Wayne Mardle on the World Championship: Get on Gurney at Ally Pally

Mensur Suljovic v Mark Webster

Mark Webster played okay in his previous game but if he puts in a performance of similar standard in the scoring phase of this match-up I expect Mensur will beat him.

Webster's double success on his first match was quite incredible, from 11 darts at a double he was successful nine times. WOW! He only had an average in the 80s though, if he scores like that again he may not get a chance to hit those doubles.

Mensur wasn't great in his first match against Ron Meulenkamp, but in fairness to him, he didn't need to be.
That isn't a defence for playing average, however.

Mark will have to improve to have a chance of winning, a player can't rely on finishing above the mean, again.

Mensur is the eighth seed, he finds himself in that heady seeding because he's been ultra consistent over the last year. He won on the European tour and was runner up to MVG in the European Championships.

Webster has struggled for a while now, mainly due to issues with his throwing action. Huge amounts of credit have to go to Mark just for still being competitive.

Mark beat Suljovic 3-2 in the 2014 World Championships, but I firmly believe that Mensur is a far better player now. He will need to be - one worrying stat is that Webby has beaten Mensur on the last six meeting between the two.

Recommended Bet
Back Mensur -1.5 sets @ 1.910/11 or better

Robert Thornton v Daryl Gurney

Well, I've gone from backing Thornton to laying him at every opportunity. Robert has regressed over the last year or so. Good performances are happening, but far more infrequently than ever.

The composure needed to win major darts is as important as talent and timing. I'm afraid Thornton's composure has gone missing along with his double hitting. His strength is his scoring, but when an opponent matches that he seems completely at odds with himself, lacking the mental capability to calm himself down.

Gurney is on the up and doesn't have any negatives to note. If I was being picky I'd say that, like Thornton, he also misses too many doubles.

Recommended Bet
Gurney -1.5 sets @ 2.26/5 or better

* A double on both Wayne's bets pays at 4.3100/30 on the Betfair Sportsbook

You can follow Wayne on Twitter @Wayne501Mardle