2008 PDC World Darts Championship

[stereoman]

Last year's thread was a cracker...will this year's provide such spills and thrills!? :loon Schedule of play: http://www.planetdarts.tv/page/WorldChampsDetail/0,,10180~1177387,00.html Planet Darts' World Championship page: http://www.planetdarts.tv/page/WorldChamps/0,,10180,00.html Preliminary Round Draw: Akihiro Nakagawa (Japan) vs Anthony Forde (Barbados) Rizal Barellano (Philippines) vs Miloslav Navtratil (Czech Republic) Alan Bolton (New Zealand) vs Erwin Extercatte (Holland) Ashfaque Sayed (India) vs Shi Yongsheng (China) First Quarter: Phil Taylor (1) vs Michael van Gerwen Adrian Gray (32) vs Mark Walsh Andy Jenkins (16) vs Rizal Barellano/Miloslav Navratil Alan Tabern (17) vs Per Laursen Roland Scholten (8) vs Matt Clark Mervyn King (25) vs Michael Rosenauer Wayne Mardle (9) vs Ray Carver Wes Newton (24) vs Jamie Caven Second Quarter: Peter Manley (5) vs Toon Greebe Alan Warriner-Little (28) vs Ashfaque Sayed/Shi Yongsheng Colin Lloyd (12) vs Jan van der Rassel Denis Ovens (21) vs Colin Monk Terry Jenkins (4) vs Kirk Shepherd Mick McGowan (29) vs Jason Barry Barrie Bates (13) vs Gerry Convery Colin Osborne (20) vs Alan Bolton/Erwin Extercatte Third quarter: Raymond van Barneveld (2) vs Akihiro Nakagawa/Anthony Forde Bob Anderson (31) vs Jason Clark Kevin Painter (15) vs Gary Mawson Chris Mason (18) vs Steve Brown Adrian Lewis (7) vs Dave Askew Vincent van der Voort (26) vs Jelle Klaasen Dennis Priestley (10) vs Steve Maish Wayne Jones (23) vs Tony Eccles Fourth Quarter: Andy Hamilton (6) vs Leroy Kwaidjk Alex Roy (27) vs Warren Parry John Part (11) vs Charles Losper Andy Smith (22) vs Mensur Suljovic James Wade (3) vs Steve MacArthur Steve Beaton (30) vs Steve Evans Ronnie Baxter (14) vs Dan Olson Mark Dudbridge (19) vs Steve Hine FORMAT First Round - Best of Five sets, best of five legs per set Second Round - Best of Seven sets, best of five legs per set Third Round - Best of Seven sets, best of five legs per set Quarter-Finals - Best of Nine sets, best of five legs per set Semi-Finals - Best of Eleven sets, best of five legs per set Final - Best of Thirteen sets, best of five legs per set There will be a tiebreak rule employed in all matches Ladbrokes' match odds plus schedule of play: Monday 17th December 2007 (4 x First Round) 7pm: Alan Tabern 4/9 vs 13/8 Per Laursen 8pm: Adrian Gray 10/11 vs 4/5 Mark Walsh 9pm: Wayne Mardle 4/11 vs 2/1 Ray Carver 10pm: Colin Lloyd 1/7 vs 4/1 Jan van der Rassel Tuesday 18th December 2007 (4 x First Round) 7pm: Roland Scholten 1/5 vs 10/3 Matt Clark 8pm: Peter Manley 4/11 vs 2/1 Toon Greebe 9pm: Phil Taylor 1/6 vs 7/2 Michael van Gerwen 10pm: Mervyn King 1/7 vs 4/1 Michael Rosenauer Wednesday 19th December 2007 (2 x Preliminary Round + 8 x First Round) Afternoon Session ~ 12.30pm: Akihiro Nagakawa n/a vs n/a Anthony Forde (P) 1.00pm: Rizal Barellano n/a vs n/a Miloslav Navratil (P) 1.30pm: Wes Newton 2/5 vs 7/4 Jamie Caven 2.30pm: Denis Ovens 4/11 vs 2/1 Colin Monk 3.30pm: Mick McGowan 4/7 vs 5/4 Jason Barry 4.30pm: Barrie Bates 2/7 vs 5/2 Gerry Convery Evening Session ~ 7pm: Bob Anderson 8/11 vs 'evens' Jason Clark 8pm: Terry Jenkins 1/14 vs 13/2 Kirk Shepherd 9pm: Chris Mason 4/9 vs 13/8 Steve Brown 10pm: Kevin Painter 1/3 vs 9/4 Gary Mawson Thursday 20th December 2007 (2 x Preliminary Round + 8 x First Round) Afternoon Session ~ 12.30pm: Ashfaque Sayed n/a vs n/a Shi Yongsheng (P) 1.00pm: Alan Bolton n/a vs n/a Erwin Extercatte (P) 1.30pm: Andy Jenkins n/a vs n/a Rizal Barellano/Miloslav Navratil 2.30pm: Wayne Jones 8/11 vs 'evens' Tony Eccles 3.30pm: Andy Hamilton 1/8 vs 9/2 Leroy Kwadijk 4.30pm: Alex Roy 4/11 vs 2/1 Warren Parry Evening Session ~ 7pm: Dennis Priestley 4/11 vs 2/1 Steve Maish 8pm: Adrian Lewis 1/9 vs 5/1 Dave Askew 9pm: Raymond van Barneveld n/a vs n/a Akihiro Nagakawa/Anthony Forde 10pm: Vincent van der Voort 5/6 vs 5/6 Jelle Klaasen Friday 21st December 2007 (8 x First Round) Afternoon Session ~ 1pm: Alan Warriner-Little n/a vs n/a Ashfaque Sayed/Shi Yongsheng 2pm: Colin Osborne n/a vs n/a Alan Bolton/Erwin Extercatte 3pm: Andy Smith 4/9 vs 13/8 Mensur Suljovic 4pm: Steve Beaton 2/5 vs 7/4 Steve Evans Evening Session ~ 7pm: Ronnie Baxter 2/9 vs 3/1 Dan Olson 8pm: James Wade 1/20 vs 15/2 Steve MacArthur 9pm: John Part 1/10 vs 11/2 Charles Losper 10pm: Mark Dudbridge 4/9 vs 13/8 Steve Hine

[Sharpe1ne]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship Well there's a few that catch my eye but i'm having a blast on this one whilst i can still get the price. Andy Smith V Mensur Suljovic Suljovic to win 10 Pts Blue Square 9/4. Purely a bet on recent form.Mensur at the weekend had a cracking day at the German Players Championship last weekend in the 1st round beating Michael Van Gerwen 3-1,2nd round Yves Cottange 3-1,3rd round Dennis Priestly 3-2 and the 4th round Jan Van Der Rassel 3-0 before he came up against Wayne Mardle who won 3-1. Andy Smith on the other hand was beaten in the 1st round by Tomas Seyler 3-2 and that's not going to put a lot of confidence in his game. We know a lot of upsets happen in this tournament and with a price like this i've got to take it.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship Really looking forward to this one and I am there for one of the later evening sessions too. Will post in more details next week regarding proper bets but some early thoughts for each segment are: Quarter 1 Taylor has had an indiffreent year but come the World Championships, he is a different player always and arrives on the back of a good win in the GSOD and floor tournaments to boot and he has never failed to reach a PDC World final. However MVG is a really dodgy draw for him. MVG has not lived up to the heights in the PDC but in a short format (best of 5 sets) anything can happen and if MVG could recapture anything like his IDL, WDT, MOD where he beat Taylor 3-0 in the same format and World Masters win, then Taylor could be an early casualty imo. For me he will either get to the final or go out in the first game as I am not sure if the players in the top half in general could match him in the top half unless he has a real shocker, T.Jenkins in a semi perhaps. If MVG does beat Taylor then it opens it all up and lots will fancy their chances. Out of all of them I would probably go for Scholten as he appears to have hit real form and beat Barney at the weekend to maintain it, King would be a tough one in the last 32 though. Looking at value in first round games, Laursen a bit big to beat Tabern and also possibly Carver to beat Mardle as although Mardle has done ok on the floor, his TV performances have not been as good.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship Quarter 2 The weakest quarter imo. Manley in poor form and could well struggle after this tournament with the money lost from somehow reaching the final two years back. Jenkins remains so consistent this year but perhaps might just be a touch vulnerable to someone like an Osborne if you are looking for a price but his form since Bolton has been average. If I put up one it would have to be Lloyd again. It was not too long ago that he was winning majors and whilst his form has not been as good since I would not write him out at all. Remember he had four darts to beat Barney last year and whilst I doubt he would have matched barney's feats in the final, I think he would have got to the final no doubt. He is such a confidence player if he gets two or three wins under his belt early on he could well go on and he has a decent opportunity of winning the quarter at least and if Taylor did not win quarter 1, suddenly a final beckons. Greebe by all accounts is very much another inconsistent Dutchman but if he was on it Manley could be in trouble, Monk v Ovens is similar so Monk maybe big, do not know McGowan's form but he was awful at Blackpool and if similar then he will lose even to me, Convery could have a shout as Bates is struggling.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship Quarter 3 Barney is the main man here but perhaps is not in the form in the last six months of the year compared to the first six. Painter/Mason dark horses in another area of the draw but would have to raise it against Barney. Lewis still does not convince me totally as a winner imo. No doubt a real quality player but he always seems to find a struggle in a tournament somewhere alone the line just when he looks to be in with a real chance. On ability he is well capable of winning this but he still has too many patches were he does not score and cant buy a double and he somehow needs to iron out such consistency problems. He has loads of q/f, last 16 the odd semi to his name but has not yet gone on. I am willing to say he wont here either. Klaasen/Voort is a tricky last 32 game and the next round will not be easy either. I would not rule out Eccles having a good run. A very good floor player who has not really done it on TV but if he could beat the tough Jones in the first game, a q/f place is not out of the question. Maish makes appeal against Priestley and I fancy Clark who hit a 9 darter the other day to beat Anderson.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship Quarter 4 Wade, Part and Hamilton the main ones here and I fancy Wade the most. He really is a class act now and seems to be able to turn it on big time in the business end of a tournament as shown in Ireland and Blackpool. After that he maintained floor form and lost nothing in defeat to McDine in the GSOD. Decent draw too and I expect a q/f at least and I would fancy him against the likely Part/Hamilton and atm I think he is the most likely for me of them all. Suljovic and Hine look to have chances against the seeded player. Overall I would go for Wade with Lloyd perhaps as an option in the other half of the draw but the Taylor/MVG game is the key. Will post actual bets next week.

[stereoman]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship Today's Bettingzone Market Moves: 1240: Betfred are facing a monster payout should Kevin Painter and Denis Ovens reach the semi-finals of the forthcoming PDC World Darts Championship. The world's biggest independent bookmaker stands to lose around £50,000 if the in-form duo come through their respective quarters of the draw at Alexandra Palace later this month. Punters piled into Painter at 22/1 to win his section and Ovens at 18/1, with both players shortened to 10/1 as a result of the liabilities incurred. Painter, nicknamed 'The Artist', took Phil Taylor to a sudden-death leg in the 2004 final, while Ovens, known as 'The Heat', has been firing on all cylinders recently and was runner-up to 'The Power' in Germany last weekend. Betfred spokesman Jon Wilde said: "Painter looked like he was getting back to his best with some good performances in the Grand Slam of Darts last month and punters clearly feel he is capable of reaching the semi-finals, even though he is in the same quarter as title-holder Raymond van Barneveld and Adrian Lewis. "Deadpan Den rarely seems to produce his best arrows in the big televised events, but those who follow the form clearly think he is value to get through at the expense of Terry Jenkins, Colin Lloyd and Peter Manley."

[stereoman]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship More Bettingzone Market News: 1050: Betfred believe Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld, the ‘big two’ of darts, have a better chance of winning the forthcoming PDC World Championship than the rest of the field combined. The bookie goes 4/6 that either Taylor or Van Barneveld, who fought out last year’s epic final, will capture the title and 11/10 that it will go to one of the 66 other competitors. This is despite the fact that neither of the sport’s most illustrious duo has reached the final of the PDC’s last two major ranking events, with James Wade beating Terry Jenkins in the showdown for the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix crowns. Betfred spokesman Jon Wilde said: "Even though it has not been a stellar year for either Taylor or Barney, when it comes to the World Championship they are still very much the men to beat. "Their motivation will be at maximum levels and while Barney will be determined to retain the title, Taylor will want it back – and The Power has shown in the last couple of months that he is back to his best." ============= OT: Phil Taylor as anyone knows has never lost before the final having being in the PDC World Darts final in the last 14 years consecutively (what other game or sport with a knockout competition can boast such a record!? Chess!?).

[theoldmaster]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship well for me the bottom half is tighter than a dead heat, looking at the names in that half Barney, lewis, Wade, Smith, Priestley, Hamilton, Part .a more difficult path to the final than the top half yes Taylor is there, but if you look at the draw without him, there is a definite opportunity for ANYONE to reach the semis at least. Sholton, yes can be brilliant, but can also lose his bottle quicker than a blind alcoholic. Jenkins, has been one of the most consistant performers in the PDC,Howver i have noticed he has a habit of missing the big doubles at the crucial times, and against Taylor, he always seems beaten before he starts. Mardle, well his form has been missing for longer than a presumed dead canoeist!, just cant see him doing anything here and he could be a first round casualty.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship

well for me the bottom half is tighter than a dead heat, looking at the names in that half Barney, lewis, Wade, Smith, Priestley, Hamilton, Part .a more difficult path to the final than the top half yes Taylor is there, but if you look at the draw without him, there is a definite opportunity for ANYONE to reach the semis at least. Sholton, yes can be brilliant, but can also lose his bottle quicker than a blind alcoholic. Jenkins, has been one of the most consistant performers in the PDC,Howver i have noticed he has a habit of missing the big doubles at the crucial times, and against Taylor, he always seems beaten before he starts. Mardle, well his form has been missing for longer than a presumed dead canoeist!, just cant see him doing anything here and he could be a first round casualty.

Definitely agree about the bottom half looking a lot tougher than the top half, not quite sure I would include Smith in your list but you can add Painter, Mason, Klaasen for sure. If and it remains a big if, MVG beats Taylor then it is absolutely wide open in that top half. I think the second quarter is weak but the first would not look that strong either. Interesting point about Jenkins missing crucial doubles which at times I have to agree with because at times he cannot hit a double even if he has three darts straight at it. However I am not sure I agree about him being beat before he plays Taylor in perhaps the same way someone like Lloyd and Scholten are. At first I thought he did struggle against Taylor and Barney, not play his true game and seem defeated. However that all changed for me when he beat Taylor at Blackpool in a long distance match in the semi. He also just beat Barney 10-7 at the GSOD and it was not that Taylor and Barney played badly in those games. Still he has had such a good year or so, Grand Prix 2 finalists, World Champ q/f, Uk Open q/f, Vegas final, Blackpool final, GSOD and WDT q/f. With a record like that apart from being the nearly man, part of me thinks he is surely due a bad tournament and it might just be this one but then again I like at his draw and not sure where that defeat is going to come from in the first two games. Will post proper bets in the next few days but it looks like it will be similar to earlier thoughts with Lloyd and Wade my picks.

[Cosmetic Bob]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship cant c beyond taylor tbh. van gerwen is poor outside holland & imo taylor has very easy path 2 the semis where he could play jenkins but i fancy strongly taylor first to 6 sets if they play but jenkins not a cert 4 his quarter and if its any1 else who plays taylor in semis i only think he has 2 turn up 2 get in final. barney & wade r far 2 short given current form wheras imo taylor is back to form

[tripod sam]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship surely you're forgetting 1 man. barney is worth a punt imo,yes taylor is in red hot form atm i agree but dont under estimate the power of the dutch.barney is defending his crown and hes not gona giv it up just like that.also beware of the tripod scholten who is capable of doin good things-my tip is to do e/w bet on him

[socky1]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship I have to agree with Punters who lumped on Dead Pan Den to win his quarter, looks massive value. I like woody have backed Llyod at big prices all year hoping he can recapture his form and make a mockery of the odds on offer, but unfourtatley the books look to have got it right with him so I'm leaving him alone. The obvious danger to this bet would be the always consistent Terry Jenkins, but that would be the last match in that quarter and you could arb it off easy at that stage.

[theoldmaster]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship Just thought i would share with you my outsiders for the qrtr betting market. Qrtr1- my two outsiders for this are A Jenkins@45/1. and A [email protected] both players with much to prove and some real quality players to get past for semi final places. Jenkins had a good run last year, and maybe proved to himself that he can compete at this level, his major weakness as with many other players is that he is a front runner rather than chaser, when he is leading he stretches his legs and can do serious damage, though when he falls behind he visibly loses confidence and compsure. Gray, Still dining out on his grand prix slaying of the power, proved by reaching the last 4 in ireland he has a game to make it at this level just not sure whether this year isn't too soon. QRTR 2- Osborne @8/1 and McGowan @20/1 Osborne, is fast becoming a respected and feared player on the PDC circuit, semi finalist last year and was in the last 4 again at Bolton this year, he has a good solid technique more than capable of standing up to pressure, he could be the next player to come through to become a tournament winner, make no mistake he is worth watching here. McGowan, i first saw him play Taylor in this event last term and though he was beaten 4-1 he was awesome both him and the power were avging over the ton, in a prevoius meetin against Taylor the irishman avged a whopping 130+, for a whole match. so you know this lad can play. QRTR 3- Eccles 33/1 , and Jones 80/1. Eccles moved across from the mickey mouse darters, has held his own has had countless last 8 apperaances, and beaten far more higher regarded players all year, he has real ability and i really think he will make a mark in the PDC, and at 33s he is a really nice price, and only Lewis would worry him in his part of the draw a last eight place here is a real possibility. Jones, the widower from wolves, ironically plays eccles in the first round at the Ally Pally, again a respected opponent particularly regular 140s scorer, whose only weakness is his tendancies to throw too fast and lose his rythym, he has been semi finalist here before, and he beat Lewis that time too ,so he knows he can make it that far very overpriced ay 80s. QRTR 4- Part @ 5/1, A Smith @25/1, and Dudbridge @12/1. this is arguably the toughst qrtrt to predict, but could also be the most open hence my choice of three, Part, yes twice world champion, and one who fears no one and on his day for me the bet player at checking out big scores, don't think he is fancied by anyone and that is when John part is at his most dangerous. Smith, the pieman has been progressing steadily to become a real thorne in the flesh of any player, cna be a massive 180s hitter, and dosent seem to feel pressure his only weakness is his build and the heat may be his biggest obstacle to overcome, there is no doubt his odds are far too generous for a draw so open, and i would highly reccomend a punt on him. Dudbridge, has shown signs of returning to the form that saw go toe for toe with taylor a few years ago, has found his confidence with his flights and like the two above is more than capable of getting past the others in his qrtr no doubt about it. Others i dismissed Sholton, Mardle, Mason and Painter could be wrong just think they have all had thier chances and have never stepped up to the plate. Tabern Ovens Roy Baxter and Beaton while good players would look on the last 8 as a good display and they reach that stage in events too often before going out to be sreiously considered.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship I hope that turned out ok. Anyway my two outright bets: Lloyd @ 40/1 e.w He is bigger but on exchanges but not e.w. I have already looked at the draw and imo I believe that Lloyd's quarter is the weakest. T.Jenkins the main seed is the biggest and most consistent threat but Lloyd is definitely capable of beating him when on his game as his PL rout at the venue showed. Manley the next highest seed is under huge pressure as he is defending all that money from his somewhat fortunate final place two years ago and his form this year has been average really since MOD. Other seeds in the draw also appear short on confidence for various reasons such as lack of form for Warriner, McGowan who was great last year but poor this and I could have beaten him in Blackpool, Bates who has struggled since his injury. Possible threats might be Ovens but he has start playing on TV like he does on the floor and in truth he never quite has and Osborne but his form since Bolton is a worry. 4/1 for the quarter definitely appeals. I have touched on the Taylor problem in regards to a potential semi but a couple of things, first Lloyd will be at a price where a trade off is possible by then and also that there is a chance that Taylor might not even be in the semi. His actual form is not quite as bad as a drop from 1-12 in the rankings suggests. Last year he had darts to beat Barney in a classic and could well have and probably would have gone onto the final, he played well in getting to the semis in Bolton and looked better at the WGP. Lloyd has been the no.1 seed for this for the last three years and always fallen short but as much as anything needs must with a huge run required for a PL spot and with this draw he might well be capable of one. Wade @ 6/1 e.w James Wade has often been talked of in some places as someone with the potential to win a World Championships. For a while in the BDO it looked like he was always going to disappoint with early exits in the W/C he qualified for but since his move to the PDC, he has started to deliver. Initially through very good floor results and also a string of nine darters and of course he reached the Blackpool final 06. After that he disappointed for a while and seemed totally shot of confidence on the stage at the W/C last year but at Blackpool this year he really emerged again. Initially he was average in his first two games but having beaten King in the q/f he was sensational against Lewis and Jenkins, a real trade mark of his to step it up when the crunch of the event came. He followed it up again in Ireland when again looking slightly dodgy early on before really picking it up against Lloyd, Barney and Jenkins. His floor results have remained good and he lost nothing in defeat to McDine at the GSOD. A slight concern of his pattern of starting tournaments slowly is countered I believe by the fact I do not think he has to dangerous opponents early on with the greatest respect. Finally the way he can step it on at the business end of a tournament suggests I believe he has what it takes against Barneveld and Taylor in the long matches.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship Two more for now, bets that can also be interpreted as opportunities to trade out came potential q/f match ups with Taylor and Barney if that occured. I thought about them on the outrights but declined although I considered Scholten: Quarter 1. Scholten 12/1. His record against Taylor where he has huge mental scares from a lack of a TV win and that has been very evident when blowing opportunities in the PL at least three times and huge defeats such as Blackpool this year is clearly awful but for starters he would be much lower in his match price to arb out if that occured and also there is that possibility of a Taylor defeat which from ny perspective would be wonderful. Scholten seems to have just got form back at the right time, he played very well in a hard group in the GSOD with huge averages even if it was a short format and beat Barney, something he rarely does on the floor following that. On his day he is very dangerous and hits the treble with so much ease and can be an extremely huge scorer. His draw sees a tough game against Clark up first but not one that he cant overcome. King is a danger and also Mardle to a lesser extent imo as despite decent floor results his TV performances have not been brilliant. However Scholten I believe can overcome them and set up a q/f which if Taylor is not there, he can definitely win. Quarter 3. Eccles 50/1. A crazy price here imo. If this format was on the floor, I would think Christmas has come early because on the floor, Eccles is a very good player. In the BDO I think he reached no.3 with some notable victories in if not in the PDC environment, still a difficult enough standard. On TV however generally he has disappointed even though he reached the q/f at Lakeside this year when he beat Webster easily even if that was a different Webster to the Webster now. He has had some decent runs in the PDC if not brilliant runs but he is such a big price here imo. Jones in round one will be a tough gritty game like the game they had at the Lakeside a few years ago which Jones nicked but not impossible, Priestley/Maish similar, Lewis could await but I am not certain he will be there and if he was, Eccles is the type of solid player who can potentially benefit from Lewis' age old problem of inconsistency, Barney is a likely q/f but with Mason/Painter that is not certain and even if he did he will be clear lay off material.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship I am trying a P/L this tournament so: Wade e.w @ 6/1 10 pts e.w Lloyd e.w @ 40/1 5 pts e.w Lloyd to win quarter @ 4/1 10 pts Scholten to win quarter @ 12/1 3.5 pts win Eccles to win quarter @ 50/1 2.5 pts win

[stereoman]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship Even more Bettingzone Market News: 1005: After romping to an 18-11 victory in last month's inaugural Grand Slam of Darts following a series of shock defeats, Phil Taylor is Sky Bet's 15/8 favourite to wrest the PDC World Championship title from current holder Raymond van Barneveld (11/4). Newcomer James Wade is 6/1 third favourite and it's 1/3 for a Brit to win. Last year's epic final saw the Dutch master overhaul Taylor from 3-0 down to win 7-6 in the sudden-death leg and Sky Bet quote 3/1 for the two to clash again in this year's final on New Year's day. Twelve-times winner Taylor has reached every single PDC World Championship final to date but is 8/13 not to make the final for the first time this year. ============= Phil Taylor though has a relatively easy quarter and top half with only the first hurdle seemingly being the hardest. 6/5 for him at Skybet to reach the final then? I can't see it on their website but I'm guessing theyed be hella swamped by now and that theyed have taken it OTB. 1/3 for a Brit, 9/4 for a Dutch player and 25/1 for somebody from any other nationality to win it. Interesting to hear at the end of the World Championship preview that Sid Waddell thinks NEITHER Barney or Phill will win this year and he's seemingly tipping Adrian Lewis to win.

[GB80]

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Edited February 17, 2020 by GB80
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[stereoman]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship Incidentally that's a 3/1 shot with the sponsors... Here's the odds on the quarters from Ladbrokes... ...and and can you name the finalists?

[Cosmetic Bob]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship 3-1 is poor value imo, barney was so lucky against lloyd last yr & his route 2 final was weakwhereas this yr he not coming here in greatest form & lots of quality players in his half potentially 3rd painter, qf lewis. i cant believe barney is 2-1 wiv totesport they must have took a monster bet on him!!!! i dont think he get 2 final. Is laursen the man who should hav beaten Preistley last year?

[stereoman]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship Yeah he is. Day Seven's report of the action from last year's championship I agree that the 3/1 on offer for a Taylor vs Van Barneveld final isn't of particular value, and of the two, the one most likeliest to tank is probably Raymond although only Jelle Klaasen (it'd be a laugh if that was the quarter-final!) or Adrian Lewis could probably trouble him in his quarter. ...but as they say 'Form is temporary, class is permanent'. We'll have to see if it's true or whether we'll see some bigger 'shocks' this time around? I think the semi-finalists will be Phil Taylor, Terry Jenkins, Raymond van Barneveld and Andy Hamilton (with the other quarter-finalists being Roland Scholten, Colin Lloyd, Jelle Klaasen and James Wade) but like last year I ain't putting any money on 'em. I don't understand the gambles on Denis Ovens and Kevin Painter to win their quarters at all but I'm trying to justify the reasoning behind 'em. The second quarter's pretty tough and Terry will do well to get past both Mick McGowan and Colin Osborne especially if they bring their A-game with 'em. What form are Lloyd and Manley in? Will Ovens overperform like Andy Jenkins last year? Never say never. Kevin Painter's path is pretty rocky as he'll most likely have to go past Chris Mason, Raymond van Barneveld and Jelle Klaasen/Adrian Lewis. That's a bloody tough line-up. Good luck with that one, Kevin. The first quarter is competitive to an extent. I think Scholten can beat King in the second round. If Taylor beats van Gerwen, the first quarter is pretty much over and done with. With the fourth quarter I'm probably banking on James Wade tanking against Ronnie Baxter. I'd side with Andy Hamilton against James Wade in that potential quarter-final. Andy, of course, probably has to get past John Part which I think he'll just about do (it'll be fooking tough but Andy should just about do it). I'm not convinced James Wade can justify odds-on quotes to win his quarter.

[McG]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship Jelle Klaasen - isn't he that tall bloke off Top Gear? Mick McGowan for me - 250/1 with Laddies.

[Cosmetic Bob]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship dont know alot about Laursen but considering he had so many chances at double 2 beat Preistley last yr in 2nd rd i think but choked big time then he must be quite decent player. Although i am only going by memory of last yrs tournament so has he had ok form this yr? i think he is good price 2 beat tabern in 1st match considering he can hold his nerve.

[kevshat]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship Ok let's get going with this. 8pts P.Taylor to win World Championships 7/4 Stan James Phil Taylor has a tricky match in Michael van Gerwen 1st up but if he gets past him then he really couldn't have picked a better route map to the semi finals. Once in the semi final he could well play 2 guys who he's beaten before a dart is thrown in Lloyd and Manley or most likely Terry Jenkins which would be a tough match but certainly not one which Taylor can't win. He's won the last 4 tournaments he has entered and at the Grand Slam looked back to his best. This being the 1st tournament at Alexandra Palace will have given Taylor extra desire to reclaim his crown and at 7/4 I really can't see past Taylor. 1pt ew A.Lewis to win World Championships 16/1 Ladbrokes (1/2 1,2) 2pts A.Lewis to win 3rd Quarter 4/1 Blue Square At the last PL day I was telling everyone how I thought Ady Lewis would go well in this tournament and his draw hasn't deterred me. He'll have to play well to come through his draw but there's nobody there he can't beat if he gets going. Lewis has made lots of quarters and semis in TV tournaments without really going onto a major final but he's been playing well all year and with others taking the eye he could well sneak up unnoticed and land the spoils. Of all those in the bottom half, Lewis can blow the rest away if he starts firing and I'll take him ew in this. 1pt P.Manley to win 2nd Quarter 10/1 Ladbrokes Quarter 2 is interesting. Terry Jenkins is favourite and rightly so but he's far from infallible and then there's Colin Lloyd whom I believe to be the most overrated guy ever to pick a dart up and who's record in this event is poor to say the least. Colin Osbourne had a good run in this tournament last year and looks a class act but he's gone a bit quiet in the last 6 months or so. Therefore I believe there could be a spot of value to be had in Peter Manley who has a lot of pressure on him in this event as he is defending the £50k he won by makng the final here 2 years ago, in the order of merit so he really needs a big event. Manley knows how to go deep into this tournament and he's clearly overpriced at 10/1 considering he comes in here 5th in the world so at that price we'll have a small stake on One Dart. 2pts A.Hamilton to win 4th Quarter 5/1 Stan James Andy Hamilton bounced back to form in style in Wolverhampton at the Grand Slam when he made the final and he'll like the draw here. John Part and James Wade would rate as the main dangers but Hamilton is such a fighter that he wouldn't be without a chance against either of those. James Wade is yet to really do anything at the Worlds and while John Part keeps saying his form is back, his results aren't suggesting that so we can easily pass over the Canadian despite him being a tough nut to crack. The quarter looks a 3 man affair and with Hamilton having experience of making the semis in this which Wade doesn't I'll take him to come through the bottom quarter.

[kevshat]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship

Monday 17 December 2007
	Player 1	Player 2	bookmakers margin on the event. However, they do not take account of commissions that may be charged." align="middle">BPP
Laursen v Tabern (19:00 GMT)	2.75	1.57	100%	Related markets...Match ResultCorrect Score- - -Handicap Result1st Set Winner1st to 180Highest Checkout Under/OverLast 180To Score Highest CheckoutTotal 180s Under/Over
Gray v Walsh (20:00 GMT)	2.25	1.86	99%	Related markets...Match ResultCorrect Score- - -Handicap Result1st Set Winner1st to 180Highest Checkout Under/OverLast 180To Score Highest CheckoutTotal 180s Under/Over
Carver v Mardle (21:00 GMT)	3.50	1.40	100%	Related markets...Match ResultCorrect Score- - -Handicap Result1st Set Winner1st to 180Highest Checkout Under/OverLast 180To Score Highest CheckoutTotal 180s Under/Over
Lloyd v van der Rassel (22:00 GMT)	1.16	6.00	103%

2 match bets for Monday and an early one for Wednesday. 10pts P.Laursen to beat A.Tabern 7/4 Totesport Per Laursen is a solid player who has been around the block a bit. He made it to the 2nd round here last year having beaten Colin Monk in the 1st round and should really have beaten Dennis Priestley too. Alan Tabern hasn't done much at all really since making the semi finals at Bolton last year and isn't the toughest opponent the Dane could've got. Laursen's fairly experienced and doesn't get fazed too easily and he's the pick to start the tournament off. 10pts M.Walsh to beat A.Gray 4/5 Boylesports Mark Walsh has recaptured his good form after a bad 18 months or so which he really struggled. He reached the semi finals in Germany and took a set off Taylor last week to show he's in decent form. Before that Taylor beat him twice in Holland too but Walshie has suddenly started making lots of last 16s and better recently which should give him some confidence. Adrian Gray shot to prominence in a big way when he sent Taylor out of the Grand Prix in October but that was over a short format with the double start. Gray hasn't backed that performance up so the suggestion that was a sluke could be valid. Walsh looks to be in better form and with the experience on his side too and being the local lad I'll take him to win this. And now Wednesday's one. 10pts J.Clark to beat B.Anderson Evs Ladbrokes Jason Clark showed he is in good form by hitting a 9 dart finish in Germany 2 weeks ago. Clark made the semi in Scotland in the UK Open regional heat in October too so he's been in decent touch recently. Bob Anderson hit good form in the John McEvoy Classic last month but his form either side of that has been pretty patchy. Clark is unheard of by many but he's enjoyed success in the World Championships before when he beat Steve Maish in 2006 before losing a game he should've won to Peter Manley. Anderson can be hot and cold and with Clark in good form he's the pick in this one.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship Gl Kev with your picks this week and we will see what will happen. Lloyd might just prove you wrong in the next few weeks. Confidence and belief is the key with him and I cant say someone who has won two PDC TV majors can be over rated imo. Only Taylor, Barney, Part, Wade and Harrington can boast such a record in the whole history of the PDC. Cynics might say he did not beat Taylor in those events but it is still something to win the titles he did and in Blackpool 2005 he was awesome in that final, I am not sure even Taylor would have lived with him. As for his WC record his has reached a semi which he narrowly lost when he was not even half the player he is now. IMO and many will disagree I have always thought Lewis is over rated somewhat. Hugely talented and it could well be that his time will come but I thought that 2 and a half years ago and still now I am unconvinced. A big scorer when he gets it right but he lacks consistency imo and he often misses the key doubles at the wrong times and maybe that is why he has not gone from last 16/8/4. He averages 105 one set and below 84/81 the next and until he starts to iron out that I cant have him as he will always be vulnerable to even a standard player these days with a 90 average. Take Jones at last years Worlds when I was there. Unbelievable stuff from Lewis in the first two sets only to see a dramatic drop in the next two sets and let his opponent in the game. He won that day but did something similar against Jenkins in the next round and that was that. Only time will tell I suppose. Will post all first round selections later.

[kevshat]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship You hit the nail on the head. His 2 majors were handed to him. For about 2 years when he was mythical world number 1 (we all knew who was really number 1) all we got from him was all this demanding respect bollocks. His record against Taylor isn't even worth talking about, his record on TV since he won that Matchplay is absolutely crap and yet he was still coming into tournaments 14/1, 16/1 and 20/1. Garbage. As soon as he meets someone half decent he's a goner. The bloke has no bottle at all. Most overrated darts player on the planet. Difference between Lewis and Lloyd is Lewis has all the talent but he's young and raw and he'll develop into a world champion not bore everyone to tears claiming to be one. I've a feeling that having dealt with the PL crowd and the way he beat Barney at Blackpool that Lewis could come of age here in much the same way I had the same hunch that Wade could come of age in Blackpool last year.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship Walsh @ 4/5 10 pts Walsh appears to have finally picked up his form to something near the standard his showed when a very dangerous player a year or two back and decent floor results appear to show that. Gray shocked Baxter last year and had a stormer in the WGP with that great win over Taylor and to be fair went onto the q/f and scared Part. However I cant help but feel that he was suited by the format in Dublin and the double format. At his best, Walsh is the far better scorer and can take this. Carver @ 5/2 5 pts Mardle's floor play has been good but his TV performances have not really matched that and at the prices there might be some value in Carver who has shocked seeded players here before and despite being slightly inconsistent at times at the oche with his free flowing style, he has enough ability to cause Wayne problems who lost first round last year. Greebe @ 9/4 5 pts I confess I have barely ever seen Greebe throw a live dart before but all reports and the odd floor performances that he is another young Dutchman to watch and will be very up and down in his game but in a short format that sort of player is always dangerous. Manley has huge pressure on him and his recent form has been poor plus there are some concerns over his back reportedly. Van Gerwen @ 9/2 5 pts Look on current form he should not beat Taylor even if it is a short format but at this price he is worth a go. MVG is a player of huge talent. He also suffers from the Lewis/Klaasen problem of being so inconsistent in their game (is it they throw too quick?) but that sort of player is always dangerous in a short format. When he is good he is very good. Look at the IDL 2006, WDT 2006, World Masters 2006, MOD 2007 even IDL 2007. Those last two he beat Taylor in a similar format in MOD for example 3-0. Recent form is poor but it might just be that the occasion brings the best out of him. Clark @ Evens 10 pts Better player atm despite being up against the seeded player, Anderson. He has always looked decent enough on TV before whereas the grand old Anderson might just be at the end of his fabulous career. Current form good with a 9 darter the other week. Eccles @ 6/5 10 pts A tough game to call with these two. Jones actually beat Eccles in the 2002 BDO Worlds in a tight first round game and this one looks a tight one as well. Eccles though, is possibly the slightly better player definitely off TV, even if he has not quite done it yet on TV yet and could well have a good run in the next few weeks. Maish @ 2/1 10 pts We all know of Priestley's illness and all hope he gets better but even aside of that Maish is too big here. Maish is not necessarily a spectacular player but he can grind away, similar to Priestley and he has had some decent TV performances before if not always wins. A couple of 3-2 defeats at W/C with an ok average. He did beat Lloyd at the World Matchplay when he was defending champ as his best result and at 2/1 he is value against Priestley. Klaasen @ Evens 10 pts A tough match to call here and that is not just for the scorer at the furious pace. Voort has had a cracking year and in the recent GSOD his performances were even better than what he did in Bolton. However Jelle is a former World Champ and is coming into that kind of form again as shown with floor results and the odd decent TV performance of late. He will like the quick pace and in a very difficult match to call he might just have that added quality. Hine @ 2/1 10 pts Hine is well capable of an 'upset' here. He is very dangerous on the floor and the fact he qualified for all the TV tournaments when the PDC circuit was not so biased towards the top players confirms that. He is also another quick rythmm player so again the shorter format makes him especially dangerous. Dudbridge results have got better this year but I am unconvinced as to whether his performances have and often he has taken advantage of poor performances by his opponents. Also I do not think changing his flights all the time is helping him, his darts continually land at all sorts of strange angles and I never see that as good. At 2/1 I favour Hine.

[meatman]

Re: 2008 PDC World Darts Championship Interesting to see there has been a bit of talk about Lloyd. Funnily enough, I was in conversation with someone about him the other night and I'll repeat what I said here. There was a time when he was a threat for most majors and went on to win a couple. Also world number 1 for a long period of time, but we all know those rankings were complete bollocks and one hell of a huge joke. He's gone off the pace the last few years and just hasn’t looked anywhere near the player that won those 2 TV titles. I personally don’t rate him at all and I'm stunned that bookies have continued to have him as one of the favourites for a lot of recent TV events. Mentally he has his weaknesses as well IMO and put him against Taylor and you might as well give the Power a bye to the next round. ‘Jaws’ certainly ain’t been the shark in those encounters, and has been ripped to pieces by the surging power. Whereas a lot of others now believe they can, and have beaten Taylor, Jaws is still scared shitless when facing him. I just don’t see any signs of Lloyd coming back into form here. In all honesty, he's a major candidate for a 1st round shock such has been his abysmal showings at TV tourneys over the last few years, often falling at the 1st hurdle.