Hamilton set to steamroller into the second round of world darts
Published:Andy Hamilton gets his Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship title bid underway tonight against Dennis Smith.
Hamilton is 1/3 to waltz into the second round against a player 32 places below him in the world rankings.
The Stoke-on-Trent player has a very decent record at the World Darts Championship, reaching the semi-finals in 2007 before being eliminated by Phil Taylor.
Smith has also made it to a semi-final at darts’ showpiece event, but that was 11-years ago in 2000 and it’s hard to see him coming out on top at 9/4 against an in-form Hamilton.
The second game of the evening sees England’s Matt Padgett face off against Japanese qualifier Morihiro Hashimoto in a preliminary round battle.
Padgett booked his place with a final berth at a qualifying event in Derby last month and should continue his good form to see off the Japanese at 4/11.
The winner of that Derby qualifier, Alex Roy, faces a tough test against Mark Dudbridge in the evening’s third game.
With both players inside the world top 50, everything is set for a tight game and the odds very much reflect that, with Dudbridge at 4/7 and Roy at 5/4.
However, Roy – having won in Derby – could well be worth backing at over evens.
A £10 bet on Alex Roy to beat Mark Dudbridge pays out £13. New customers can sign up here for a free £10 bet.
