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Unstoppable Taylor set to make it lucky 13

| 29.07.2012

Great darts rivals Phil Taylor and James Wade are set to meet in the World Matchplay final for a fourth time this evening, with dominant Taylor the outstanding favourite at 2/7.

And it’s easy to see why. The Power has won this event 12 times, and has claimed five of the last six titles in Blackpool, with his only blank coming in 2007. That year it was left to his opponent this evening, James Wade (11/4 to win), to pick up his maiden title.

Crucially though, Wade’s final opponent that year was not Taylor, but Terry Jenkins, who saw off the reigning champ in a shock semi-final win. Instead, Wade has met Taylor three times previously in the final and been soundly beaten each time.

And given Taylor’s 17-10 semi-final victory over an in-form Ronnie Baxter was a lot more convincing than Wade’s hard-fought 17-15 victory over Jenkins, it’s hard to see past the man from Stoke making it title number 13.

Given Taylor’s slim odds on claiming the £100k top prize, punters might look elsewhere for the real money-maker – so predicting the correct score might offer a better value option.

Only once in their last three meetings at this stage has Wade taken more than 10 legs against Taylor, so the 12/1 for 18-8 and 11/1 for 18-9 look like the best bets of the night.

Dauntingly for Wade, Taylor’s three-dart average hasn’t dipped below 100 in his last six Matchplay finals, so the 8/11 for there to be over 15 180s is another tempting punt for those looking for value bets.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing

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Author

Alexis James