Betway’s head trader Danny Hart gives his top tips on the opening night of the Betway Premier League Darts
Dave Chisnall v Robert Thornton
The 1st match up of the 2014 Betway Premier League sees local debutant Dave Chisnall take on Robert Thornton. As the odds suggest, there is very little between the players and Chizzy may need the home crowd to get him over the winning line. Thornton has been one of the more consistent players over the past 18 months and has Premier League experience behind him, but both players score heavily and we all know Chisnall’s ability around the treble 20.9/10 for Chisnall to hit the most 180s in this looks a good shout.
Overall it will be tight with both men 7/5 for the win, but I expect Thornton to just shade this one. A 7-5 correct score line also appeals at 11/2.
Peter Wright v Wes Newton
Another Premier League debutant sees World Championship runner-up Peter Wright go up against ‘the Warrior’ Wes Newton. Wright was in sensational form all of last season and he gave Michael van Gerwen a great game in last month’s final of the World Championships. if he’s in a similar mood then Newton has a very tough game on his hands.
Similar to the night’s opening clash, I anticipate another tight encounter so the bet I’m going for one this one is Under 4.5 180s at 11/10. The line looks quite high in this match up, so unders is the value call.
Raymond van Barneveld v Gary Anderson
Picking a winner in Premier League matches is a difficult process with so many top players competing, and they dont get much harder than this with a case to be made for both players. These two have been regulars in the past and will go toe-to-toe in the scoring stakes. Can Raymond van Barneveld’s superiorty around the doubles be his advantage or can Gary Anderson find the 180 power that has blown away many rivals in the past? Van Barneveld finished 2nd in the league last season, earning him a place in the semi finals, and if he is to do so again and go one further he needs to get off to a good start by winning this match. Anderson won the Premier League in 2011 but finished bottom in his defence of it last year. When these two met in week 1 last year, the Dutchman came out on top in a 7-4 victory, and I think Barney will get the better of him again this time round.
Back van Barneveld to win at 7/5.
Phil Taylor v Michael Van Gerwen
The big match of the night. The top two players in the world meet up in the first week of the season, with ‘Mighty Mike’ now world champion as well as reigning Premier League champion having beat Phil Taylor in last year’s final. ‘The Power’ has been top of the tree for so long that we expect him to show Michael van Gerwen that he isnt going away anytime soon, so this could see records broken, high averages, many 180s and high checkouts. Michael van Gerwen is a class act however, and thoroughly deserved his title last month. If he can get a fast start then could be no stopping him on Thursday night.
As its difficult to split these two the draw appeals at 7/2
Simon Whitlock v Adrian Lewis
The night’s final match brings us two Premier League regulars, where Adrian Lewis will be looking to make a better start than last year where he lost the first 3 matches of the season. The second half of last year saw Lewis perform brilliantly and if he can carry that through to this season’s Premier Leagues he has to be one of the main contenders. Simon Whitlock will pounce if Adrian Lewis is not at the top of his game though – he beat Adrian in the first match of last season and will be looking to do so again.
A bet on Adrian Lewis to win this match is my selection at 4/5.
