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Steve Beaton's win over Andy Smith on Monday night was one of the most impressive first round performances. A 94.49 three-dart average (remember this is a double start format) and 58.33% success rate on his starting and finishing doubles were some of the best figures of the opening two nights. Statistics don't always tell the whole story in sport, but in this case they are an accurate reflection of Beaton's stellar performance. It may have been a while since The Bronze Adonis made a significant impact in a televised major, but on Tuesday's form he could go a long way in Dublin this week. Next up, however, is one of the game's form players and certainly the most improved player in the last 12 months, Andy Hamilton. The Hammer has consistently reached the latter stages of major tournaments...

[u]Man United v Newcastle, Wednesday 19:45, Sky Sports 2[/u] These early round exchanges between the big clubs largely depend on the strengths of the second string and the crop of youngsters who are knocking on the first team door. Arsenal's relative success in this competition is often down to the full-blooded endeavours of their inexperienced players looking to impress after finally being given the chance. With this in mind, a third round date at Old Trafford is likely to be a severe test for Newcastle's injury-strewn squad against the might of Manchester United's resources. There is no question that Newcastle will take this competition seriously as their quest to bring in a first domestic cup since 1955 demands, though the squad is still depleted by a host of defensive ailments. Problems...

[u]Leeds v Everton, Tuesday 19:45, Sky Sports 2[/u] Although both these sides recorded league victories in their respective divisions at the weekend, the nature of their triumphs bore stark contrast. While an animated Neil Warnock bit his fingernails at Elland Road as Nottingham Forest pressed hard for the equaliser, David Moyes' Everton side had calmly stroked it around as the clock wound down in their game a few hours earlier safe in the knowledge that all three points were in the basket before the half-time whistle. Everton's emphatic win in Wales has thrust the Merseysiders into a lofty third position in the Premier League, whereas the Yorkshire club's third win sees them lying 12th in the Championship after garnering ten points from seven games. Apart from a blip at the...

[i]England v Afghanistan Sky Sports 1 1500hrs BST[/i] England start their defence of their title with what they probably thought was going to be a leisurely stroll against a raw Afghan side. Michael Lumb looks likely to be the loser in the three way fight for the opening slot, with Alex Hales partnering Craig Kieswetter. Lower down the order there probably won't be a slot for Jonny Bairstow, either, whilst Luke Wright ahould beat out Ravi Bopara for the number three position. Afghanistan came so close against India. Their bowlers showed some real fight and even nipped out the vaunted Indian openers cheaply. What cost them dear was the regularity with which they lost wickets, leaving their lower order too much to do. Mohammed Nabi came of age as a batsman in that game, making 31 ...

The European Champions (still sounds weird, doesn't it?) start the defence of their title against a club which is delighted to simply be back in the Champions League. It's been a long road back to the top for Juventus, and the Conte/Carrera rotation policy in Serie A so far shows that Juve are serious about mounting a proper European challenge. There were rumours this week that Juve would play a weakened side at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, but I don't believe that for a second. They took a risk with team selection on Sunday against Genoa, and that was all geared towards being at their best in London. The Blues' home record in this competition has to be respected, but I think that Didier Drogba will be a big loss to them in European matches. His power is something that teams from, say,...

[u]Aston Villa v Swansea[/u] [i]Back Aston Villa @ 2.37 (137/100)[/i] Aston Villa picked up their first point of the season against Newcastle last time out and I'm taking them to pick up their first win on Saturday. Paul Lambert has endured a tough start to life in the Midlands; a shoestring budget, key injuries and poor results weren't exactly what he was hoping for, but there are causes for optimism. Firstly, the fans aren't on his back yet as they were with his predecessor. Secondly, the performance at the Sports Direct Arena against Newcastle was a vast improvement, and finally, Gabby Agbonlahor has regained fitness. Points one and two are important, but it's point three that could prove the most vital. Star striker, Darren Bent, has been far too isolated, however with Agbonlahor...

I've been writing this preview of the side markets for the last six men's grand-slam finals, going back to the French Open in 2011, and, when Ferrer went up a set against Djokovic in their semi-final, instead of doing the sensible thing and taking some profits on my outright bet, I instead trawled back through those finals to see how successful these side-market bets have been. Well, 23 bets have been recommended, 11 have won, and they've returned a profit of 24.26 points to recommended stakes. Here's hoping the success continues. [u]Most Aces[/u] To date, head-to-head, Murray has served more on 12 occasions (86 per cent), to Djokovic's one (7 per cent), with one match ending in a tie. All this tells you that Murray should be 1.17 to serve most aces, with Djokovic at 14.0. It's fairly...

[b]Moldova v England, Friday 19:45, ITV1[/b] This Friday night, England head over to the dark side - of Europe at least - to face Moldova in the first of their World Cup 2014 qualifiers. This will be manager Roy Hodgson's debut preliminary contest since taking over the national job and, as a result, he will not be taking the challenge lightly. The England boss is without the defensive experience of Ashley Cole, so Leighton Baines fills in at left-back. Midfielder Adam Johnson withdrew with a thigh problem, while striker Andy Carroll is sidelined following the hamstring injury picked up in his debut for West Ham at the weekend. [u]Match Odds[/u] England are unbeaten in seven contests over 90 minutes since Hodgson took the reins back in May. Yet, their qualification record is ...

In keeping with all six of last season's El Clasicos, the two giants of Spanish football served up yet another goal-filled treat in the first leg as Real Madrid managed to bag two away from home to leave everything up for grabs. After a quick-fire equaliser from Pedro at the Camp Nou to cancel out Cristiano Ronaldo's opener, it then looked every bit as though Barcelona were going to cruise home as they raced into a 3-1 lead courtesy of goals from Lionel Messi and Xavi. It appeared as though Barca had one hand on the cup heading into the last ten minutes until Victor Valdes gifted Madrid a second goal following an absolute howler, which should see Iker Casillas remain as Spanish number one for a little longer yet. In last season's Supercup, Barcelona achieved the same 3-2 result...