Darts Tips
20:15: James Wade v Cameron Menzies – Wade -1.5 leg handicap
21:15: Martin Lukeman v Ross Smith – Lukeman to win
22:15: Ritchie Edhouse v Rob Cross – Cross -1.5 leg handicap
WHERE: WV Active Aldersley, Wolverhampton
WHEN: November 9-17th
TV: Sky Sports Mix
James Wade v Cameron Menzies – Wade -1.5 leg handicap
He has been knocking on the major championship door this year, and with Luke Humphries out, James Wade has his best chance to reach a televised final in 12 months.
The Machine is well aware of that and knows he will need to be better than he was in the groups. Having reached the semi-finals in his last two visits to Wolverhampton after being a Grand Slam finalist three times before, this is familiar territory for him.
Cameron Menzies scraped through with one win from three group games, therefore achieving what he said he wanted to accomplish before the event. The Scot played well when defeating Martin Schindler but his next two performances indicated that he is still not completely comfortable on the big stage.
If this match was played on the floor, Menzies would be favourite. He won each of the three Players Championship meetings between the pair this year, while Wade emerged victorious the one time they played in front of a crowd in Antwerp.
Even disregarding the environment, Wade has posted the superior numbers of the two recently and is worth a bet.
Martin Lukeman v Ross Smith – Lukeman to win
Ross Smith was one of the sport’s form players in the summer, and this match looks to have been priced up as if it was taking place four months ago. Lukeman started to find some consistency on the Pro Tour towards the end of September and since then, both his scoring and finishing are to a higher standard than Smudger’s.
Smith’s checkout percentage for the tournament is the worst of anyone left in it, while Lukeman’s is at an impressive 53.57% and his ruthlessness on the outer ring could be the difference in this round of 16 tie.
The 39-year-old may not rattle in maximums at the same rate as Smith, but that is not to be mistaken for an inability to find trebles with regularity. His first nine darts average has been above a ton for the entirety of 2024, and he should be able to stick with Smith in a lot of legs and generate enough chances.
Ritchie Edhouse v Rob Cross – Cross -1.5 leg handicap
You can not be sure what you will get from either of these players at the moment – particularly Ritchie Edhouse. He is likelier to average 105 and win at a canter than Cross, but Madhouse is prone to dipping way below his best so I would rather side with Voltage whose B game can carry him through if this gets scrappy.
The former world champion quietly made his way through Group C with solid if not spectacular scoring and excellent double-hitting. It was a similar story last year – two wins from three games with averages in the 90s, and then he raised his game in the knockouts and finished as runner-up to Humphries.
Edhouse is well supported in the market and understandably so, but let’s not forget how long Cross has been operating towards the top of the rankings and how quickly he can turn it on.
Darts Tips
20:15: James Wade v Cameron Menzies – Wade -1.5 leg handicap
21:15: Martin Lukeman v Ross Smith – Lukeman to win
22:15: Ritchie Edhouse v Rob Cross – Cross -1.5 leg handicap
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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