Mark Webster vs Ronnie Baxter – Welshman to continue title surge
Published:Mark Webster proved one of the most impressive qualifiers through the first round of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship and his next challenge comes in the shape of veteran Ronnie Baxter.
On paper the showdown looks difficult to call as both players won through their opening round encounters 3-0, while their head-to-head records reads two victories each.
However, Webster was slightly more impressive in his triumph over Steve Maish and is 2/5 in the darts betting odds to beat Baxter.
Baxter equalled his best ever result in the tournament last year when reaching the quarter finals and his bid to take the title for the first time started brightly against Roland Scholton.
He is 7/4 to beat the Welshman, with the matches now becoming best of seven sets, rather than the first to three.
The last two encounters between the pair have been close and it will be no surprise if the upcoming contest did not follow the same pattern.
Webster should come through and the 10/3 that he wins 4-2 could prove the best prospect in the set betting market.
Another second round clash that could go either way is between Robert Thornton and Andy Hamilton, with both players priced at 5/6 in the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship betting to move into the third round.
The pair have both beaten the other on three occasions, although it is Hamilton that has often taken victory in the bigger tournaments in the past.
Furthermore, the fact that Thornton dropped a set in his first round win against little known Nigel Heydon, may mean that he is struggling to reproduce his best form.
In the straight sets market it may prove profitable to side with Hamilton to move into a third round match with Adrian Lewis or Mark Dudbridge by beating Thornton 4-1, which can be backed at 6/1.
A £10 bet on Hamilton beating Thornton 4-0 could see a return of £160. New Ladbrokes customers can sign up here for a free £10 bet.
