THE BetVictor World Cup of Darts starts on Friday – but the defending champions will be absent over Covid-19 concerns. Scotland duo Peter Wright and Gary Anderson, who won the trophy 17 months ago, have both decided to skip this weekend’s event in Austria. BETVICTOR BET £5 & GET £30 IN FREE BETS* Even though […]
THE BetVictor World Cup of Darts starts on Friday – but the defending champions will be absent over Covid-19 concerns.
Scotland duo Peter Wright and Gary Anderson, who won the trophy 17 months ago, have both decided to skip this weekend’s event in Austria.
Even though it will be held behind-closed-doors, the pair do not feel comfortable travelling at the moment, especially with an imminent second national lockdown, and will be replaced by John Henderson and Robert Thornton.
This, of course, opens the door for another nation to come through and be crowned world champions in this strange, topsy-turvy year.
England will be aiming to lift the World Cup for the first time in four years. Not since Phil Taylor was still playing professionally has an English pairing lifted the coveted team trophy.
SunSport looks at the top three contenders for the 10th trophy – and the four outsiders who are worth a punt.
WALES – 11/4 to win World Cup
They might be the No.2 seeds but the Wales duo of Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton will be the most in-form players involved.
World No.3 Price has had a superb time since darts resumed after lockdown, notably winning the World Grand Prix.
Cardiff-born Price has really established himself as a serious player in recent months and is routinely picking up silverware.
Llanelli’s Clayton, who delivered food for the vulnerable this summer, was beaten on Sunday evening by Wright in the semi-finals of the European Championship.
The only negative is that they have a difficult path to the final – Russia first, maybe Scotland in the second round and then either Ireland, Australia, Poland or South Africa in the quarter-finals.
ENGLAND – 7/2
They are the No.1 seeds and have a far easier route to the final than other top nations.
But recent displays from Michael Smith and Rob Cross would not give much confidence to any tipster that England can clinch a fifth crown.
St Helens star Smith lost in the first and second rounds of the World Grand Prix and European Champs respectively.
And Hastings thrower Cross, a former world champion, is having a horrible time on the oche.
The players get on and will surely get past the Philippines in the first match on Friday. After that, they will be determined to perform better than last year’s capitulation in the second round against Ireland.
HOLLAND – 5/2
Under normal circumstances you would not normally bet against Michael van Gerwen but the world No.1 is undergoing a real crisis of confidence.
The same rampant, dominant player we usually see in the autumn is now being easily beaten. The swagger on the board has gone.
That said, he has won this trophy three times (2014, 2017 & 2018) and playing for his country brings out the best in him.
His partnership with Danny Noppert instead of retired Raymond van Barneveld is a new, unknown quantity.
They should comfortably swat aside Brazil but then it is potentially Wales in the semi-finals.
Netherlands 5/2
Wales 11/4
England 7/2
Germany 14/1
Belgium 10/1
Australia 18/1
Northern Ireland 16/1
Austria 22/1
Republic of Ireland 25/1
Portugal 33/1
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GERMANY – 12/1
This event was supposed to have taken place in Hamburg in June but was postponed due to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
So home advantage has gone but Max Hopp and Gabriel Clemens are evenly matched and ranked closely in the PDC Order of the Merit.
The No.8 seeds play Finland first and will be eying the possibility of the Dutch in the quarters.
NORTHERN IRELAND – 18/1
Dark horses for me. Daryl Gurney and Brendan Dolan are long-term partners.
The No.4 seeds play Canada in their opening match and they will be targeting the semi-finals at the minimum.
Admittedly, apart from one semi-final appearance four years ago, they have underachieved on the World Cup stage.
World No.7 Gurney did not play much during lockdown, declining the chance to appear on the PDC Home Tour, but he will be hungry to ensure this does not end up as a wasted year.
AUSTRIA – 12/1
Ireland would have been my third pick for the outsiders, especially as William O’Connor and Steve Lennon were beaten by Scotland in last year’s final.
Yet I’d go with the Austrians Mensur Suljovic and Rowby-John Rodriguez.
No fans will be allowed now, so that important home backing will be missing.
But Suljovic is a steady competitor at this event, reaching three quarter-finals out of the past four events. They play the USA this Friday.
SCOTLAND – 22/1
Scotland are the defending champions but will be unseeded following the decision by Wright and Anderson to pull out.
Thornton and Henderson are respectable, solid characters on the circuit but their opening opponents Japan will give them real trouble.
Win that and then it’s likely to be Wales next. It is difficult to see the stand-ins replicating the glory from June 2019.
All odds from Betvictor as of 3.30pm Monday November 2, 2020
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