Sam Hart looks ahead to Thursday nights semi-finals at the Alexandra Palace
Here we go then, Sam Hart here for Betting Radio to look ahead to the semi-finals of the World Darts Championships. Two amazing matches to look forward to on Thursday night, and I will give a quick insight into each of the two ties.
Dobey vs Van Gerwen
The first semi-final is between Chris Dobey and Michael Van Gerwen. I thought this would be Gerwyn Price vs Van Gerwen in the semi-final, and when the Welshman went two sets up, it looked like it was feasible, but that slow start we have been seeing from Chris Dobey obviously meant that he turned it round towards the back end of the match like he has done all tournament, and again he averaged in the mid 90s and was just more clinical than Price on his doubling. He has surprised me a bit, Dobey, with the way he is playing, but he is proving that he loves that stage and also proving me wrong in that he just prefers shorter format matches, as the set play seems to be playing right into his hands. He will need to really up his game against Van Gerwen, who is likely to average close to the 100s and will be clinical on his doubles. Van Gerwen took out Callan Rydz in his quarter-final with possibly the most extraordinary scoring across two players I have ever seen, especially across eight sets. The two between them threw thirty-one 180s, and both averaged 103, which is incredible. Van Gerwen was just playing the right darts at the right time. Michael was told in his press conference that Callan topped almost every stat in the match. Van Gerwen responded by saying, “He didn't top the sets stat, though, did he?” It is all about pulling out the key dart at the right time in these set play matches. I am confident he is back to the old Van Gerwen, and the tears in his eyes after his match shows how happy he is to be back. Chris Dobey won’t be able to afford a slow start because if Van Gerwen gets ahead, he can really motor and will only get better towards the back end of his matches. I think Van Gerwen will win this 6-3, which is currently priced up at 5/1 with William Hill. Michael is ⅖ to win the match outright.
Bunting vs Littler
The second semi-final is between Stephen Bunting and Luke Litter. This has the makings of a cracking match and one that will have the crowd up on their feet. Stephen Bunting has looked solid throughout the whole tournament, and the way he has been throwing just provides so much consistency and reliability with his game. He shot to a four-set lead against Peter Wright in his quarter-final match and wasn’t missing doubles at all. He showed signs of shakiness, though, when Peter Wright tried to surge a comeback and was missing key doubles at the wrong times. He will hopefully keep his close to 100 average up in this game as he will need to, to match the scoring power of Luke Litter. Luke Littler came through his semi-final vs Nathan Aspinall in really convincing fashion. Nathan didn’t play like I expected him to, and arguably that was Littler’s easiest win so far, as he didn't have to be overly good to get by the Asp. He just oozes confidence for a seventeen-year-old, and no matter what pressure he faces, he seems to deal with it in a relaxed and mature way. He can throw in the odd wobbly leg, but that's when, as an opponent, you have to be clinical on your doubles, which I feel Stephen Bunting will do everything he can to be. Luke Litter to win this match 6-4 is my play; at the time of recording, we have no prices, but I would also be looking at Luke Littler for the match win and most 180s if there is a decent price about that.
I will be back again on Friday to give my thoughts on what I am hoping will be a Luke Litter vs Michael Van Gerwen final. Until then, though, do gamble responsibly and enjoy the darts.