Darts / David Croft / 26 December 2008 /

BBC commentator David Croft has been feasting on the darts and is celebrating a first round treble with some more predictions...

So the first round is done and for once my shortlist have all made it through the tricky opening matches. Not only that but the three first round winners I picked out for a treble - Co Stompe, Kevin Mcdine and Bill Davies - all made it through, with Davies knocking out the defending champion John Part. A good start then, and as the action resumes on December 27th there's plenty of hope for more happy returns.

Of the shortlist I picked out for the title Phil Taylor made it through without dropping a leg and averaged just shy of 97 with his three darts. Sid Waddell wrote in his Sky Sports column that Taylor didn't look comfortable up on the stage, and whilst I don't want to argue too much with the legend of the commentary box, I'm not sure that he was watching the same player. Taylor did what he had to do, didn't let his opponent win a single leg and is the man they all have to beat, as reflected in his price of [1.69] with Betfair.

Not surprisingly Raymond Van Barneveld has come in from a high of [13.5] to a current price of [8.2]. During his 3-0 demolition of Mark Stephenson in the opening round he took only 41 darts to win the first set and averaged and resembled something close to his best, clearly enjoying the feel of the darts - the Dutchman has switched back to the style of dart he used when he burst onto the PDC scene in 2006.

James Wade was solid enough in his first round win and has drifted slightly to [11.5], he's seeded to meet Barney in the semi finals which should be an absolute classic, unless King Henry VIII look-alike Andy Hamilton spoils Barney's party in the quarters. His average of 101.5 in the 3-0 win over Michael Barnard was the highest of the championship so far and the big man from Stoke believes there's more to come. In from [50.0] to [32.0] now with Betfair to win the title, he'll attract plenty more support at this rate.

Finally, Robert Thornton in the top half of the draw continues on his way but looked a touch scrappy at times against Wayne Jones. You can back the Scotsman now at [85.0], but if he could just sharpen up his doubles a touch will still give his supporters a run for their money.

Betfair have introduced a series of Accas for the second round and of these I like the look of Smith/Stompe/Painter at [11.5] on Saturday. Dennis Smith put in a terrific performance to knockout Terry Jenkins and should have the edge over Kevin Mcdine, his slow play won't help Mcdine stay focused either. Co Stompe showed the PDC world just how good he can be on his day when he beat Phil Taylor in the recent German Open final and after a steady start against Alan Jenkins, might not have to up his game much to get past Alan Tabern. Kevin Painter ,after surviving a titanic struggle against Matt Clarke - finally squeaking through in the 11th leg of the 5th set, should find things little easier against Spains Carlos Rodriguez - who took 5 sets to beat an injured Roland Sholten on the opening night.

And Suljovic/Taylor/Thornton on Saturday evening at [3.7] also stands out. I fancied Suljovic to beat Peter Manley and he duly obliged, I fancy him to take out the out of form Mark Dudbridge and book a third round slot. Taylor this year should have less trouble in beating Michael Van Gerwin who you may recall had 1 dart at double twelve to beat 'The Power' twelve months. This year I don't think he'll be given the chance to make amends. And Robert Thornton, despite being up against Wayne Mardle should complete the acca after what on paper looks like a terrific match.

As I mentioned earlier Thornton has to sharpen up his doubles, but I've seen with this guy in the past that he does posses the ability to raise his game in line with the quality of his opponent. He also has the knack of digging in deep and fighting back hard when life gets a little tough. Mardle, ever the showman, will have the crowd on his side, but expect Thornton to keep plugging away and don't be surprised when he comes out on top. This tournament has been troublesome for some of the seeds so far, both finalists from last year are out already and we're only just starting the second round. Expect more shocks in the next few days as well.

'.$sign_up['title'].'

'; } } ?>

:

:

:

?

: