.

CLICK HERE to back Willie O'Connor to do the match treble with Sky Bet

Scoreline Prediction: 0-3

Luke Humphries (2/5) v Rowby-John Rodriguez (2/1)

Head to Head (TV): 0-0 (0-0)
2021 Head to Head (TV): 0-0 (0-0)
2021 Titles (TV): 0-0 (0-0)
PDC Three-Dart Average (2021): 95.55 – 92.51
PDC 180’s per leg (2021): 0.26 – 0.2
PDC Checkout Percentage (Stage Events 2021): 38.61% – N/A
PDC 100+ checkouts per leg won (2021): 11.92% – Unavailable

These two talented players will probably be meeting at a much later stages of a major tournaments in the not too distant future and we certainly saw Rowby-John Rodriguez make an impression on this stage for just the second time in his career when averaging 97.50 in a 3-0 victory over Nicky Kenny, dropping just two legs.

Sure, he wasn't put under anywhere near the same kind of pressure that Luke Humphries but this kind of performance wasn't too much of a surprise.

The Austrian played in 29 of the 30 floor events this year without a Tour Card, reaching the last 16 on three occasions, and then averaged 95.80 during a Grand Slam of Darts campaign as he came through a group featuring Ryan Joyce, Chris Dobey and Stephen Bunting before losing emphatically 10-2 to James Wade.

Humphries has enjoyed another impressive year, reaching four finals overall including the televised UK Open back in March and also posting a highly impressive seasonal average of 95.5 which puts him right up there among those just outside the top 10.

He'll be eager to banish the memories of last year when he lost to Paul Lim but the crowd will help him avoid a similar display and we should expect a clash of high-quality and drama.

I'm giving the edge to Humphries but it'll go all the way so I quite like Sky Bet's Match Action bet of over 16.5 legs, highest checkout to be over 124.5 and over 8.5 total 180s at 3/1.

Scoreline Prediction: 3-2

Joe Cullen (2/7) v Jim Williams (13/5)

Head to Head (TV): 0-0 (0-0)
2021 Head to Head (TV): 0-0 (0-0)
2021 Titles (TV): 2-0 (0-0)
PDC Three-Dart Average (2021): 95.87 – N/A
PDC 180’s per leg (2021): 0.32 – N/A
PDC Checkout Percentage (Stage Events 2021): 37.5% – N/A
PDC 100+ checkouts per leg won (2021): 10.6% – N/A

Joe Cullen is one of my pre-tournament quarter tips and that's already going well without him even throwing a dart due to the exits of Dimitri Van den Bergh and Krzysztof Ratajski.

The Rockstar now knows he's got an even bigger opportunity than usual here and he doesn't really have any Ally Pally demons to battle anymore following last year's encouraging run when he lost a thrilling last 16 battle with Michael van Gerwen.

Cullen has a couple of titles this year, reached a major semi-final at the European Championship, boasts a highly impressive seasonal average and also has one of the highest 180 per leg ratios in the business - so he'll need to be well below his best to struggle with Jim Williams, who averaged 89.71 against Ted Evetts and fail to hit a single maximum.

As it could be quite a quick match I'm going to keep it simple and have Cullen to win and hit most 180s but I wouldn't put anyone off going for the whitewash victory.