Welsh duo show they can compete for the top prize in darts
Published:It’s easy to forget there are other contenders for the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship outside of the big three.
Obviously it’s hard to look beyond 15-times world champion Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor at 4/7 for the title, while world No.2 James Wade is also in there at 8/1, and 2007 champion Raymond van Barneveld also looks tempting at 12/1.
However, if you like your odds a little longer, then you could do worse than look to a couple of Welshmen who have hit form at just the right time.
Barrie Bates and Mark Webster made the final of last weekend’s Cash Converters World Cup of Darts before eventually succumbing to the Netherland’s Barneveld and Co Stompe.
They may not be quite as strong individually as they are as a pair, but Bates and Webster have shown throughout the years they have what it takes to mix it with the best.
Webster, has experience of winning on the biggest stage thanks to his brilliant victory in the BDO Lakeside World Championship in 2007.
He hasn’t quite hit the same heights since he moved to the PDO circuit – he’s currently ranked 25 in the world – but he could be worth backing at 40/1.
His partner, Bates, made it to the quarter-final of the world championships in 2009 before losing to Mervyn King and also defeated Taylor four years ago in the final of a Players Championship event in the Netherlands. He can be backed at a massive 250/1 to win at Alexandra Palace.
A £10 bet on Webster to win the world championship pays out £400! New customers can sign up here for a free £10 bet.
