Sam Hart gives us his best selections for day nine of the World Darts Championship
Afternoon Session
Welcome along to Betting Radio for a preview of day nine of the World Darts Championship. The last sessions before Christmas are here, and once we are done on Monday night, we start to see the third round matches start, in which there are some cracking potential ties.
On to Monday’s sessions, though, and we start in the afternoon with four matches, but the one I am keen to focus on is the match between Andrew Gilding and Martin Lukeman. This is as difficult as it gets as a match, and the bookies have made that clear. Lukeman is 4/6 with Bet365, whilst Gilding is 6/5 with the same bookmaker. Lukeman has almost come out of nowhere and is proving he is a force to be reckoned with. He didn’t overly impress in his opening game but did what he needed to do and got the job done. His run to the final of the Grand Slam was what really showed how good Lukeman can be. Yes, he was played off the park by Luke Littler in that final; just on a quick note, that 141 average set from Littler on Saturday night was just sensational. Lukeman, though, could now start to show some of that Grand Slam form after having some experience on this year's Alexandra Palace stage. Gilding has been pretty consistent all year without being exceptional, but he isn't best suited by the set play; in my opinion, he seems to come alive in the shorter formats. He made the last 32 of this event back in 2016 and 2017, but the level of darts and the competitiveness of the sport have increased significantly in recent years. So the selection in this one is Lukeman to win at 4/6 with Bet365.
Evening Session
The final evening session before Christmas, consists of some exceptional matches. There are two I would like to focus on, though, in the session. The first of which is Gian Van Veen vs. Ricardo Pietreczko. Gian is someone I have put up to make the semifinals of this year's Worlds. So I will be in full support of Gian, but this won't be an easy match for him. Gian is a seeded player and hasn't played a first-round match despite being only 22 and having won the PDC World Youth Championship. Pietreczko, however, has played a first-round match and comes into this match with a lot more guaranteed confidence on the stage. Ricardo beat Xiao Chen Zong comfortably 3-0 without having to do anything overly special. To average close to 88 and still come through 3-0 shows the level of his opponent, though in some ways. That being said, all the confidence in there, and he will fancy his chances against Van Veen. I think this could be going the way of Van Veen in a 3-1 scoreline, which is currently 9/4 with Betway.
Florian Hempel and Daryl Gurney are also in action, but the match after should be one to get the festive feeling flowing, as Dave Chisnall takes on Rapid Ricky Evans. Ricky is one I spoke about before his first-round match, and alongside his quick throwing, he has the most festive walk-on of anyone, so enjoy that. He is taking on Dave Chisnall here, who is what I hate to call a bit of an “on the edge” player, meaning he is just a little bit off the top level, but he does sometimes show that ability to be top class. He is quite a difficult player to work out, Chisnall, but despite this, I think he will come through Ricky Evans to set himself up for a third-round match after Christmas. So a Dave Chisnall win at 2/5 will complete my pre-Christmas treble.
Rob Cross and Scott Williams are the headliners on Monday night, and it could be a feisty affair. It is a game that could genuinely go either way, so I will be leaving this game alone, but it is going to be a cracker to watch.
That's it then; pre-Christmas previews are done. I will be back to preview the matches on the 27th. Until then, though, from me, enjoy Christmas, enjoy the wonderful sport we have on offer, and do remember to gamble responsibly.