Sam Hart gives us his best bets for day seven of the World Darts Championship.
Afternoon Session
Saturday again has an afternoon and evening session, and in that afternoon session I like the matchup between Brendan Dolan and Lok-Yin Lee. Brendan is a player many would have seen on the Alexandra Palace stage plenty in the past. He made the quarterfinals here last year, along with a quarterfinal appearance in 2019. He loves the set play format Brendan Dolan, and when he gets into a rhythm, he can really turn on the taps. He has lost his last 6 matches on the PDC tour, and that probably represents why he is only 3/10. I feel he would be priced up a lot shorter in this match had he been in good form. Lok-Yin is a young player from Hong Kong who wants to make a name for himself and could go onto the stage with a bit of confidence as an underdog. He is ranked 225 in the world, and based on that, he should be nowhere near the level of Brendan Dolan. I mentioned in my outright preview, though, that having to play a first-round match before playing a seeded player isn't the worst thing in the world. Experience in the atmosphere and on the stage each year can come in handy, and that was shown with Kevin Doets beating Michael Smith on Thursday night. I think this could be just a step too far for Lok-Yin, but expect a close game, so the over 3.5 sets market at 9/25 will be one for Saturday’s treble.
Evening Session
The evening session is headlined by a name that needs no introduction in Luke Littler, but before we get onto his game against Ryan Meikle, I want to pay attention to a legend of the game in Raymond van Barneveld; he plays first-round winner Nick Kenny of Wales. Barney has obviously lost the full ability he once had, and I am sure he would admit that. Raymond has been in good form, however. He has won 4 of his last 6 matches on the PDC tour and produced some good darts against Humphries in the Players Championship Finals match, despite being beaten 6-3. Nick Kenny threw the first 170 finish of the tournament on Thursday night, and even though I haven’t heard too much about Nick Kenny, he plays with a lot of confidence. This could be a belter of a game and one of the matches of the night. I don’t want to call a winner as I feel it will be tight. So I am going to call this match going all the way. Over 4.5 sets at 17/10 with Unibet will be the play here.
To end the night, the man of the moment, Luke Litter, takes to the stage. Just off the back of his Young Sports Personality of the Year award, and his second in the main Sports Personality of the Year award to Keely Hodgkinson. The man has got some confidence, and he really does believe this is his year. He was either scheduled to play Ryan Meikle or Fallon Sherrock. He does play Ryan Meikle, which will mean the crowd will really get behind Littler on the opening Saturday of the tournament. It would have been interesting if Fallon had gotten through to see which way the crowd swayed, but it’s Ryan who comes through. He is a good player, Ryan, but even in his press conference he admitted this is a completely different assignment. Littler suits this long format, as when he gets going, he just doesn't stop. I like the look of the Litter to hit 5+ 180s and to hit a 120+ finish in the match at even money with Sky Bet in this one.
Do enjoy day seven of the World Darts Championship. I will be back with my day eight preview, but until then, as always, do remember to gamble responsibly.