*** World Darts Championship - Day 10 ***

Day 10 sees the conclusion of R2 and the last darts of 2014. Hopefully we can sign off with a winner but it seems some of the books are slow to price up for today which hasn't really impressed me much this morning!.

Peter Wright v Andy Hamilton:

R2 - Wright bt Ronny Huybrechts 4-1
Ave: 95.52
180's: 3
HC: 144
CO%: 46%

Hamilton bt Kyle Anderson 4-2
Ave: 90.06
180's: 2
HC: 116
CO%: 43%

First match today sees a battle between 2 former world championship runner ups. I've been really impressed with Wright in both his wins so far and actually seems to be flying a bit under the radar so far this year. He's looked very solid and from 100 down there's not many better left in the tournament. Hamilton has endured a torrid year but he's going to be feeling a bit more confident after 2 wins. He's done enough to win but I feel to win here he will have to up his scoring especially or else Wright will roll right over him. Struggling to find a bet here and will be happy to sit and cheer Wright on with no financial interest.

Recommendation: No Bet

Gary Anderson v Cristo Reyes:

R2 - Anderson bt Jelle Klaasen 4-3
Ave: 103.02
180's: 14
HC: 126
CO%: 47%

Reyes bt Kevin Painter 4-3
Ave: 88.41
180's: 9
HC: 72
CO%: 36%

3rd favourite for the tournament Gary Anderson takes on the shock qualifier Cristo Reyes for a place in the QF. Anderson was quite simply sensational in beating Klaasen averaging over 111 for the final 3 sets to turn round a 3-1 deficit. His scoring is so heavy and if he finishes well then he will go very close to winning this title. Reyes has been a breath of fresh air and fully deserves his place here. he came from behind to beat Painter and while not hitting a huge average he did find big scores at vital times. You have to fancy Anderson to win this but I think Reyes can nick at least 1 set and if that happens then I fully expect Anderson to cover his maximum line which is priced up as if there won't be many legs here.

Recommendation: 2pts win Gary Anderson over 6.5 maxes @ 5/6 (365)

Dean Winstanley v Vincent Van Der Voort:

R2 - Winstanley bt Darren Webster 4-3
Ave: 92.68
180's: 7
HC: 113
CO%: 45%

VDV bt Max Hopp 4-0
Ave: 90.5
180's: 3
HC: 125
CO%: 30%

Last match of the afternoon sees 2 old foes do battle. Winstanley commented after his win how he wanted to play Vince as he never beats him and I think I'm right in saying he has lost every time they've met on tv. Winstanley has came through 2 last set deciders and is dipping in and out of matches. He is scoring great for 4-5 legs then having a set off and going to sleep. He can't afford to do that if he wants to stay in this event and will be interesting to see his performance. VDV won easily v the young german Hopp but it wasn't quite as comfy as the score suggests. He missed a lot of doubles late on and I think a feature of this match may be who misses the most chances. I think this might go 7 sets but the price for over 5.5 looks a little short to me so I might have a play in running.

Recommendation: No Bet

Adrian Lewis v Raymond Van Barneveld:

R2 - Lewis bt Keegan Brown 4-2
Ave: 100.41
180's: 8
HC: 134
CO%: 38%

Barney bt Jamie Caven 4-3
Ave: 93.32
180's: 9
HC: 102
CO%: 42%

First match tonight sees a potentially explosive match between 2 former world champs. I think Lewis has been terrific so far averaging over 100 in both his wins so far. he was under a lot of pressure v Brown in R2 but responded brilliantly to take the win. Barney came through a 7 setter v Caven for the 2nd year running which may go some way to silencing those who criticise his attitude. I still think he is there to be beat though as Caven gave it away a bit more than Barney seizing the win. Lewis is a worthy favourite here and I am going to support him on his maxes again. Also like the look of the high check here as both are well capable of the big finishes.

Recommendation: 1pt win Lewis over 7.5 maxes @ 8/11 (Sky) & 1pt win over 130.5 HC @ 5/6 (general)

Phil Taylor v Kim Huybrechts:

R2 - Taylor bt Mark Webster 4-0
Ave: 101.92
180's: 3
HC: 96
CO%: 46%

Huybrechts bt Ian White 4-3
Ave: 93.74
180's: 6
HC: 105
CO%: 36%

Phil started his mind games early for this one telling Kim he won't get away with his OTT celebrations v him. Clearly it's not just the guys on the forum that it annoys as it's definitely contrived in my view. Taylor as is his want is coasting along doing 100+ averages and I fully expect him to do the same here. Kim has beaten him before but Phil looks very focused for this and I think Kim will need to play the game of his life to win. He battled well to beat White in the previous round and he is capable but I think everything has to go right here and Phil must underperform. No value in this for me though so I will sit and have a laugh with the regulars while it's on.

Recommendation: No Bet

Stephen Bunting v Michael Smith:

R2 - Bunting bt James Wade 4-1
Ave: 93.38
180's: 8
HC: 161
CO%: 37%

Smith bt Brendan Dolan 4-2
Ave: 98.9
180's: 10
HC: 153
CO%: 31%

Last match of R2 sees 2 of the up and coming players in the PDC do battle. Bunting dispatched Wade with the minimum of fuss last night but was very inconsistent I felt and it showed in his average. He is capable of very heavy scoring as we know but he needs to tighten up on other areas or else he will get punished. Smith knuckled down tremendously from 2-0 down v Dolan and won 12 of the last 14 legs to progress. His scoring is terrific and if he can keep that up I think he might win this match. 180 lines are predictably high and while I expect a lot to get 15 or more I think you need 6 sets or more and that isn't guaranteed. On form so far I would have Smith shorter than he is and as a result I will be supporting him to reach the QF.

Recommendation: 2pts win Michael Smith @ 13/8 (Hills)

Summary: Looking forward to the darts today and hopefully we can find some winning bets to make it even better. All views and chat welcome as always and best of luck to all today.
HH