World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb

[kevshat]

The second PDC World Cup takes place this weekend out in Germany with the top 24 nations in the darting world competing for the prize of World Cup champions. Two player teams take part in the competition with singles matches and doubles matches being played out. The whole tournament is live on Sky over the weekend and might throw up some decent betting opportunities. Draw and format can be found here :- http://www.pdc.tv/page/PDCWorldCupArticle/0,,10180~2588384,00.html

[kevshat]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb First round match odds: [TABLE=class: couponTable]

[TR] [TH=class: firstColumn]Friday 3 February 2012[/TH] [TH]Player 1 [/TH] [TH]Player 2[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Canada v Hungary (13:00 GMT) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.17 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 5.5 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]103.65 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Republic of Ireland v Malaysia (13:45 GMT) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.28 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 4.33 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]101.20 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] USA v Philippines (14:30 GMT) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.5 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 3 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]100.00 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Austria v New Zealand (15:15 GMT) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.36 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 3.75 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]100.00 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Sweden v Japan (16:00 GMT) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.57 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.75 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]100.06 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Spain v South Africa (16:45 GMT) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.46 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 3.25 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]99.26 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Finland v Croatia (17:30 GMT) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.53 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.75 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]101.58 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn] Gibraltar v Denmark (18:15 GMT) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.9 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]102.38 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[The Master]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb For me Phillipines is the pick of the first round. The Americans havent shown much for last years . Perez played a scrappy prelim in WC but ok against The Saint.And Llangan did good in Winmau a little time ago.

[tadley]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb Austria to win 4^th Quarter 11/1 Victor Chandler The forth quarter consists of Netherlands,N. Ireland, Austria, Gibraltar, Denmark and New Zealand. The 4^th quarter appears a very weak group with Gibraltor and New Zealand fielding virtual unknowns in their team. Denmark’s Per Laursen is solid enough but unspectacular. However he must surely be let down by his partner: Hoffman. To be honest I thought Hoffmann retired a long time ago. From what I remember he was never up to much in the nineties anyway. That just leaves N. Ireland, Netherlands and Austria. N. Ireland’s main player is Brendan Dolan. Dolan is best remembered for his appearance in the final of the world grand prix last year. The result however appears to flatter him as he has not achieved anything else of note before or since. His partner Michael Mansell has done precious little since winning the Tom Kirby Memorial Championship in 2010 and qualifying for the world champs in 2010. It’s hard to see him making much of an impact. That just leaves the Netherlands and Austria. Obviously the Netherlands are a strong favourite and should win their quarter with ease. However Barney has looked a shadow of his former self on recent tv tournaments. He appears to have serious issues and I don’t fancy lumping on the Netherlands at 1/3 to win the group. Van de voort is obviously a quality player but not someone you would want to put your mortgage on. His game can sometimes go awry. He played well in the world champs but did lose all three qualifying matches in the grand slam of darts earlier that year. So If the Netherlands do underperform that leaves the quarter wide open for Austria. Suljovic is a good consistent player who can hold his own against some of the best in the world. When last seen on tv he was beaten 3-1 by Nicholson but played well enough and averaged over 90.. He appears in decent nick at the moment in the recent players’ championship in Spain he beat Andy Smith and Colin Osbourne before narrowly losing out to Matt Clark 6-5. His partner is Dietmar Burger. He is the chap who got whitewashed 4-0 at the world championship by Perez averaging a mere 67! Obviously he is better than he showed in those 4 legs otherwise he wouldn’t have qualified for the world champs by winning East European qualifiers. If he plays to his best ability Austria could perform well.

[dabic]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb Watch out for Croatia, Krcmar is our finest player and can on his day beat the big guns...we can take Finaland to the last dart! 2.80 @ pinnacle...dont miss it!

[kevshat]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb A few outrights for me for the weekend and an early match bet of which there could be more tomorrow. 2pts ew Scotland to win World Cup 9/1 Skybet (1/3 1-2) I like the look of the Scottish side this week as a value alternative to the English side who may not be as up for this tournament as some of the other nations will be. Gary Anderson and Peter Wright will outscore a lot of teams this weekend, possibly even England and if they can hit their doubles, admittedly that's by no means a certainty, but if they can hit their doubles then they should go quite deep this week. Peter Wright is one of the best 2nd players in the competition and probably only a distance behind Lewis. He can certainly compete with the other second players in the competition while we know Anderson can beat anyone on their day. This format is designed for the doubles matches to be crucial and with the scoring power they bring to the event I expect them to be tough to crack in the doubles. Only England would be able to match the Scots for scoring. I expect a decent run out of the Scots and at 9/1 they are the value alternative to England for me. 1pt ew Belgium to win World Cup 40/1 Boylesports (1/3 1-2) 2pts Belgium to win 3rd Quarter 9/2 Skybet I like the look of this Belgium side and in a half of the draw as weak as this is I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were to go deep in the competition. They are due to meet Australia in the quarter finals but I'm convinced Paul Nicholson is overrated on a big stage and Kim Huybrechts beat him convincingly in the World Championship and wouldn't be scared of him here. The Netherlands would be between them and the final but they have two enigmas representing them in Barneveld and van der Voort. I don't think Barney will be as successful with Vincent as he was with Stompe last year and Vincent can be very good or bloody atrocious so that doesn't strike me as a good pairing. The Belgians are as good as a lot of the pairings in this tournament. We've seen how Kim Huybrechts can play in the World Championship and he made the Quarter Finals of a tour event at the weekend too. Jurt van der Rijck, Kim's partner, qualified for the World Championship where he was a trifle unlucky to go down 3-0 to Wes Newton but he qualified for the tour at Q School which is no easy feat so he should be confident coming in here too. This is a big price for a side without a real weakness and in a very weak half of the draw I think they are value to come through it and give us a real run for our dosh this weekend. 3pts New Zealand to beat Austria 5/2 Ladbrokes I like the look of New Zealand here. These first round matches are best of 9 leg doubles matches with the losing side of the previous leg starting the next leg and that's a format which will need consistency from both team members. I think the Kiwis will get that. We saw Warren French take a set off Mark Walsh at the World Championships recently averaging around 86 for his two matches while Preston Ridd has also graced the World Championship stage. Both Austrians have too but with differing results. Mensur Suljovic has an awkward style which can make him awkward to play against but he can be brilliant or bollocks, often both in the same leg whereas his partner Dietmar Berger has offered nothing on a big stage so far. He was walloped 4-0 in his preliminary match in the recent World Championship and averaged just 68 so you have to wonder just how much support Suljovic will get from his partner here. If he doesn't get much support then I think the consistency of the Kiwi pairing will see them through here. Suljovic is the best player of the four on show here but for teamwork, both players contributing and value that definitely lies with the New Zealand side in this first round match.

[Striker]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb Got to be Holland for me @ 10-1 [blue Square] Defending champions and Barney is sure to be up for this especially with new partner Voort being one of his best pals

[fishy25]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb Forgot this started today but I've found myself very much agreeing with Kev on the outrights front. Scotland to win World Cup- 8/1 Bet365- (2/10) E/W- (1/3 (1-2)) Scotland to win 2nd Quarter- Evens Blue Square- (3/10) Bit of a shame they are in the same half as the English team but with the Premier League starting in a week or so, they may not be completely motivated for this weekend and whether they are desperate to win the trophy is a bit dubious in my eyes. Have a feeling the team of Anderson/Wright will fancy their chances though given both players' scoring ability, which will outscore most if not all of the teams you feel. Like Kev has said, the worry would be the duo hitting their doubles as there's no doubting their scoring ability, but their doubles can be a bit erratic shall we say. If they do manage to him them though, they should have a really good chance this weekend with Anderson capable of beating anyone and Wright as a 2nd player, up there with some of the bigger nations' first players in my eyes so happy to have a punt on the Scots this weekend both for the outright, and the quarter as I don't see Wales or Spain beating them. Belgium to win World Cup- 40/1 Sportingbet- (2/10) E/W- (1/3 (1-2)) Belgium to win 3rd Quarter- 9/2 Blue Square- (3/10) Belgium look a massive price to me here with the bottom half of the draw looking short of real quality. This Belgium team possesses that natural ability though in Kim Huybrechts and Jurt van de Rijck and quite why they are this price I'm not sure. I would fancy the Aussie's, but that would be simply down to Whitlock but with Nicholson about, there's no way I can back them just at the minute as Nicholson hasn't done anything to impress me of late. The defending champs are in the bottom half as well in Holland but Barney isn't the player he was whilst van der Voort could admittedly play superbly, but is also equally capable of some dismal performances and with the quick fire on and off legs, I'm not so sure how well the Dutch duo will fare this weekend. So to me it looks as though the Belgian team are good value at this price. Huybrechts impressed everyone at the World Championship, beating Nicholson at Ally Pally in January whilst his partner van de Rijck has gone through the Q school to qualify for the tour which isn't easy so he can clearly play as well. Really think these two could potentially be the dark horses in the tournament and both will feel they have a chances given the likes of Taylor/Lewis and Anderson/Wright are in the top half so backing them to come through their quarter at the least, and potentially win the bottom half.

[fishy25]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb Taken 3 in the matches today which you'd have to say is a bit of a lottery, so best to look for the value about. New Zealand to beat Austria- 5/2 Ladbrokes- (3/10) The team of Warren French and Preston Ridd could well cause an upset here over the Austrians as I fancy them to be slightly more consistent than their opponents. We saw Warren French take a set of Mark Walsh in the World Championship, averaging in the mid 80s which is a decent showing and his teammate has also performed on the big stage as well so he clearly is no mug either when it comes to throwing some darts. Have to feel that backing the Austrian's is pretty much a bit of a lottery. Mensur Suljovic is a handy player when he's playing well, but if he's not on song, he can be atrocious whilst Dietmar Burger was horrid in the preliminary rounds at Ally Pally with a less than favourable average shall we say. In this shorter format, you'll usually find the more consistent players or teams running out as winners and that's what I expect here from the Kiwis and with the price attached to them, definitely a bit of value in them here. Japan to beat Sweden- 13/8 Bet365- (3/10) Also think the Japanese pair are worth a look in here with the Swedish team only really having Magnus Caris to show with his partner Dennis Nilsson not being the greatest thrower around. Granted Caris is playing his best darts that he has done for quite some time, if not ever but like the Austrian team, you need both players to perform and stay consistent otherwise you could potentially lose to anyone. The Japan team aren't mugs either, with Muramatsu and Hashimoto putting in decent performances at the World Championship and Muramatsu actually beat Nilsson at the World Championship so he'll know there's nothing to be feared coming into this one. Consistency is a huge thing in the World Cup and whilst Caris is the best player out of the 4 in this match, feel his partner may let him down a touch and give the Japan team some chances to win this one which I ultimately think they will take. South Africa to beat Spain- 2/1 Bet365- (3/10) Can't help but feel that Spain are a little overrated here simply down to last year's performance but the fact is that Carlos Rodriguez, who was sublime last year, isn't in the form that he was 12 months ago which worries me a little. His partner Alcinas was superb at the World Championship and was so close to beating Andy Hamilton in the first round so in my eyes it will have to be Alcinas this year that really carries the team. However, I secretly fancy this South African team to do alright this weekend. Granted I don't know much about Shawn Hogan as he only plays in South Africa but his partner Devon Peterson is a really good player and can give anyone a match on his day. He could have easily pushed Gary Anderson further in the World Championship and I expect to see a lot more of him in the coming year or so. This really isn't a great opening match for Spain and there are far easier opponents than the South African's to kick off with and at this price, think they are being a little underrated here so I'll have a little punt on them here.

[kevshat]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb 3 more match bets for me this afternoon. May well have one more which I need to look further into. 3pts Philippines to beat USA 7/4 Betfred Given the format here I think Philippines are more than a touch of value. I've never really been convinced by Darin Young and Gary Mawson's best days were a long time ago and they look ripe to be picked off the tree here. We saw in the recent World Championship that Christian Perez can play the game and his partner Lourence Ilagan has also graced some big stages in his career. I think they will get a lot more out of their pairing than the American pairing will. You'd have to say Young can score heavily but the pair of them will score an awful lot of 60's and 45's and if Perez can bring the form which he had at Alexandra Palace with him then I think the Philippines will have every chance. USA could feel a bit of heat as favourites here and their game as a whole isn't as strong as it used to be and I think they are ready to be beaten in this opening round match. 3pts Japan to beat Sweden 8/5 BetVictor As far as these first round teams go you would have to say Japan have a lot of potential as a pairing. If singles matches were involved in this round then you would probably have to factor in the immensely good form that Magnus Caris is in right now but if Dennis Nilsson doesn't show up then Caris won't be able to beat the Japanese duo on his own. Japan's pairing of Hashimoto and Muramatsu have both graced the World Championship and looked good in the process. The latter took a few legs off Phil Taylor in the recent World Championship while Hashimoto won the crowds over in the 2011 tournament averaging 87 in his prelim match and defeat to Gary Anderson. Magnus Caris made the semi finals of a tour event last week so he comes here in excellent form but his partner lost to Muramatsu in the World Championship and if the Japanese pairing both play to their potential I think they can cause a bit of an upset here. 3pts South Africa to beat Spain 21/10 Sportingbet South Africa are another side who look to be underrated here. Or maybe it is Spain who are overrated. Spain made the semi finals in the first staging of this tournament. That was the event where Antonio Alcinas shot to prominence as until then Carlos Rodriguez had been the leader of Spanish darts but Alcinas has taken over the mantle now and we saw in the World Championship just how good he can be. Since then both Spaniard's have turned professional and signed a deal with a top management company but with that comes extra pressures. Both men lost in their first matches in both tour events in Benidorm last weekend and if they bring struggling form onto this stage then South Africa could take care of them. South Africa will be led by Devon Petersen who is a prolific scorer in his own right and if he scores well for 9 legs Hogan, his partner, won't have to do much. He can compete though. We've seen that in the rare trips to South Africa the PDC has made. He took a leg or two off Taylor a few years ago so he clearly knows his way around a dartboard and if the Spanish have a siesta at any point in this match I think the South African's will take advantage and send them home.

[kevshat]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb I will have one more. 3pts Denmark to beat Gibraltar Evs Skybet I don't see why this Denmark side are outsiders against the Gibraltans. Gibraltar will be represented by Dylan Duo and Dyson Parody and while both men have played the PDC tour for a while now neither have been overly successful. Duo made the World Championship one year through the European Order of Merit but that came at a time when all the top Dutch players were in the top 32 and qualified automatically so it was kind of a cheap way in. Denmark will be represented by Per Laursen and Jann Hoffmann in this tournament and we've seen Laursen a few times on our screens now. He's steady and consistent and can be occasionally spectacular. Hoffmann is making a comeback to darts over the last 12 months or so and while it's fair to say that he hasn't done a lot upon his return he has a tour win over Andy Jenkins and has run the likes of Mark Webster close in tour events too. There's nothing at all to suggest Gibraltar will control this match and having seen the first couple of matches which have been a lot tighter than they were meant to be I'll take the Danes here in the belief there isn't a lot between these two nations.

[kevshat]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb +0.3pt profit from the afternoon. Nothing to write home about but it's safer in my pocket than theirs. An early one for this second round. Slightly annoying that the matches are over two days but c'est la vie. 3pts Denmark to beat Northern Ireland 5/2 Sportingbet Sportingbet are miles off with this price I think. Ok sure Denmark didn't do anything special in the match earlier but it's still a good effort to come from 0-2 to win 5-4 in a best of 9 leg match. Now they take on a Northern Ireland side who look ridiculously overrated to me. Brendan Dolan had that fantastic week in Dublin which is the only real reason why the Northern Irish pair are seeded here but he's done little else really and Michael Mansell is just an ordinary tour player and probably not even that good. In last year's World Championship, Mansell lost 4-0 to Preston Ridd in the preliminary round and that form hasn't exactly been franked this afternoon. The format of this tournament is such that the doubles plays the deciding role and given that I think Laursen can beat Mansell I expect that to be the case here. Consistency could well win the day for the Danes against a Northern Ireland side who probably should just about be favourites but not to the extent that the Danes, who should be more relaxed with them not the favourites here unlike earlier, are 5/2. I think the 5/2 is a big price and I'm happy to trust the Danish duo to be competitive over the best of 7 legs in the singles and best of 9 legs in the doubles in this match.

[kevshat]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb Betting in best of 7 leg matches isn't the way to the promised land but there's a couple that I think are overpriced tonight. 3pts W.O'Connor to beat P.Nicholson 11/4 Ladbrokes William O'Connor played well this afternoon and if he can get the throw he's never an 11/4 shot to beat Paul Nicholson. Nicholson misses too many doubles at the best of times to ever make him reliable, or at least he has done in recent times and even a run to the final of a tour event at the weekend isn't going to change my mind on that. You can't afford to miss doubles in a best of 7 leg match. William O'Connor is a heavy scorer, one who I believe can keep up with Nicholson in that facet of the game and if this does come down to a battle of the doubles then not only will the Irishman have every chance he certainly won't be an 11/4 shot. Given the shortness of the format and the fact O'Connor has sampled the stage earlier today and played well on it I would have him no bigger than a 6/4 shot here so I'm happy to take the value of the 11/4 here. 3pts D.Young to beat B.Roith Evs Ladbrokes Darin Young played really well this afternoon and on the evidence of the afternoon he is going to have to carry this USA side this weekend. His scoring was strong though and his finishing will be good enough having had a tune up. Bendt Roith is a competent player. We've seen that in World Championships and European Championships in the past but he isn't in the greatest form at the minute even though he qualified for the tour at Q School. Most bookies have Young as the favourite and I would have him favourite too especially as he's had a match on the stage today already. Roith will have the crowd behind him but Young looked up for this earlier in the day and I think the American can take the singles point up for grabs in this match.

[fishy25]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb Nothing doing for me earlier with only South Africa winning so nothing to speak of in the P/L department. A few catch my eye in the singles matches tonight where it's still best to look for the value with the short format. Hopefully Scotland and Belgium get through safely as well. John Part to beat Adrian Lewis- 7/4 William Hill- (4/10) Although Part hasn't started the year well in the couple of Players Championship events he's played, I think he has a decent chance in this short format here against Jackpot. Didn't get to watch any of the darts earlier but from what I've read, it looks as though Part played pretty well, hitting a 117 finish on the way to Canada's win and in this shortish format, I really think he is overpriced here. He knows, realistically that if his nation has any chance of getting past England he has to beat Lewis here and hope that Lewis and Taylor have a mare in the doubles so he should really be up for this one. His record against Lewis is actually pretty decent, with Lewis shading it 5-4 but Part has had some good wins including that at the Grand Prix and Premier League so the Canadian knows how to beat the world champ. Although Lewis has been joking about in interviews about playing with Taylor, I'm not convinced about how motivated he or Taylor will be this weekend. I'd imagine they will be looking towards the PL next week rather than the World Cup so I don't think we'll see the best of either guy over the next couple of days. We saw how sluggish Lewis was early on in his matches in the World Championship and should have gone out in the first round against Nigel Heydon. With Part coming off a decent performance earlier, I don't make him a 7/4 shot here and Lewis will know that even if he loses, the English pair should still get through comfortably but I'll back Part to get Canada on the board in this one. William O'Connor to beat Paul Nicholson- 5/2 William Hill- (3/10) Really can't have Nicholson as this much of a favourite in this short format on the stage so I'm happy to oppose him here. Whenever I watch him these days he rarely impresses me so I see no reason why he is this short to win over 7 legs as anyone decent can cause an upset. Willie O'Connor actually has some decent performances to show for this year, losing 6-5 to Wes Newton in Spain last week and also took 5 legs off Andy Smith last weekend so he clearly knows how to get some legs under his belt. Nicholson has actually started the season pretty well on the floor, reaching the final over in Spain before losing to Justin Pipe but he just about beat a Spaniard who is ranked outside the top 100 6-5 so there are still signs that the Asset can throw in some rusty performances. Just really don't ever fancy Nicholson to blow anyone off the stage at the minute and O'Connor should get some chances and at this price, I'll back him to beat the Aussie to 4 legs. Mensur Suljovic to beat Vincent van der Voort- 9/4 William Hill- (3/10) Think the Austrian looks too high here as well at this price. The Austrian's weren't fantastic by any stretch of the imagination earlier but they managed to pull through with a couple of decent finishes and hopefully that will give them some confidence. A bit like Part really, Suljovic knows that he'll probably need to record a win here and I think he'll have his chances. As Wade and Nicholson have found in the past at the World Championship, Mr Bean isn't the easiest player to play against and he'll disrupt van der Voort's rhythm a bit you feel. The Dutchman is usually at his best when he is throwing quickly and that is when he'll score heavily and checkout well but Suljovic tries to be very precise with his darts and will slow the pace of the match right down. He can have his poor legs but he can also take out a leg in the space of 12-15 darts at times and with van der Voort equally capable of throwing in a shocking performance, I fancy the Austrian to do a job over the Dutchman here. Bernd Roith to beat Darin Young- 6/4 Blue Square- (3/10) Roith will have the crowd behind him in this one and that should spur him on in this one. He comes into this weekend as the 2nd German player but this year he has played a fair amount of darts and came through Q school which is no easy thing so he should have quite a bit of confidence in himself. He's beaten the likes of Peter Wright and Jelle Klaasen in the past as well so he's clearly not the worst player on show this weekend. Darin Young and this USA team from what I've heard weren't playing that well earlier so Roith will feel he's certainly got a chance in this match. Young really doesn't play a great deal outside of the US and although this shorter format may well suit him, I'll back the home nation to pick up a point and possibly secure a place in the next round in Roith here.

[dabic]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb

Watch out for Croatia' date=' Krcmar is our finest player and can on his day beat the big guns...we can take Finaland to the last dart! 2.80 @ pinnacle...dont miss it![/quote'] hope that somebody took it! :ok

[fishy25]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb Part and Suljovic won narrowly last night which gave me a +7.75 start for the weekend. Thank God Anderson finally managed to hit some doubles otherwise Scotland would be in a spot of bother today but they should be alright to get through now. Belgium have to win the doubles match and looks as though Huybrechts is going to have to carry them through there if they're going to progress. Again it's all about the value this afternoon in which I'm taking 4. Canada to beat England- Evens Bet365- (3/10) Ken MacNeil/John Part to beat Phil Taylor/Adrian Lewis- 9/2 William Hill- (2/10) Don't see how Canada are still the underdogs in this match now. Neither Taylor or Lewis played well enough last night and the consistency just wasn't there from either guy and this doubles format really doesn't suit either of them, Lewis in particular. We saw how slow Jackpot was starting last night and that's been a feature in his game for a little while now and with him playing one throw on, one throw off, he really won't be able to get into any sort of rhythm in the doubles. Against Part he managed to rattle off a couple of legs in no time at all but left it too late and he is very much a momentum player but in this format, it's extremely hard to stay consistent and keep up that momentum. Both Canadian's played well last night and their finishing was a particular highlight and if you can hit your doubles, you have a chance against anyone in this tournament. Can't help but feel the doubles are made for the more consistent players as you're never throwing every 3 darts which I see as a problem for the English team. Part is ultra consistent whilst Ken MacNeil was solid as well last night so I can't be having Canada as the underdogs here, knowing that they still have a chance even if they lose the doubles as there will be a playoff. They just looked more at home with this format than the big 2 from England last night and I fancy the English pair to go home early for the second year in a row so I'll have a small punt on them to whitewash Taylor and Lewis by winning the doubles as well. Austria to beat Holland- 5/2 Bet365- (3/10) Don't see how Austria can be this high as well given it all comes down to the doubles. Neither player for the defending champs averaged over 90 last night and actually both Austrian's averaged higher than Barney and van der Voort so I certainly don't see Suljovic and Burger a 5/2 shot here over 9 legs. I mentioned yesterday that I thought van der Voort would struggle yesterday against Suljovic's and so it turned out to be and with this format of sitting out every other throw, I can't help but feel it favours the Austrian's more than the Dutch duo. It certainly doesn't benefit van der Voort that's for sure, as he needs to be playing with a consistency and rhythm to play well and he just won't be allowed to gain that here. Barney is a touch similar in that respect but not as bad but you usually see it takes him a couple of legs to warm up and get going whilst his finishing still wasn't great last night so you'd have to feel Austria will get chances. Suljovic was impressive last night and he can usually play his natural game from the first leg which helps, whilst Burger also started well last night and could have been 2-0 up after 2 legs but for a couple of missed darts at doubles in the opening leg. In the best of 9 legs, you have to start well and with fact you have to sit out every throw and hang about, I think van der Voort will certainly struggle and Barney could well do to and Austria should get chances and I fancy them to take them if last night if anything to go by. Tonci Restovic/Boris Kcmar to beat Mark Webster/Richie Burnett- 9/2 William Hill- (2/10) I thought Croatia were a tad unfortunate last night and both guys impressed me really. They were unlucky in the sense that Burnett was averaging near the 3 figure mark, whilst Webster scored pretty heavily when it mattered but despite this, both Restovic and Kcmar had chances and that's a good sign. Kcmar was close to beating Burnett despite the Welshman's impressive average which shows how well he played to keep up with Richie and to create chances for himself whilst Restovic's finishing let him down a touch, missing all 5 of his doubles but his scoring was pretty decent and I reckon the Croatian team are a little underrated here with their price. Who this format will benefit I'm not sure as Webster is sometimes a little slow off the blocks so there may be chances for Croatia against Webby and although Burnett is playing some top stuff at the minute, and has done for a little while, if you can score well and consistent in the legs against these Welsh team, much like Kcmar did last night, you could well get some chances. I honestly don't think you should be having any team as short as the Welsh team here, and you can't forget that the Croatian's have already played a doubles match yesterday against Finland so they will know the format pretty well and at this price, I'll back them with small stakes to take this to a playoff.

[kevshat]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb Nothing lost and nothing gained last night. One for this afternoon to go along with the Denmark bet which is all about their doubles match now. 4pts D.Young & G.Mawson to beat J.Artut & B.Roith Evs William Hill This last 16 match comes down to the doubles after both number one players won their singles match last night. The US pairing have a significant advantage in this match for me in that they play doubles regularly out in North America whereas over here in Europe, certainly in the PDC, it's as good as unheard of. Artut and Roith aren't the most experienced of players at the top level anyway let alone in a format which is a bit of an alien concept. The other thing I think is going against the Germans here is the pressure of playing in front of their home crowd. They aren't passionate enough to put the opponents off like an English crowd is but they certainly cheer their players on and neither Artut or Roith seemed to be relishing playing in front of them with the extra pressure to perform that there is. Young and Mawson are both pretty relaxed characters and I don't expect crowd intervention or anything like that to worry them so with their experience in the format and probably having the better line up combined I'll take the American's to win their doubles match and with it their last 16 tie this afternoon.

[fishy25]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb Good shout on the USA team Kev. Everything that could have gone wrong for me today has but I will have a couple in the last quarter final. Will update the P/L after tonight's session. Brendan Dolan to beat Vincent van der Voort- 7/4 Ladbrokes- (3/10) Northern Ireland to beat Holland- 7/2 Bet365- (2/10) You can get marginally better prices with both bets but I don't have an account with Boylesports and I'm not keen on taking anything with sportingbet anymore as they charge for deposits now. These prices are only a smidgen under those though and I'm backing Northern Ireland with both bets. First of all I'm opposing van der Voort again, like I did last night. It's partly down to the fact that these short formats really don't suit the Dutchman as he can go a few legs without finding a treble if he's not on song which you simply can't afford to do over the space of 7 legs. Of course it must be mentioned that he could win in no time at all but with Dolan's precise throwing style, it won't be ideal for van der Voort's game and I feel he may struggle to get into the swing. Dolan's slow and precise darts are similar to that of Suljovic from last night but usually more consistent and we saw the Austrian beat van der Voort, and with Dolan playing pretty well earlier in the doubles, I fancy him to get a point on the board for his team here. I'll also fancy himself and Mansell to provide the biggest upset in the quarter finals by getting through to the semis. It will all come down to the doubles and I think the Irish duo played pretty well in the doubles earlier. Their overall average isn't superb by any stretch of the imagination but Dolan in particular really impressed me and as the match went on, scored better and better. Overall the pair of them scored well and it was just their finishing that let them down a touch but if they score like they did earlier, they should have chances in this one. I'm still not overly convinced by this Dutch team and that performance over Austria hasn't changed that. They missed a ton of doubles and were fortunate that the Austrian's weren't any better in that department, allowing them a comfortable win in the end. I'd be hugely surprised if Dolan and Mansell didn't get chances in this match and if they get stuck into Barney and van der Voort early on, feel they have a real chance here.

[fishy25]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb Well frustrated to say the least. Dolan blew the match against van der Voort and had 2 darts for the match along with fluffing his lines when on 25. Shocking, shocking day for me in which I've somehow scuppered a 7pt profit and ended on a substantial loss so any criticism is welcome as I've turned into the biggest chump on PL :wall Think I'll just take the loss for the tournament though and have a little break after today as it looks like one of those weekends for me. GL to Kev and everyone else who gets involved tomorrow. Will probably be back for the PL on thursday, but think a little break is in order for me.

[kevshat]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb Chin up Fishy, you haven't done a lot wrong mate. You've just been the victim of the silly format which isn't really a betting format and one or two players not used to winning on the big stage. Sure you'll hit back in the PL. Just the one for me today. 3pts M.Webster to beat P.Taylor 9/4 Bet365 Phil Taylor should win this match but Mark Webster's never a 9/4 shot in a best of seven leg match against him. With the English side so strong Webster is likely to have to win a singles match to take this semi final to the doubles and of the two matches he'll play I think this one is the one he's more likely to win. I say that for two reasons. Firstly he's been absolutely pony in this tournament so far and while a 3rd singles loss of the weekend is almost unthinkable it has to be said it's a strong possibility unless he dramatically raises his game. He's never been a fan of the short formats either which will give Webster a chance. The other reason I think this is Webster's best chance is down the years Lewis has always had his number. If Webster can get the throw here I think he will have every chance and the 9/4 quoted on him just looks too big and worth a small nibble as a value punt this afternoon.

[fishy25]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb Yeah was just feeling sorry for myself after the Dolan defeat really :lol Hopefully the PL should be more favourable. Saying that, I honestly must be going mad, either that or completely stupid, probably the latter really. I'm hoping for a Wales demolition job today as I'm backing them in every match :loon Taking this one as well. Raymond van Barneveld to beat Paul Nicholson- 4/5 Bet365- (4/10) Barney has been far from his best for a while and this weekend has been no different, but I'd still have him a bigger favourite than this to beat Nicholson. Huybrechts comfortably beat him in the singles yesterday and Nicholson is slightly fortunate that he has Whitlock to rely on to win his singles matches really. Nicholson is still being overrated in my opinion as it's been Whitlock mainly who has looked the most impressive with his scoring and feel Barney should be winning this one. His scoring hasn't been too bad this weekend, and although his finishing isn't anywhere near the level that it was, it's still not terrible. Nicholson will always miss doubles as well you feel on the stage and as long as Barney is solid here, I'd have him a slightly bigger favourite than 4/5 here.

[fishy25]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb Barney played really well there. Now I'll call this a moderately not so fun experiment with some logic behind it... Wales to beat England- 5/2 Bet365- (3/10) Richie Burnett to beat Phil Taylor- 14/5 Sportingbet- (2/10) Mark Webster to beat Adrian Lewis- 11/8 Bet365- (3/10) Mark Webster to beat Phil Taylor- 9/4 Bet365- (3/10) Richie Burnett to beat Adrian Lewis- 9/4 Bet365- (3/10) Webster/Burnett to beat Taylor/Lewis- 2/1 Bet365- (3/10) This is mainly based on both team's performance over the weekend so far and the prices available on the Welsh duo. What I've taken from the tournament this weekend, if nothing else is that you can't have decent players at these kind of prices in a first to 4 format. Fair play, Taylor and Lewis have 17 world championships to their names, but this weekend they have been nothing short of shocking in truth. I'm not even sure how much they even want to be there and how well they are performing as a team. There were signs in the doubles match yesterday against the USA that they weren't completely focused and against a more consistent team than the Americans, they would have been sent home, like they almost were against Canada in round one. Taylor hasn't looked right all weekend and like Kev has said, it's almost unthinkable that he could lose 3 matches in a row, but unless he ups his game, that's what he could be facing. Webster has been scoring well all weekend generally and his finishing that has let him down in recent months doesn't seem to be a problem at the minute. Lewis hasn't looked much better than Taylor and Jackpot is fortunate that he hasn't lost both of his singles matches so far as Darin Young had chances last night. He's shown glimpses of what he is capable of, rattling off legs in 11/12/13 darts but he's also been starting poorly and against this extremely confident Welsh side, he simply can't afford to do that. Burnett in fairness saved his side in the deciding legs in the doubles last night, albeit with a little help from Peterson's counting skills. He's playing the best darts of his life and his scoring has been exceptional this weekend so I don't see how he can be considered this much of an underdog against the English pair here. Can't help but think that Taylor and Lewis are being overrated simply because of their achievements in the majors, but this format is completely different. It clearly doesn't suit either of them and although I'm a bit f*cked if Taylor and Lewis come out firing 11 dart legs consistently, evidence from this weekend doesn't suggest they will do that so I'm backing the Welsh pair to get some points on the board and let's see where that gets us come the final score. Don't usually do these 'experiments' but feel the Welsh team are worth some value punting and that's what I'm doing here.

[fishy25]

Re: World Cup 2012 - 3-5 Feb Well they say how's your luck...terrible unfortunately. Started perfectly with Burnett beating Taylor before Webster was god awful all afternoon and Burnett should have beaten Lewis as well in truth. Horrid tournament for me, hope for much better in the PL on thursday.