PREMIER League Darts is firmly up and running now as we head to Dublin for Week 4. Just two points separate table-topping newcomer Glenn Durrant and seventh-placed Gary Anderson. Can either Gerwyn Price or Daryl Gurney secure their first win of the campaign in Ireland? Let's see what darts broadcaster, journalist and former Players Championship winner Paul Nicholson thinks.
Week 4: Dublin
The Banker
After what was a troublesome tipping night for most punters and experts within the game in Cardiff last week, we head over the Irish Sea looking for a value for money banker, but that is easier said than done when you look at the line-up. Even though this week's challenger, Willie O’Connor will have very little in the way of pressure on him, you have to see Michael Van Gerwen as a sure fire winner in the majority of scenarios.
After the way he played at the weekend in Wigan without winning a title again, you feel he will be bubbling inside and will want to take it out on Limerick's Magpie. There isn’t much value in MVG as an outright winner, so if you boost that with highest finish too it becomes a little more attractive. The reason I chose that as a boost instead of most 180’s is because of O’ Connors propensity to hit maximums when he gets going, so I would leave that alone on this occasion.
With the crowd on his side, I think Willie can have moments in this match but MVG’s ferocity surely has to be on show in the city where he won his first major PDC title, and with the PDC European Tour back at the weekend, where MVG does his best pro-tour work, he will want to send a message to that field, and to the people trying to stay above him in the table. The bounce back from last weeks defeat by Aspinall will provide nightmares for the home favourite here in my view.
Selection: Match winner and Highest Checkout – van Gerwen (3/4)
Match odds: O'Connor (13/2), Draw (5/1), Van Gerwen (2/7)
TABLE!
Glen Durrant moves top of the @unibet Premier League table after week three! pic.twitter.com/HxQ3cgCONM
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) February 20, 2020
The Punt
I mentioned the Wigan weekend in the last section, and said weekend was owned by the two guys who play each other in the last match of the evening. Snakebite vs The Iceman is rightly the main event of this night, based on how they love to play each other, how they generally perform against each other and the fact they’ve both had stuttering starts in this campaign.
Both Peter and Gerwyn picked up points in Cardiff, Gezzy somewhat coming up short by another point to many people's surprise, but it's the way they played on Saturday in Players Championship 5 that made everyone stand up and pay attention. Wrighty hit a 120+ average on the way to a final where he beat the Welshman in one of the highest quality days of darts ever seen. Wright also pinged a 170 to take the title in the final leg of the day when Gezzy was sitting on tops at 6-7. That match had everything, and I sincerely hope this one has the same level of quality and sportsmanship. It has to be said that there is no animosity between these combatants after what happened at Ally Pally on December 30th. That is ancient history.
On stage form, you have to fancy Wright to win this game too, but when Ice gets his thing going which is way overdue in this Premier League, he can beat anyone. Can he get his fourth draw from four games in this campaign, or will he break his duck by not getting a point at all, or both? I think the punt of the week has to be the draw again, and with the below odds, I wouldn’t bet against it.
Selection: Draw (3/1)
Match odds: Price (17/10), Draw (3/1), Wright (5/4)
Click here for all Premier League Darts Week 4 betting
The Longshot
First and foremost, its 33/1 for a 9-darter to be hit in the first leg in Dublin, and I can’t remember when a minimum leg price was so high in this era. Surely that is worth a quid or a euro. From a game perspective its tough to pick a realistic longshot, a bit like Cardiff, but as you saw with Michael Smith's match, my longshot pick for The Ferret was founded to be just that. This week I am going to flip that 180 degrees (Get it, “180” degrees), and go for Smith to do the king of the oche on Daryl Gurney.
I see improvement in Gurney in the last fortnight, but he isn’t picking up wins to his own satisfaction yet this year, however it has to be noticed that he is improving incrementally and that is encouraging for Superchin fans. Smith will feel great after last week and even though he came up dry in Wigan at the weekend when it comes to ranking money, the extra rest may do him some good. He will be entirely focused on getting two more points right here and will want to do so in a comfortable fashion which seems to suit him way more than eking out close wins.
This is a longshot but if Smith does come out of the blocks for the third week running, he could bulldoze Gurney and close him out in every department. Just look at the two blockbuster finishes Smith piled in last week, 142 for the match and a 167, plus his ability to hit effortless 180s. King of the oche for Smith is good value, but don’t forget to put your pound or euro on that 9-darter, because you may never see that price again.
Selection: King of the Oche – Smith (4/1)
Match odds: Gurney (9/5), Draw (3/1), Smith (23/20)
