Whitlock to continue impressive form at the Ally Pally
Published:Wes Newton to score higher checkout than Mark Walsh @ 8/15
After a scintillating 4-0 demolition of Scott Rand in round two, Wes Newton has been handed a relatively kind draw for a place in the quarter-finals. He’s beaten Mark Walsh in three of their last four encounters and all three of their televised games.
He’s reasonably priced to score the highest checkout of the match here and seeing as he took out scores of 144, 143 and 133 in his trouncing of Rand, you wouldn’t back against him doing so. These stats also make the 8/11 that the highest checkout of the match tops 130.5 well worth a bet.
The Warrior averaged a very impressive 99.53 on his way to booking his last-16 spot and should see off his next adversary with minimal fuss in this one.
Simon Whitlock to beat Dave Chisnall 4-2 @ 10/3
Aussie flinger Simon Whitlock was electric in the previous round, despatching Colin Osborne in straight sets. If he can reproduce this sort of form in the last-16 then Dave Chisnall is in real trouble.
He’s likely to provide a much sterner test for the Wizard than Jaws did, but the difference in class is likely to ensure Whitlock’s progression.
Chizzy once had Whitlock’s number and leads their head-to-head stats 10-4, but with the latter claiming the spoils in three of their previous four tussles, the balance of power appears to have shifted and it’s set to be more of the same here.
James Wade v Vincent van der Voort – Total 180s: Over 10.5 @ 1/1
Rapid-fire Dutchman Vincent van der Voort was on the receiving end of a nine-dart finish from Dean Winstanley in the previous round but he survived that scare to progress, though beating James Wade will be a much tougher ask.
The Machine wasn’t at his well-oiled best when he advanced past Steve Beaton in the last-32 but showed his class when it mattered to take crucial legs. However, he is prone to producing unexpectedly erratic performances and is often turned over against the odds.
That’s what makes this match extremely difficult to call, but one thing that both these players excel at is maximum scoring. Expect the Dutch star to hit the majority as the mark of 10.5 should be crossed with some ease.
All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date
