PDC Home Tour Darts: Results, fixtures, schedule, start times, draw, tips, betting odds, TV and online streaming coverage
Full results and tables from the PDC's Home Tour, which ran from Friday April 17 to Friday June 5.
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As the global coronavirus crisis continued to prevent a decimated sporting calendar from resuming, the PDC managed to organise top-class darts action for fans to enjoy as well as giving their Tour Card holders some much-needed competitive match practice - albeit remotely.
In total 101 Tour Card holders decided to take part in the PDC’s first ever home-staged event, which saw groups of four players competing from their respective living room oche each night streamed via webcams for the world to see.
And after 42 nights and 258 matches, it was Nathan Aspinall who emerged as the overall champion as he pipped Gary Anderson to top spot in the tournament concluding Championship Group.
Scroll down for everything you need to know including the results, tables, round-ups and an explanation of the format.
PDC Home Tour Darts: Results & Tables
- Scroll down for Stage One, Stage Two and Semi-Final results and tables
- Click here for Sky Bet odds
CHAMPIONSHIP GROUP
Final - Friday June 5 (1930 BST)
- (97) Nathan Aspinall 6-3 Jelle Klaasen (83.7)
- (109.2) Gary Anderson 6-2 Jonny Clayton (96.9)
- (88.7) Jelle Klaasen 2-6 Jonny Clayton (96.7)
- (106.4) Nathan Aspinall 6-5 Gary Anderson (101.2)
- (96) Gary Anderson 6-3 Jelle Klaasen (87.3)
- (99.2) Jonny Clayton 4-6 Nathan Aspinall (92.6)
GROUP STANDINGS
- Nathan Aspinall P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +6 Pts 6
- Gary Anderson P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +6 Pts 4
- Jonny Clayton P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -2 Pts 2
- Jelle Klaasen P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -10 Pts 0
SEMI-FINAL GROUP STAGE
Group One - Wednesday June 3
- Gary Anderson 6-5 Mike De Decker
- Dave Chisnall 2-6 Jelle Klaasen
- Mike De Decker 3-6 Jelle Klaasen
- Gary Anderson 6-3 Dave Chisnall
- Dave Chisnall 6-5 Mike De Decker
- Jelle Klaasen 2-6 Gary Anderson
GROUP STANDINGS
- Gary Anderson (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +8 Pts 6
- Jelle Klaasen (Q) P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +3 Pts 4
- Dave Chisnall P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -6 Pts 2
- Mike De Decker P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -5 Pts 0
Group Two - Thursday June 4
- Rob Cross 4-6 Joe Cullen
- Nathan Aspinall 6-5 Jonny Clayton
- Joe Cullen 5-6 Jonny Clayton
- Rob Cross 6-5 Nathan Aspinall
- Nathan Aspinall 6-5 Joe Cullen
- Jonny Clayton 6-1 Rob Cross
GROUP STANDINGS
- Jonny Clayton (Q) P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +5 Pts 4
- Nathan Aspinall (Q) P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +1 Pts 4
- Joe Cullen P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff 0 Pts 2
- Rob Cross P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -6 Pts 2
* Top two players qualify for Championship Group, where the winner will be crowned on Friday June 5
Group Stage Two
Group One - Tuesday May 26
- Peter Wright 6-2 Ryan Murray
- Cristo Reyes 6-5 Jelle Klaasen
- Ryan Murray 4-6 Jelle Klaasen
- Peter Wright 6-5 Cristo Reyes
- Cristo Reyes 6-3 Ryan Murray
- Jelle Klaasen 6-1 Peter Wright
GROUP STANDINGS
- Jelle Klaasen (Q) P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +6 Pts 4
- Cristo Reyes P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +3 Pts 4
- Peter Wright P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +0 Pts 4
- Ryan Murray P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -9 Pts 0
Group Two - Wednesday May 27
- Stephen Bunting 6-5 Mike De Decker
- Glen Durrant 6-3 Alan Tabern
- Mike De Decker 6-5 Alan Tabern
- Stephen Bunting 6-3 Glen Durrant
- Glen Durrant 4-6 Mike De Decker
- Alan Tabern 6-2 Stephen Bunting
GROUP STANDINGS
- Mike De Decker (Q) P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +2 Pts 4
- Stephen Bunting P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff 0 Pts 4
- Alan Tabern P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff 0 Pts 2
- Glen Durrant P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -2 Pts 2
Group Three - Thursday May 28
- Gary Anderson 6-2 Nick Kenny
- Luke Humphries 6-2 Jamie Lewis
- Nick Kenny 4-6 Jamie Lewis
- Gary Anderson 6-1 Luke Humphries
- Luke Humphries 6-1 Nick Kenny
- Jamie Lewis 3-6 Gary Anderson
GROUP STANDINGS
- Gary Anderson (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +12 Pts 6
- Luke Humphries P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +4 Pts 4
- Jamie Lewis P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -5 Pts 2
- Nick Kenny P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -11 Pts 0
Group Four - Friday May 29
- Dave Chisnall 5-6 Damon Heta
- Darren Webster 5-6 Geert Nentjes
- Damon Heta 5-6 Geert Nentjes
- Dave Chisnall 6-2 Darren Webster
- Darren Webster 6-2 Damon Heta
- Geert Nentjes 3-6 Dave Chisnall
GROUP STANDINGS
- Dave Chisnall (Q) P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +6 Pts 4
- Geert Nentjes P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff -1 Pts 4
- Darren Webster P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -1 Pts 2
- Damon Heta P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -4 Pts 2
Group Five - Saturday May 30
- Rob Cross 6-3 Daniel Larsson
- Ryan Searle 6-4 Luke Woodhouse
- Daniel Larsson 6-5 Luke Woodhouse
- Rob Cross 6-4 Ryan Searle
- Ryan Searle 6-4 Daniel Larsson
- Luke Woodhouse 6-5 Rob Cross
GROUP STANDINGS
- Rob Cross (Q) P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +4 Pts 4
- Ryan Searle P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +2 Pts 4
- Luke Woodhouse P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -2 Pts 2
- Daniel Larsson P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -4 Pts 2
Group Six - Sunday May 31
- Joe Cullen 6-3 Martijn Kleermaker
- Jeff Smith 6-1 Chris Dobey
- Jeff Smith 6-5 Martijn Kleermaker
- Joe Cullen 6-5 Chris Dobey
- Chris Dobey 6-3 Martijn Kleermaker
- Joe Cullen 6-4 Jeff Smith
GROUP STANDINGS
- Joe Cullen (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +6 Pts 6
- Jeff Smith P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +4 Pts 4
- Chris Dobey P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -3 Pts 2
- Martijn Kleermaker P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -7 Pts 0
Group Seven - Monday June 1
- Nathan Aspinall 6-4 Jesús Noguera
- Jamie Hughes 1-6 Jose De Sousa
- Jesús Noguera 4-6 Jose De Sousa
- Nathan Aspinall 6-2 Jamie Hughes
- Jamie Hughes 6-4 Jesús Noguera
- Jose De Sousa 4-6 Nathan Aspinall
GROUP STANDINGS
- Nathan Aspinall (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +8 Pts 6
- Jose De Sousa P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +5 Pts 4
- Jamie Hughes P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -7 Pts 2
- Jesús Noguera P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -6 Pts 0
Group Eight - Tuesday June 2
- Jonny Clayton 6-3 Scott Waites
- Max Hopp 6-3 Carl Wilkinson
- Scott Waites 6-0 Carl Wilkinson
- Jonny Clayton 6-3 Max Hopp
- Max Hopp 1-6 Scott Waites
- Carl Wilkinson 2-6 Jonny Clayton
GROUP STANDINGS
- Jonny Clayton (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +10 Pts 6
- Scott Waites P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +8 Pts 4
- Max Hopp P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -5 Pts 2
- Carl Wilkinson P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -13 Pts 0
Play-offs format
- The Last 32 onwards will be played over the best of 11 legs in a round-robin, four-player group format.
- It will feature eight groups from May 26 to June 2, with each group winner moving into the last eight.
- Group winners will be allocated to one of eight groups in ranking order (one player from each pool of 1-8, 9-16, 17-24, 25-32).
- The last eight will feature two groups on June 3-4, with the top two players in each group moving into the Championship Group on Friday June 5
- If a player is unable to complete their group matches on the night from the last 32 onwards, they are eliminated from the tournament.
Stage One: Results & standings
GROUP 1: Friday April 17
- Peter Wright 5-4 Peter Jacques
- Jamie Lewis 3-5 Niels Zonneveld
- Peter Jacques 5-2 Niels Zonneveld
- Peter Wright 1-5 Jamie Lewis
- Jamie Lewis 5-4 Peter Jacques
- Niels Zonneveld 1-5 Peter Wright
GROUP STANDINGS
- Jamie Lewis (Q) P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +3 Pts 4
- Peter Wright P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +1 Pts 4
- Peter Jacques P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff +1 Pts 2
- Niels Zonneveld P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -5 Pts 2
GROUP 2: Saturday April 18
- Gerwyn Price 5-2 Rowby-John Rodriguez
- Luke Woodhouse 5-2 Ted Evetts
- Rowby-John Rodriguez 3-5 Ted Evetts
- Gerwyn Price 0-5 Luke Woodhouse * WOODHOUSE HITS NINE-DARTER
- Luke Woodhouse 5-2 Rowby-John Rodriguez
- Ted Evetts 2-5 Gerwyn Price
GROUP STANDINGS
- Luke Woodhouse (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +11 Pts 6
- Gerwyn Price P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +1 Pts 4
- Ted Evetts P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -4 Pts 2
- Rowby-John Rodriguez P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -8 Pts 0
GROUP 3: Sunday April 19
- Dave Chisnall 5-2 Scott Waites
- Jan Dekker 4-5 Jonathan Worsley
- Scott Waites 5-1 Jonathan Worsley
- Dave Chisnall 5-0 Jan Dekker
- Jan Dekker 1-5 Scott Waites
- Jonathan Worsley 1-5 Dave Chisnall
GROUP STANDINGS
- Dave Chisnall (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +12 Pts 6
- Scott Waites P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +5 Pts 4
- Jonathan Worsley P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -7 Pts 2
- Jan Dekker P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -10 Pts 0
GROUP 4: Monday April 20
- Ross Smith 5-1 Lisa Ashton
- Mickey Mansell 4-5 Geert Nentjes
- Lisa Ashton 3-5 Geert Nentjes
- Ross Smith 3-5 Mickey Mansell
- Mickey Mansell 3-5 Lisa Ashton
- Geert Nentjes 5-3 Ross Smith
GROUP STANDINGS
- Geert Nentjes (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +5 Pts 6
- Ross Smith P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff 0 Pts 2
- Mickey Mansell P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -1 Pts 2
- Lisa Ashton P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -4 Pts 2
GROUP 5: Tuesday April 21
- Luke Humphries 3-5 Nick Kenny
- Devon Petersen 1-5 Joe Murnan
- Nick Kenny 5-2 Joe Murnan
- Luke Humphries 5-4 Devon Petersen
- Devon Petersen 3-5 Nick Kenny
- Joe Murnan 3-5 Luke Humphries
GROUP STANDINGS
- Nick Kenny (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +7 Pts 6
- Luke Humphries P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +1 Pts 4
- Joe Murnan P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -1 Pts 2
- Devon Petersen P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -7 Pts 0
GROUP 6: Wednesday April 22
- James Wade 5-2 Adrian Gray
- Ryan Searle 5-1 Andy Boulton
- Adrian Gray 2-5 Andy Boulton
- James Wade 3-5 Ryan Searle
- Ryan Searle 5-2 Adrian Gray
- Andy Boulton 5-0 James Wade
GROUP STANDINGS
- Ryan Searle (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +9 Pts 6
- Andy Boulton P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +4 Pts 4
- James Wade P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -4 Pts 2
- Adrian Gray P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -9 Pts 0
GROUP 7: Thursday April 23
- Gabriel Clemens 5-3 Ryan Meikle
- Jelle Klaasen 5-2 Gavin Carlin
- Ryan Meikle 5-1 Gavin Carlin
- Gabriel Clemens 3-5 Jelle Klaasen
- Jelle Klaasen 4-5 Ryan Meikle
- Gavin Carlin 5-4 Gabriel Clemens
GROUP STANDINGS
- Jelle Klaasen (Q) P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +4 Pts 4
- Ryan Meikle P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +3 Pts 4
- Gabriel Clemens P 3 W 1 L 1 Leg Diff -1 Pts 2
- Gavin Carlin P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -6 Pts 2
GROUP 8: Friday April 24
- Jonny Clayton 5-2 Adam Hunt
- Richard North 2-5 David Pallett
- Adam Hunt 5-3 David Pallett
- Jonny Clayton 5-3 Richard North
- Richard North 5-1 Adam Hunt
- David Pallett 2-5 Jonny Clayton
GROUP STANDINGS
- Jonny Clayton (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +8 Pts 6
- Adam Hunt P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +3 Pts 4
- David Pallett P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -2 Pts 2
- Richard North P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -9 Pts 0
GROUP 9 - Saturday April 25
- Michael Smith 3-5 Martijn Kleermaker
- Harry Ward 3-5 Matt Clark
- Martijn Kleermaker 3-5 Matt Clark
- Michael Smith 5-3 Harry Ward
- Harry Ward 2-5 Martijn Kleermaker
- Matt Clark 3-5 Michael Smith
GROUP STANDINGS
- Martijn Kleermaker (Q) P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +3 Pts 4
- Michael Smith P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +2 Pts 4
- Matt Clark P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +2 Pts 4
- Harry Ward P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -7 Pts 0
GROUP 10 - Sunday April 26
- Nathan Aspinall 5-2 Steve Brown
- Ryan Joyce 5-2 Simon Stevenson
- Steve Brown 5-1 Simon Stevenson
- Nathan Aspinall 5-2 Ryan Joyce
- Ryan Joyce 3-5 Steve Brown
- Simon Stevenson 1-5 Nathan Aspinall
GROUP STANDINGS
- Nathan Aspinall (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +10 Pts 6
- Steve Brown P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +3 Pts 4
- Ryan Joyce P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -2 Pts 2
- Simon Stevenson P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -11 Pts 0
GROUP 11 - Monday April 27
- Simon Whitlock 3-5 Mike van Duivenbode
- Kirk Shepherd 5-1 Alan Tabern
- Mike van Duivenbode 2-5 Alan Tabern
- Simon Whitlock 5-4 Kirk Shepherd
- Kirk Shepherd 4-5 Mike van Duivenbode
- Alan Tabern 5-4 Simon Whitlock
GROUP STANDINGS
- Alan Tabern (Q) P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff 0 Pts 4
- Mike van Duivenbode P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff 0 Pts 4
- Kirk Shepherd P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff +2 Pts 2
- Simon Whitlock P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -2 Pts 2
GROUP 12 - Tuesday April 28
* Keegan Brown's internet connection failed after his first match so that result was voided, leaving Max Hopp, Mike De Decker and Conan Whitehead to compete in a revised three-player tournament, playing each other twice. Our tips on Keegan Brown to win the group were therefore voided
- Max Hopp 3-5 Mike De Decker
- Keegan Brown 3-5 Conan Whitehead*
- Mike De Decker 2-5 Conan Whitehead
- Conan Whitehead 3-5 Max Hopp
- Max Hopp 5-3 Mike De Decker
- Conan Whitehead 2-5 Max Hopp
- Mike De Decker 5-1 Conan Whitehead
GROUP STANDINGS
- Max Hopp (Q) P 4 W 3 L 1 Leg Diff +5 Pts 6
- Mike De Decker P 4 W 2 L 2 Leg Diff +1 Pts 4
- Conan Whitehead P 4 W 1 L 3 Leg Diff -6 Pts 2
GROUP 13 - Wednesday April 29
- Steve Beaton 5-1 Callan Rydz
- Matthew Edgar 0-5 Carl Wilkinson
- Callan Rydz 3-5 Carl Wilkinson
- Steve Beaton 1-5 Matthew Edgar
- Matthew Edgar 2-5 Callan Rydz
- Carl Wilkinson 5-2 Steve Beaton
GROUP STANDINGS
- Carl Wilkinson (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +10 Pts 6
- Steve Beaton P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -3 Pts 2
- Callan Rydz P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -3 Pts 2
- Matthew Edgar P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -4 Pts 2
GROUP 14 - Thursday April 30
- Chris Dobey 5-2 Ciaran Teehan
- Ron Meulenkamp 5-4 Kai Fan Leung
- Ciaran Teehan 5-1 Kai Fan Leung
- Chris Dobey 5-1 Ron Meulenjamp
- Ron Meulenkamp 5-1 Ciaran Teehan
- Kai Fan Leung 5-4 Chris Dobey
GROUP STANDINGS
- Chris Dobey (Q) P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +6 Pts 4
- Ron Meulenkamp P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +1 Pts 4
- Ciaran Teehan P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -3 Pts 2
- Kai Fan Leung P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -4 Pts 2
GROUP 15 - Friday May 1
- Darren Webster 5-4 Bradley Brooks
- Scott Baker 5-4 Andy Hamilton
- Bradley Brooks 3-5 Andy Hamilton
- Darren Webster 5-2 Scott Baker
- Scott Baker 1-5 Bradley Brooks
- Andy Hamilton 3-5 Darren Webster
GROUP STANDINGS
- Darren Webster (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +6 Pts 6
- Bradley Brooks P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff +1 Pts 2
- Andy Hamilton P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -1 Pts 2
- Scott Baker P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -6 Pts 2
GROUP 16 - Saturday May 2
- Ricky Evans 2-5 Martin Atkins
- Christian Bunse 1-5 Jeff Smith
- Martin Atkins 5-4 Jeff Smith
- Ricky Evans 5-3 Christian Bunse
- Christian Bunse 5-2 Martin Atkins
- Jeff Smith 5-4 Ricky Evans
GROUP STANDINGS
- Jeff Smith (Q) P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +4 Pts 4
- Martin Atkins P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +1 Pts 4
- Ricky Evans P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -2 Pts 2
- Christian Bunse P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -3 Pts 2
GROUP 17 - Sunday May 3
- John Henderson 5-4 Krzysztof Kciuk
- Damon Heta 5-0 Gary Blades
- Krzysztof Kciuk 5-3 Gary Blades
- John Henderson 3-5 Damon Heta
- Damon Heta 3-5 Krzysztof Kciuk
- Gary Blades 1-5 John Henderson
GROUP STANDINGS
- Damon Heta (Q) P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +5 Pts 4
- John Henderson P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +3 Pts 4
- Krzysztof Kciuk P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +3 Pts 4
- Gary Blades P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -11 Pts 0
GROUP 18 - Monday May 4
- Stephen Bunting 5-4 Harald Leitinger
- Kim Huybrechts 5-2 Nathan Derry
- Harald Leitinger 5-0 Nathan Derry
- Stephen Bunting 5-1 Kim Huybrechts
- Kim Huybrechts 5-1 Harald Leitinger
- Nathan Derry 1-5 Stephen Bunting
GROUP STANDINGS
- Stephen Bunting (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +9 Pts 6
- Kim Huybrechts P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +3 Pts 4
- Harald Leitinger P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff +0 Pts 2
- Nathan Derry P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -12 Pts 0
GROUP 19 - Tuesday May 5
- Glen Durrant 5-1 Vincent van der Meer
- Justin Pipe 5-1 Maik Kuivenhoven
- Vincent van der Meer 1-5 Maik Kuivenhoven
- Glen Durrant 5-3 Justin Pipe
- Justin Pipe 5-2 Vincent van der Meer
- Maik Kuivenhoven 3-5 Glen Durrant
GROUP STANDINGS
- Glen Durrant (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +8 Pts 6
- Justin Pipe P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +5 Pts 4
- Maik Kuivenhoven P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -2 Pts 2
- Vincent van der Meer P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -11 Pts 0
GROUP 20 - Wednesday May 6
Note: Jermaine Wattimena replaces Jeffrey de Zwaan, who has withdrawn to undergo minor surgery on his shoulder and will not take part in the event
- Joe Cullen 5-4 Ryan Murray
- Jermaine Wattimena 2-5 John Michael
- Ryan Murray 5-3 John Michael
- Joe Cullen 4-5 Jermaine Wattimena
- Jermaine Wattimena 1-5 Ryan Murray
- John Michael 3-5 Joe Cullen
GROUP STANDINGS
- Ryan Murray (Q) P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +5 Pts 4
- Joe Cullen P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +2 Pts 4
- John Michael P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -1 Pts 2
- Jermaine Wattimena P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -6 Pts 2
GROUP 21 - Thursday May 7
Note: Karel Sedlacek replaces Derk Telnekes, who has withdrawn due to family reasons
- Rob Cross 5-2 William Borland
- Dimitri Van den Bergh 5-1 Karel Sedlacek
- William Borland 0-5 Karel Sedlacek
- Rob Cross 5-4 Dimitri Van den Bergh
- Dimitri Van den Bergh 3-5 William Borland
- Karel Sedlacek 4-5 Rob Cross
GROUP STANDINGS
- Rob Cross (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +5 Pts 6
- Dimitri Van den Bergh P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff +1 Pts 2
- Karel Sedlacek P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff +0 Pts 2
- William Borland P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -5 Pts 2
GROUP 22 - Friday May 8
- Ian White 3-5 Jesus Noguera
- Danny Noppert 5-4 James Wilson
- Jesus Noguera 5-2 James Wilson
- Ian White 5-2 Danny Noppert
- Danny Noppert 5-2 Jesus Noguera
- James Wilson 5-4 Ian White
GROUP STANDINGS
- Jesus Noguera (Q) P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +2 Pts 4
- Danny Noppert P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +1 Pts 4
- Ian White P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff 0 Pts 2
- James Wilson P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -3 Pts 2
GROUP 23 - Saturday May 9
- Kyle Anderson 2-5 Daniel Larsson
- Martin Schindler 1-5 Dirk van Duijvenbode
- Daniel Larsson 5-2 Dirk van Duijvenbode
- Kyle Anderson 0-5 Martin Schindler
- Martin Schindler 0-5 Daniel Larsson
- Dirk van Duijvenbode 3-5 Kyle Anderson
GROUP STANDINGS
- Daniel Larsson (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +11 Pts 6
- Dirk van Duijvenbode P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -1 Pts 2
- Martin Schindler P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -4 Pts 2
- Kyle Anderson P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -6 Pts 2
GROUP 24 - Sunday May 10
- Krzysztof Ratajski 5-3 Toni Alcinas
- Jamie Hughes 5-2 Darius Labanauskas
- Toni Alcinas 0-5 Darius Labanauskas
- Krzysztof Ratajski 2-5 Jamie Hughes
- Jamie Hughes 5-2 Toni Alcinas
- Darius Labanauskas 3-5 Krzysztof Ratajski
GROUP STANDINGS
- Jamie Hughes (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +7 Pts 6
- Krzysztof Ratajski P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +1 Pts 4
- Darius Labanauskas P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff 0 Pts 2
- Toni Alcinas P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -8 Pts 0
GROUP 25 - Monday May 11
* Keegan Brown gets a second chance after WiFi connection ended his involvement of his first attempt
- Keegan Brown 5-4 Reece Robinson
- Jose De Sousa 5-0 Robert Thornton
- Reece Robinson 5-2 Robert Thornton
- Keegan Brown 0-5 Jose De Sousa
- Jose De Sousa 5-1 Reece Robinson
- Robert Thornton 2-5 Keegan Brown
GROUP STANDINGS
- Jose De Sousa (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +14 Pts 6
- Keegan Brown P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff -1 Pts 4
- Reece Robinson P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -2 Pts 2
- Robert Thornton P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -11 Pts 0
** THE REMAINING SEVEN GROUPS WILL MAINLY BE MADE UP OF PREVIOUS RUNNERS-UP ALTHOUGH THERE ARE STILL SOME PLAYERS STILL HOPING TO MAKE THEIR DEBUTS ONCE THEY SORT OUT THEIR LOGISTICAL ISSUES **
GROUP 26 - Tuesday May 12
- Conan Whitehead 0-5 Steve Brown
- Mike De Decker 3-5 Martin Atkins
- Steve Brown 5-2 Martin Atkins
- Conan Whitehead 1-5 Mike De Decker
- Mike De Decker 5-2 Steve Brown
- Martin Atkins 5-4 Conan Whitehead
GROUP STANDINGS
- Mike De Decker (Q) P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +5 Pts 4
- Steve Brown P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +5 Pts 4
- Martin Atkins P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff 0 Pts 4
- Conan Whitehead P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -10 Pts 0
GROUP 27 - Wednesday May 13
- Steve Beaton 3-5 Scott Waites
- Ross Smith 5-1 Ron Meulenkamp
- Scott Waites 5-0 Ron Meulenkamp
- Steve Beaton 4-5 Ross Smith
- Ross Smith 2-5 Scott Waites
- Ron Meulenkamp 5-4 Steve Beaton
GROUP STANDINGS
- Scott Waites (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +10 Pts 6
- Ross Smith P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +2 Pts 4
- Ron Meulenkamp P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -8 Pts 2
- Steve Beaton P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -4 Pts 0
GROUP 28 - Thursday May 14
- Michael Smith 5-0 Mike van Duivenbode
- Luke Humphries 5-4 Andy Boulton
- Mike van Duivenbode 4-5 Andy Boulton
- Michael Smith 2-5 Luke Humphries
- Luke Humphries 5-3 Mike van Duivenbode
- Andy Boulton 2-5 Michael Smith
GROUP STANDINGS
- Luke Humphries (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +6 Pts 6
- Michael Smith P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +5 Pts 4
- Andy Boulton P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -3 Pts 2
- Mike van Duivenbode P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -8 Pts 0
Group 29 - Friday May 15
- Danny Noppert 5-2 Ryan Meikle
- John Henderson 4-5 Cristo Reyes
- Ryan Meikle 4-5 Cristo Reyes
- Danny Noppert 4-5 John Henderson
- John Henderson 5-0 Ryan Meikle
- Cristo Reyes 5-2 Danny Noppert
GROUP STANDINGS
- Cristo Reyes (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +5 Pts 6
- John Henderson P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +5 Pts 4
- Danny Noppert P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -1 Pts 2
- Ryan Meikle P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -9 Pts 0
Group 30 - Saturday May 16
- Gary Anderson 5-1 Dirk van Duijvenbode
- Dimitri Van den Bergh 2-5 Kim Huybrechts
- Dirk van Duijvenbode 3-5 Kim Huybrechts
- Gary Anderson 5-1 Dimitri Van den Bergh
- Dimitri Van den Bergh 5-0 Dirk van Duijvenbode
- Kim Huybrechts 2-5 Gary Anderson
GROUP STANDINGS
- Gary Anderson (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +11 Pts 6
- Kim Huybrechts P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +2 Pts 4
- Dimitri Van den Bergh P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -2 Pts 2
- Dirk van Duijvenbode P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -11 Pts 0
Group 31 - Sunday May 17
- Gerwyn Price 5-3 Bradley Brooks
- Joe Cullen 5-2 Keegan Brown
- Bradley Brooks 1-5 Keegan Brown
- Gerwyn Price 3-5 Joe Cullen
- Joe Cullen 5-0 Bradley Brooks
- Keegan Brown 5-4 Gerwyn Price
GROUP STANDINGS
- Joe Cullen (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 Leg Diff +10
- Keegan Brown P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +2
- Gerwyn Price P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff +-1
- Bradley Brooks P 3 W 0 L 3 Leg Diff -11
Group 32 - Monday May 18
- Peter Wright 5-2 Adam Hunt
- Krzysztof Ratajski 5-0 Justin Pipe
- Adam Hunt 5-3 Justin Pipe
- Peter Wright 5-4 Krzysztof Ratajski
- Krzysztof Ratajski 4-5 Adam Hunt
- Justin Pipe 5-4 Peter Wright
GROUP STANDINGS
- Peter Wright (Q) P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +3
- Adam Hunt P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff 0
- Krzysztof Ratajski P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff +3
- Justin Pipe P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -6
PDC Home Tour Darts: Tournament Format
The first stage of the competition consisted of 32 groups of four PDC Tour Card holders, with each one staged on consecutive nights from April 17 until May 19. All four competitions played each other once in a round-robin format and every match was best of nine legs, with two points for a win.
Those who topped their tables advanced to the second round but with 'only' 101 of the Tour Card holders deciding to take part, runners-up got another chance in Groups 26-32.
The second stage of the event, featuring 32 players, runs across 11 further nights from Tuesday May 26 until June 2, with eight groups of four in a best of 11 legs format. The group winners advance to the last eight, which is made up of two groups of four played on June 3-4. The top two in each will advance to the Championship final group on Friday June 5.
Every player has to set up cameras and smartphones in their respective playing areas at home so that their visits can be tracked and streamed online via Skype video calls. Click here to read Paul Nicholson's column for more about what this involves following his experiences of playing in the Modus Legends Live League.
If players finish level on points then leg difference will be used to decide positions. If still equal, then the winner of the match between the players will determine who finishes higher. In the event of a three-way tie where points and leg difference are also equal, then the highest overall average will decide who finishes top.
PDC Home Tour: Sky Bet odds
You can bet on each night of the PDC Home Tour, with Sky Bet not only offering odds on every match but also who will finish top of the groups.
There are also a whole host of daily RequestABets, specials and enhanced accumulators to check out throughout the tournament.
Betting Tips: Chris Hammer's selections
GROUP 8 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top group: Jonny Clayton 5/4, Adam Hunt 5/2, Richard North 7/2, David Pallett 4/1
Jonny Clayton heads the betting to become the eighth player to qualify for the next stage but there's been plenty of upsets so far, with previous group favourites Peter Wright, Gerwyn Price, Luke Humphries, James Wade and Gabriel Clemens crashing out. The Ferret has become a key worker for his local council during the lockdown, delivering food to the vulnerable and elderly rather than his usual job as a plasterer. However, he's taken the day off to return to his lucrative 'hobby' and if he can play anything like he did during last month's UK Open, where he hit a nine-dart finish en route to the semi-finals, then he should sail through. Apart from that, the Welshman has enjoyed a pretty steady season, which started with victory over MVG at the Masters, while his opponents struggled to find conventional tournament form prior to the coronavirus crisis. However, have they been able to practice more than Clayton during lockdown to make a difference tonight?
Chris Hammer's Acca: Clayton to win all three matches at 5/2
Chris Hammer's Best Bet: Jonny Clayton to beat Adam Hunt, score over 1.5 180s and checkout over 66.5 at 2/1
GROUP 9 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top group: Michael Smith 1/2, Harry Ward 7/2, Martijn Kleermaker 9/2, Matt Clark 10/1
If this was any normal televised event - such as a Grand Slam of Darts group - then I'd have few doubts Michael Smith would sail through to the knockout stages as group winner. Bully Boy may not have won a major yet but he's been hammering on the door louder than ever over the past few seasons and his five runners-up trophies, including January's agonisingly Masters defeat to Peter Wright, prove he's a man for the big stage. Smith hit a nine-darter in the Premier League this season but in the non-TV tournaments he's struggled to produce his best and the PDC Home Tour is as low key as it gets for atmosphere! I'm prepared to take a chance on 9/2 shot Martijn Kleermaker to top the group in this format. The Dutchman impressed during the BDO World Championship before earning a PDC Tour Card at Q School, and while he hasn't set the the pulses racing, he has a bright future ahead of him and he'll be fired up to showcase his potential via the medium of webcams.
Chris Hammer's Best Bet 1: Smith v Kleermaker to have over 7.5 legs, highest checkout to be over 88.5 and over 3.5 total 180s at 5/2
Chris Hammer's Best Bet: Martijn Kleermaker to top the group at 9/2
GROUP 11 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top group: Simon Whitlock 4/5, Mike van Duivenbode 7/2, Kirk Shepherd 5/1, Alan Tabern 5/1
Unsurprisingly Simon Whitlock is a pretty warm favourite to qualify for the second round as group winner and although that's based mostly on reputation and his status as world number 14, the 2020 form of his three rivals won't exactly worry him. Not that 'recent' results in conventional tournaments have much baring anyway - as Peter Wright, Gerwyn Price and Michael Smith found out in the opening week of this online event - so backers of the Wizard won't be too concerned that he hasn't reached a quarter-final of a PDC event since last summer. If you want a spot of value then how about veteran Alan Tabern at 5/1? The 53-year-old has enjoyed a mini resurgence since winning back his Tour Card at Q School back in January, defeating Keane Barry, Steve Brown and Steve Lennon en route to the last 32 of the UK Open while he's also beaten John Henderson and Gabriel Clemens in Players Championship events.
Chris Hammer's Best Bet 1: Alan Tabern to top Group 11 at 5/1
Chris Hammer's Best Bet: Whitlock v Tabern to have over 6.5 legs, highest checkout to be over 88.5 and over 2.5 total 180s at 5/4
GROUP 12 TIPS - VOIDED
Sky Bet odds to top Group 12: Max Hopp 7/4, Keegan Brown 2/1, Mike De Decker 3/1, Conan Whitehead 4/1
After 11 nights of action, I think it's fair to say the 2020 form book can go out of the window while reputations aren't counting for much either. Already we've seen Peter Wright, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith and James Wade crash out while Gabriel Clemens, Luke Humphries and Simon Whitlock were also odds-on to top their respective groups, with the latter foiled by 53-year-old journeyman Alan Tabern, who had to win back his tour card back in January. Max Hopp is a flaky favourite tonight having struggled to live up to his hype since reaching a Pro Tour final last May so it'll be interesting to see how seriously he takes it. Keegan Brown was enjoying a pretty good - if unspectacular - season before lockdown but during it he's almost doubled his hours in the blood sciences department at the only hospital on the Isle of Wight. The Needle recently told BBC Sport: "For now my skills are required in the laboratory, not on the dartboard, so my focus is there." It's therefore easy to assume that Brown hasn't put in enough hours on the practice board but that didn't stop fellow key worker Jonny Clayton winning all three of his matches despite taking the night off from his new day job of delivering food to the elderly and vulnerable. Whereas a whole host of other players have admitted suffering from nerves in their own homes during this tournament, you could perhaps argue that Clayton had a more relaxed perspective about it all, and Brown won't be any different in that regard. That all said, we can't rule out Mike De Decker and Conan Whitehead in this tight group considering how solidly they performed pre-lockdown but I'm going to give the edge to NHS hero Brown, who can earn two round of applauses this week. For my second bet, I'm expecting the Brown v De Decker clash to be the highlight from a standard point of view and a potentially decisive one. It's 7/4 that there's over 7.5 legs, a high checkout of over 87.5 and over 2.5 total 180s, which seem pretty routine targets to achieve.
Chris Hammer's Best Bet: Keegan Brown to top Group 12 at 2/1
Chris Hammer's Best Bet 2: Brown v de Decker to have over 7.5 legs, highest checkout to be over 87.5 and over 2.5 total 180s at 7/2
GROUP 14 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top Group 13: Steve Beaton 11/8, Callan Rydz 5/2, Matthew Edgar 3/1, Carl Wilkinson 5/1
Considering seven group favourites have crashed out after just 12 nights of action, we can safely say this online format is turning out to be quite a leveller. Any PDC player can beat anyone on their day in regular tournaments, so it's essentially boiling down to who is more comfortable in their home surroundings. We've seen veteran journeymen like Alan Tabern and Matt Clark impress - albeit the latter just missing out on top spot - while anyone who's been watching the Modus Night At The Darts tournaments will know how brilliantly Martin Adams performed pretty much every night last week. The legendary Wolfie, who is now 63, seems to be getting a bit mentally drained by it all now but the point I'm making here is that older, relaxed characters appear to be thriving within their home comforts. Hardly surprising when it's usually the amount of travelling that counts against them. Now is there anyone more relaxed and experienced than Steve Beaton? The Adonis is immune from nerves on the biggest stage and will enjoy another opportunity of this type of tournament having taken part in the recent Darts At Home, where he averaged over 92 in three matches. He lost two of those to Nathan Aspinall and Jelle Klaasen but beat Stephen Bunting. Callan Rydz has bags of potential and his clash with Beaton could well be of high quality, while Matthew Edgar might be more concerned with using the experience to promote his Edgar TV channel. Carl Wilkinson is the outsider of the quartet but can't be dismissed out of hand.
Chris Hammer's Best Bet: Steve Beaton to top the group at 11/8
Chris Hammer's Best Bet 2: Beaton v Rydz to have over 7.5 legs, highest checkout to be over 109.5 and over 2.5 total 180s at 3/1
GROUP 15 TIPS
Rising star Bradley Brooks finds himself as the rank outsider in tonight but the 20-year-old, who regained his PDC Tour Card in January, might be worth a small flutter considering how many shocks we've seen in this tournament so far. Bamm Bamm may have largely struggled on the Pro Tour in 2020 but he fared pretty well in the UK Open, defeating Cameron Menzies, Nick Kenny and Devon Petersen before losing out to the impressive Kyle McKinstry 10-8. If we're going off traditional tournament form, it's not as if Scott Baker, Andy Hamilton or even Darren Webster have fared that much better so perhaps another upset is on the cards tonight. Having scanned the sub markets, I feel the targets have been set pretty low in the clash between Brooks and Baker, where you can get 4/1 on there being over 7.5 legs, a higher checkout of over 109.5 and more than 2.5 180s.
Chris Hammer's Best Bet: Bradley Brooks to top the group at 4/1
Chris Hammer's Best Bet 2: Brooks v Baker to have over 7.5 legs, highest checkout to be over 109.5 and over 2.5 total 180s at 2/1
GROUP 16 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top Group 16: Ricky Evans 1/1, Jeff Smith 7/4, Christian Bunse 5/1, Martin Atkins 8/1
There are two players named Martin Atkins in the world of darts. One of them, nicknamed the Assassin, is from Leeds and coached me how to play darts for a charity tournament at Elland Road. The other one, nicknamed T'other, is from Wigan. Both of them went to Q School in January but sadly only one of them earned a Tour Card. And it wasn't the one who coached me darts. At least that means there is no preferential bias in this preview and I'm instead going to side with Jeff Smith to silence the other three rooms by taking top spot. The talented Canadian, who reached the BDO world final in 2016, was so dedicated in pursuit of earning his maiden PDC Tour Card and it was no real surprise to see him reach a Players Championship final in his first event after Q School, beating the likes of Nathan Aspinall and Peter Wright before losing to Gary Anderson. The Silencer lived with Darren Webster this year to make a real stab at the circuit so this current crisis is particularly galling for him. If you need more convincing of Smith's talents and work ethic then just read this Paul Nicholson's column, then you may feel more confident about his chances at 7/4. The entertaining Ricky Evans will be favourited by many but I just wonder if he's going to be too concerned with making people laugh tonight with a planned comedic walk-on and a rubber mask and costume to play in. That said, he's never taken himself too seriously so I'm still expecting his match with Smith to be the highest quality of the night that could go far. It's 4/1 that the match has over 7.5 legs, a high checkout of over 108.5 and more than 2.5 total 180s.
Chris Hammer's Best Bet: Jeff Smith to top the group at 7/4
Chris Hammer's Best Bet 2: Smith v Evans to have over 7.5 legs, highest checkout to be over 108.5 and over 2.5 total 180s at 4/1
GROUP 17 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top Group 17: John Henderson 6/4, Damon Heta 2/1, Krzysztof Kciuk 7/2, Gary Blades 5/1
Followers of our tips will have breathed a sigh of relief last night when Jeff Smith threw a 147 checkout in the final match to seal a table-topping 5-4 victory over Ricky Evans. Had the Silencer not hit that stunning finish and lost, then 8/1 outsider Martin Atkins would have won the group and become the latest underdog to thrive in this unpredictable format. Hopefully we get similar fortunate this evening or, in Damon Heta's case, the middle of the night in Perth. The Aussie was finding his feet during a maiden season as a PDC Tour Card holder before everything ground to a halt and while he hadn't yet ripped up trees, we're all well aware of his talents having memorably beaten James Wade, Gary Anderson, Simon Whitlock and Rob Cross en route to the televised Brisbane Darts Masters last summer. He's second favourite tonight behind John Henderson, whose form had been as steady away as usual, and perhaps backing him to perform well in the early hours seems a tad unwise. However, he'll obviously have reset his body clock over the past few days in preparation much like Hong Kong's Kai Fan Leung, who managed to pick up a victory over Chris Dobey, so I'd expect him to be raring to go. Neither Krzysztof Kciuk nor Gary Blades produced great results since winning their tour cards at qualifying and while form lines have counted for very little so far, I do think it'll be between Henderson and Heta. It's also 7/2 that their match has over 7.5 legs, a high checkout over 109.5 and more than 3.5 total 180s - reasonable targets for the superior duo to hit.
Chris Hammer's Best Bet: Damon Heta to top the group at 2/1
Chris Hammer's Best Bet 2: Henderson v Heta to have over 7.5 legs, highest checkout to be over 109.5 and over 3.5 total 180s
GROUP 18 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top Group 18: Stephen Bunting 7/4, Kim Huybrechts 2/1, Nathan Derry 5/1, Harald Leitinger 5/1
Regular followers of these daily tips will know that opposing the favourites has turned out to be a profitable strategy, but tonight I'm backing Stephen Bunting to justify his odds - as long as he can keep his son off Fortnite long enough to maintain his connection. A self-confessed online gamer himself, Bunting has admitted in recent interviews that his usual practice area is the pub, so he's had to get used to the home setting in recent weeks ahead of his Home Tour debut. Although no outsiders should be dismissed out of hand due to the short and unusual format of this tournament, PDC newcomer Harald Leitinger and Nathan Derry have only managed four match wins between them on the circuit this season while the latter, who regained his tour card in January last year, hasn't earned any prize money since September 2019. I'd therefore expect it to be a shoot-out between Bunting and Kim Huybrechts, who are comfortably the class acts in the field both on reputation and form. They've both reached Players Championship semi-finals this season as well as the last 16 of the UK Open and their encounter will be pivotal to the outcome of this group. I'm going to give the edge to Bunting as his light-hearted demeanour could make him more relaxed than the usually fired-up Huybrechts, who perhaps needs the crowd atmosphere to bring out his best.
Chris Hammer's Best Bet: Stephen Bunting to top the group at 7/4
Chris Hammer's Best Bet 2: Bunting v Huybrechts to have over 7.5 legs, highest checkout to be over 109.5 and over 3.5 total 180s
GROUP 19 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top Group 19: Glen Durrant 10/11, Justin Pipe 3/1, Maik Kuivenhoven 4/1, Vincent van der Meer 11/2
After wisely going against the usual trend by tipping up group favourite Stephen Bunting last night, I'm switching back to the underdog strategy with 3/1 shot Justin Pipe. After an emotional and nail-biting victory over the virtual unknown Benjamin Pratnemer in the first round of the World Championship back in December, the Force has continued his steady rise back up the rankings with a handful of decent results. In fact, during the last tournament before lockdown, he beat his eventual Ally Pally conqueror Daryl Gurney en route to the last 16 to further build up his lost confidence from a couple of tough years on and off the oche. But one other crucial factor that can't be overlooked tonight is his slow pace of play. Our regular columnist Paul Nicholson has spoken about the difficulty of finding your rhythm during online darts and waiting in a silent room for an opponent you can't see to throw his darts. Just imagine how frustrating that could be against someone like Pipe? Sure, Glen Durrant isn't the quickest of players either so I might be reading too much into this but the three-time BDO world champion admits his practice routines haven't been geared to this event. He told www.pdc.tv: "I'm still practising for two hours a day. I've not gone down the online route so it will be interesting to see how well I play. I'll be treating it exactly the same as a normal match and I'm going out there to try and win it. It's a good group, and it's a short format and a group stage, which is leveller." Of the two bigger outsiders, Maik Kuivenhoven reached two Players Championship quarter-finals back in February albeit without beating big names in either run while Vincent van der Meer defeated Rob Cross en route to the last 32 last month. I don't think anyone will get a 100% record tonight so it'll probably go to the wire. If that's the case then expect Durrant v Kuivenhoven to go long, with plenty of opportunities to get those modest targets below.
Chris Hammer's Best Bet: Justin Pipe to top the group at 3/1
Chris Hammer's Best Bet 2: Durrant v Kuivenhoven to have over 7.5 legs, highest checkout to be over 111.5 and over 2.5 total 180s at 7/2
Sky Bet Price Boost: Durrant to win all his matches either 5-0, 5-1, 5-2 or 5-3 - 5/1 (WAS 4/1)
GROUP 20 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top group: Joe Cullen 11/8, Jermaine Wattimena 7/4, Ryan Murray 5/1, John Michael 11/2
Regular followers of my tips down the years may (albeit unlikely) remember some ill-fated loyalty with Joe Cullen down the years, including the 2017 World Championship when he lost an absolute thriller in the first-round that was over in what felt like five minutes despite going the distance. The Machine Gun is a late addition to the line-up following the injury to Jeffrey de Zwaan, who would have been favourite to win this group, and I'm expecting it to be a shoot-out between the class acts of the quartet. I might be wrong but I think the last time we saw Ryan Murray streamed was when Michael van Gerwen hit two nine-darters against him during a UK Open qualifier back in February 2017, so he'll be hoping a similar dose of bad luck doesn't come his way when playing in his bedroom tonight. The Scottish printer, who earned his first PDC Tour Card in January, said: "It feels like every time I get so close to something, it always goes wrong. Thankfully I've now got this Home Tour to play in. I'm looking forward to the Home Tour. I've recently changed at home - the dartboard was in the children's room but now I've moved it to my own bedroom. There's no distractions in there so I get some peace and quiet." Greece's John Michael is the other player in the group but despite a run to the last 32 of a Players Championship event, in which he beat Daryl Gurney, I wouldn't have much more foundation on which to back him. It'll be interesting to see how this style of online darts affects a player like Wattimena who likes to throw so fast and it could be easier for the talented Cullen to play his natural game and not feel as rushed as he does in a normal environment, in which he has lost four of their five meetings. Cullen is favourite but I quite like the Price Boost of him to win all this matches 5-0, 5-1, 5-2 or 5-3 at 8/1. As a slight saver or sorts, I think a bet on a close, high-quality match between Cullen and Wattimena is also worth covering as the required targets below are pretty tame for 2/1.
Chris Hammer's Best Bet: Joe Cullen to win all his matches either 5-0, 5-1, 5-2 or 5-3 at 8/1
Chris Hammer's Best Bet 2: Cullen v Wattimena to have over 7.5 legs, highest checkout to be over 88.5 and over 2.5 total 180s at 2/1
Sky Bet Price Boost: Cullen to win all his matches either 5-0, 5-1, 5-2 or 5-3 - 8/1 (WAS 7/1)
GROUP 21 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top group: Rob Cross 4/6, Dimitri van den Bergh 9/4, Karel Sedlacek 8/1, William Borland 9/1
I wrote at too much length about Ryan Murray yesterday without even tipping him and sod's law he only went and became the latest outsider to top a group at 5/1. He couldn't even be backed on the basis that he's more familiar with his own practice surroundings than his rivals, having moved his dartboard into his bedroom especially for the occasion to escape the noise of his children. At least the 2/1 Cullen v Wattimena bet came in to make it a slightly profitable evening. Overall there's been that many shocks, you couldn't really blame anyone for simply backing the biggest priced players blind without logical reasons - other than all Tour Card holder can beat anyone on their day and this format is proving to be a real leveller. Tonight, group favourite Rob Cross will be playing from his newly-built "darts out-house" in the garden but it's obviously been a heartbreaking few weeks for him having sadly lost his grandfather to Covid-19 last month. The funeral was as recently as Monday and Cross told www.pdc.tv: "Somehow you have to stay strong for the people around you. My nan is living with us now, now it's all about being there for her now and keeping her safe." It's impossible to gage how well he'll be able to play in the circumstances while Dimitri van den Bergh will be playing from the house of Peter Wright, who he's been living with since lockdown. If Snakebite's palace doesn't feel like home by now, it never will, plus he must have enjoyed the most high-quality practice sessions than anyone else in the world. Quite whether that is the best preparation for online darts we won't know until tonight but I'm willing to take a chance on him to top the group at 9/4. Karel Sedlacek of Czech Republic is a late addition to the line up after Derk Telnekes withdrew due to family reasons while Scotland's William Borland is the outsider of the four at a huge 9/1. Both won Tour Cards at Q School and while neither have took the circuit by storm, that doesn't really count for anything in this!
Chris Hammer's Best Bet: Dimitri van den Bergh to top the group at 9/4
Chris Hammer's Best Bet 2: Cross v van den Bergh to have over 7.5 legs, highest checkout to be over 111.5 and over 3.5 total 180s
Sky Bet Price Boost: Rob Cross to win all his matches 5-0, 5-1, 5-2 or 5-3 at 11/2 from 9/2
GROUP 22 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top group: Ian White 4/6, Danny Noppert 5/2, Jesus Noguera 6/1, James Wilson 7/1
Anyone who backed Karel Sedlacek at 8/1 to top his group last night purely on the "anyone can beat anyone in this format' factor will be cursing their luck right now after he blew a 4-0 lead to lose 5-4 against Rob Cross in the final match. At 4-0 up he had 124 left and went T20, T20 before going inside on double two! My tip Dimitri van den Bergh was also unfortunate to lose to Cross by the same scoreline despite averaging 10 points more with 91 and that proved decisive. The point is, Voltage's success shouldn't discourage us from seeking value and tonight that could be James Wilson at a big 7/1. Sure, the world number 40 has endured a very poor season by his standards but he was doing OK in the second half of 2019 and even knocked Peter Wright out of the Players Championship Finals over a short format. Maybe this concentrated practice time in lockdown is what the Yorkshire veteran needs. Ian White, however, is obviously a very fair favourite and was recently branded one of the best five players never to win a major by Paul Nicholson on these pages. He's obviously showed us his best form away from the big crowds down the years, winning the vast majority of his titles in Players Championship settings, so there's no reason why he wouldn't enjoy this experience. If the Wilson 'upset' doesn't materialise then perhaps the Price Boost of Diamond winning all his matches 5-3 or better at 11/2 is worth a flutter.
Chris Hammer's Best Bet: Ian White to win all his matches 5-0, 5-1, 5-2 or 5-3 at 11/2
Chris Hammer's Alternative Bet: James Wilson to top the group at 7/1
GROUP 23 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top group: Dirk van Duijvenbode 7/4, Kyle Anderson 15/8, Martin Schindler 5/2, Daniel Larsson 8/1
Jesus Noguera became the latest surprise table-topper in this tournament of shocks last night but he did so without recording a single average of over 85. The same could be said for Rob Cross 24 hours earlier and I think it's fair to say the overall standard has dropped markedly, with only five 100+ averages in the 48 matches played in May. There was only two over 90 last night, with a staggering 122 doubles were missed, so when levels are of that nature, it's even more of a leveller. Any myth held about players being able to perform better in the comfort of their own home has been debunked somewhat, with the 'online' format and 'atmosphere' of not being about to see their opponent affecting their usual playing rhythms. Tonight we have three players ranked between 45 and 77 in the world while 8/1 outsider Daniel Larsson is down at 130 having only won his Tour Card at Q School back in January. Dirk van Duijvenbode is a worthy favourite despite being lower ranked at 77 than Kyle Anderson (45) and Martin Schindler (77) because of his 2020 form, and at the start of March he reached the Belgian Darts Championship semi-finals thanks to victories over Ian White, Jeffrey de Zwaan and Nathan Aspinall prior to a narrow loss to Gerwyn Price. Any close followers of darts will know he has one of the best walk-ons in the game but he'll obviously struggle to get himself as pumped for his home venue. Kyle Anderson will have all the neutrals who don't bet on his side after recently recovering from coronavirus. The Australian spent over four weeks in isolation after testing positive at the end of March but is now back with his family and, like Damon Heta earlier in the week, will be playing in the middle of the night local time. He said: "There was one time at night when I woke up and I was coughing. Then I thought to myself, and this might be morbid, am I going to wake up from this? I had a coughing fit and I thought to myself: ‘Is this it? Will I fall asleep and not wake up?’ Thank God I woke up. It was very real for me. I was scared to the point where I didn’t know what would happen next." Anderson usually spends most of his year in England away from his family so the current crisis does at least mean he gets to see more of his wife Tara and son Charles, but on his preparations, Anderson added: "I couldn't throw a dart for five weeks while I was in isolation so it was weird playing again - I was getting angry with myself. I don't usually have a darts set-up at home but I've got a Unicorn stand and it's set up in my garage. I've played a friend online but it wasn't good but had some good practice, but I'll be able to be more focused. It will be good to get back to playing, but I'm not sure how I'll go. I'm a bit nervous because it might take me some time to get back into it." I did successfully tip Heta when he was playing in the middle of his night but I'm doubtful whether Anderson can perform as well considering all he's gone through and the fact he'd endured a loss of form in recent times. I'm instead going to side with Martin Schindler who restored some lost confidence prior to lockdown by reaching two Development Tour finals and while his form on the main circuit has been disappointing, he did thrash Justin Pipe 10-2 at the UK Open to remind us of his promise that he's not shown enough off. It may not seem much logic to go off but you won't have needed any to pick some of the group winners so far! I'm still expecting a close group that goes to the final game between van Duijvenbode and Anderson. If it goes far then those targets below should be very achievable at 9/4.
Chris Hammer's best bet: Martin Schindler to top the group at 5/2
Chris Hammer's best bet: Match to have over 7.5 legs, highest checkout to be over 109.5 and over 2.5 total 180s at 9/4
Sky Bet Price Boost: van Duijvenbode to win all his matches either 5-0, 5-1, 5-2 or 5-3 at 13/2 (WAS 11/2)
GROUP 24 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top group: Krzysztof Ratajski 4/5, Jamie Hughes 11/4, Darius Labanauskas 4/1, Toni Alcinas 8/1
The last two days we've seen 6/1 Jesus Noguera and 8/1 Daniel Larsson top their groups, which takes the tally of fallen 'top seeds' - including Peter Wright, Gerwyn Price and Michael Smith - to 14 from just 23 nights of action. Of the 14 outsider to progress, around half have been priced at 4/1 or bigger and they haven't even had to play the games of their lives to do.
Daniel Larsson averaged in the lower mid 80s for his wins over coronavirus survivor Kyle Anderson and favourite Dirk van Duijvenbode last night, although he did manage the PDC Home Tour's 16th 100 average out of 139 games when thrashing Martin Schindler 5-0. Unless you know a player well or they're particularly active on social media, it's also very hard to gage how much they've been practicing and/or dedicating their time to online darts in recent weeks.
You could easily assume it's not been very much when scrolling through the averages and stats on Dart Connect (click here to do so) but it could just be the surreal nature of the competition which throws them once the cameras start rolling in their houses. With so many unknowns, I'm swerving world number 18 Krzysztof Ratajski even though he's a very fair favourite.
Since the start of 2018, only Michael van Gerwen (34), Peter Wright (10), Gerwyn Price (10) and Gary Anderson (9) have won more than the Polish Eagle's eight titles and all but one of those came away from the stage environment. I'm really torn between Jamie Hughes and Darius Labanauskas, who are two of the most dangerous players outside the top 20 on the Order of Merit. Hughes enjoyed a dream debut season on the PDC circuit last year winning a European Tour title and climbing up the rankings quick enough to qualify for the World Matchplay.
After a disappointing World Championship, where he lost in the opening round, Yozza bounced back impressive by beating MVG in a deciding leg en route to a Players Championship quarter-final and after a few more solid runs, he then reached the same stage of the UK Open only to lose an agonising decider to Jonny Clayton after missing eight match darts.
Labanauskas also earned his tour card in January 2019 and after an impressive year himself, made a huge impact at the World Championship where he beat Ian White, Max Hopp and Steve Beaton before losing to MVG in the quarter-finals. Since then he's not been as consistent as Hughes and even lost 6-1 to him back in February but you can take that with a pinch of salt.
I'll give the edge to Hughes this evening but as I'm also expecting this tough evenly-matched group of quality players to spur each other on and put on a decent show, the 'match action' bets below are also worth considering.
Anyone who wants to go for the biggest priced outsider again in the shape of Toni Alcinas, then you will be encouraged to know he's reached the last 32 of two Players Championship events this season, beating Hughes and Dave Chisnall along the way, while he did of course beat Peter Wright at the 2019 World Championship.
Chris Hammer's best bet: Jamie Hughes to top the group at 11/4
Chris Hammer's next best: Hughes v Labanauskas to have over 7.5 legs, highest checkout to be over 109.5 and over 2.5 total 180s at 9/4
Chris Hammer's third best: Hughes v Ratajski to have over 7.5 legs, highest checkout to be over 88.5 and over 2.5 total 180s at 15/8
Sky Bet Price Boost: Krzysztof Ratajski To Win all 3 of his matches at 2/1 (WAS 15/8)
GROUP 25 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top group: Jose De Sousa 11/8, Keegan Brown 9/4, Robert Thornton 7/2, Reece Robinson 4/1
A welcome winner yesterday to boost the coffers as 11/4 tip Jamie Hughes advanced with plenty of 'room' to spare in what looked to be a potentially tight group - and you could say the same about the next line-up. Tonight's quartet are separated by just 54 places in the Order of Merit, with Keegan Brown the highest ranked at 30 and Reece Robinson the lowest at 84, although it's the impressive world number 59 Jose De Sousa rated bookies favourite due to an impressive season and a bit since earning his maiden Tour Card at the top of 2019. At the age of 46, he became the first Portuguese winner of a PDC event by thrashing Gerwyn Price 8-1 in September - after which he spoke of his 25-year-journey to get to this level - and he picked up his second title a few weeks later against Glen Durrant. Such form inspired me to back him to win his quarter at the World Championship but he sadly couldn't deliver and since then he hasn't had too much to shout about. NHS key worker Brown is of course getting a second bite at the Home Tour cherry after internet problems ended his first attempt after just one match, which he lost to Conan Whitehead. He's still been busy working extra hours in the blood laboratory in the only hospital on the Isle of Wight and probably hasn't been able to get in too much practice time. That said, at least he has a taste of what this tournament is like compared to his trio of rivals and that shouldn't be overlooked with your bets. Robert Thornton has endured a tough period in the game but showed his old battling spirit when reaching the last 16 of the Grand Slam of Darts last year before losing 10-8 to Gary Anderson. We've seen some veteran players enjoy this short format from the comfort of their own homes and with the stakes obviously much less than standard tournaments, we might see a more relaxed Thorn without the negative body language we've seen on the big stage when things aren't going his way. Reece Robinson is the outsider of the four but the 4/1 doesn't seem that enticing when he's hardly managed to pick up a victory all season prior to lockdown.
Chris Hammer's best bet: Robert Thornton to top the group at 7/2
Chris Hammer's next best: De Sousa v Thornton to have over 7.5 legs and highest checkout to be over 108.5 and over 2.5 total 180s at 10/3
Sky Bet Price Boost: De Sousa to win each of his 3 matches 5-0, 5-1, 5-2 or 5-3 at 13/2 (WAS 11/2)
GROUP 26 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top group: Mike De Decker 11/10, Conan Whitehead 15/8, Steve Brown 11/2, Martin Atkins 6/1
Anyone who metaphorically screwed up their outright betting slip when their selection was knockout out during the PDC Home Tour may be in for some good news after it was revealed some runners-up will get another chance in the remaining eight group nights. In fact, Tuesday's action sees both Mike De Decker AND Conan Whitehead return from Group 12 after their campaign was hampered by Keegan Brown's connectivity problems. Whitehead finished third behind Max Hopp and De Decker but one of his two victories from five games came against Brown and was therefore scrubbed off while he did trade wins with the young Belgian (5-2 & 1-5), who just about heads the betting having boasted a slightly superior overall average of 90. Journeyman Steve Brown, who regained his Tour Card in January, also averaged consistently in the mid to high 80s during his group that was won comfortably by Nathan Aspinall so of tonight's quartet you'd have to say Martin Atkins was by far the most unfortunate to miss out on top spot. The Wigan thrower averaged 91 in an impressive 5-2 win over Ricky Evans, a shade under 90 to edge out eventually table-topper Jeff Smith 5-4 and then 94 in his final match with Christian Bunse, who managed to beat him 5-2 despite posting 88.7. For someone who seemed to excel in the comforts of his own home more than many other players we've seen struggle with this format, surely 6/1 is worth a small flutter on value grounds alone.
Chris Hammer's best bet: Martin Atkins to top the group at 6/1
Chris Hammer's Acca: Atkins to beat Brown, De Decker to beat Whitehead & Brown to beat De Decker at 8/1
Sky Bet Price Boost: De Decker to win each of his 3 matches 5-0, 5-1, 5-2 or 5-3 at 10/1 (WAS 8/1)
GROUP 27 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top group: Ron Meulenkamp 2/1, Steve Beaton 5/2, Scott Waites 11/4, Ross Smith 7/2
Four more 'lucky losers' enter last chance saloon on the Home Tour and if last night was anything to go by, we should expect slightly improved performances now they know what to expect. There were seven 90+ averages in the six games which isn't too bad when you consider the highest ranked player was world number 75 Conan Whitehead while my tip Martin Atkins did it in all three of his, including a mark of 102 yet still got knocked out. Scott Waites was a strong performer during his previous outing, registering a pair of 5-1 victories after losing 5-2 against the brilliant Dave Chisnall, who averaged 103 compared to his 96, while his checkout percentage for the night was an impressive 50% - the joint seventh best out of everyone. One of the six above him is Ron Meulenkamp with almost 60% on a night which saw him beat Kai Fan Leung 5-4 with an average of 94 and Ciaran Teehan 5-1 with a mark of 100.9, either side of losing 5-1 to table-topper Chris Dobey. He threw in eight maximums and it's also important to note that his opponents all played very solidly against him. He's a worthy favourite at 2/1 and we should expect some more high-quality darts in all his matches. Beaton sneaked second spot by virtue of beating Callan Rydz 5-1 but he lost his other two matches to Matthew Edgar (5-1) and Carl Wilkinson (5-2) and failed to post a single average of over 90. That was surprising for such an experienced veteran - but as Paul Nicholson mentioned in his recent column, some players associate home surrounding with relaxation a lot more than competition and find it touch to switch on their darts brain. Ross Smith also sneaked through with one win, beating Lisa Ashton 5-1 with an average just under 100 and losing his other games against against Mickey Mansell and Geert Nentjes 5-3 with marks below 90. Personally I feel it'll be between Meulenkamp and Waites, with their match providing some online fireworks.
Chris Hammer's best bet: Meulenkamp to beat Smith, score over 1.5 180s and checkout over 87.5 at 3/1
Chris Hammer's second best: Waites v Meulenkamp to have over 7.5 legs, highest checkout to be over 86.5 and over 2.5 total 180s at 15/8
Chris Hammer's third best: Waites to top the group at 11/4
Sky Bet Price Boost: Meulenkamp to win each of his three matches 5-0, 5-1, 5-2 or 5-3 at 14/1 (WAS 11/1)
GROUP 28 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top group: Michael Smith 5/6, Luke Humphries 9/4, Andy Boulton 11/2, Mike van Duivenbode 8/1
Yesterday's tip Scott Waites made the most of his second chance by topping his group at 11/4 and overall I think it's fair to say all eight returning players over the past two days have produced a generally higher standard of darts than we saw in the opening 25 nights. They've all known what to expect and their practice sessions and preparations have probably become more focused now that the tournament has arguably evolved into something more serious than perhaps first intended. Michael Smith was disappointed to one of the early big name casualties after Martijn Kleermaker upset the odds to the delight of our followers but averaged over 96 in all three of his games and threw a tournament high of 11 maximums. Luke Humphries paid the price for a surprise defeat to group winner Nick Kenny in his opening match despite averaging higher with 92 and he'll be expected to be the closest challenger to the multiple major runner-up. Andy Boulton managed one of the rare 100 averages when he finished runner-up to the brilliant Ryan Searle and also thrashed James Wade 5-0 while Mike van Duivenbode also played pretty well despite being upset by another one of our big winning tips in Alan Tabern. Overall, however, Smith set a better standard and will definitely be fired up to make a statement. The fun aspect of this is over now and the trend of shocks could start to change when the highest quality players get another shot.
Chris Hammer's best bet: Michael Smith to win all three of his matches at 15/8
Chris Hammer's second best: Humphries (v Boulton), Boulton (v van Duivenbode), Smith (v Boulton) all to win at 11/4
Sky Bet Price Boost: Michael Smith to win each of his matches 5-0, 5-1, 5-2 or 5-3 at 5/1 (WAS 4/1)
GROUP 29 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top group: Danny Noppert 6/4, John Henderson 2/1, Cristo Reyes 7/2, Ryan Meikle 9/2
There's just four more nights of PDC Home Tour action to play before the first group stage ends on Monday, as 14 more previous runners-up - plus Cristo Reyes and Gary Anderson - eye the remaining places in the last 32. Since Tuesday, when the lucky losers were given a second bite at the cherry after 'only' 101 Tour Card holders accepted invitations to compete in this tournament, the standard of darts has significantly improved due to having more home practice and knowing what to expect. The overall three-dart average of nights one to 25 was 88.8 while Tuesday night's quartet managed 90.2, Wednesday's recorded 93.2 and last night's produced an awesome 97.5 - and that would have been higher had the last match between Michael Smith and Andy Boulton not been a dead rubber. Reyes is therefore at a disadvantage tonight considering it's his first appearance in this environment that has caught many better player than him cold over the past month. Ipswich youngster Ryan Meikle is an interesting outsider at 9/2 having beaten his group winner Jelle Klaasen 5-4 with a 95 average and missing out purely because of a narrow 5-3 defeat to favourite Gabriel Clemens. However, I'm giving the edge to John Henderson, who admitted nerves and unfamiliarity got the better of him during his previous outing, where he edged a low quality affair with Krzysztof Kciuk and thrashed Gary Blades either side of a pivotal loss to Damon Heta. He averaged in the 80s for all three games so expect him to up his game to deny group favourite Danny Noppert. The Dutchman was inconsistent last time out, averaging in the 70s, 80s and 90s, and while he does boast the best normal tournament form in 2020 having reached two Players Championship semi-finals, that doesn't really count for too much.
Chris Hammer's best bet: John Henderson to top the group at 2/1
Chris Hammer's second best: Henderson (v Meikle), Meikle (v Reyes), Noppet (v Reyes) all to win at 3.7/1
Sky Bet Price Boost: Noppert to top the group at 7/4 (WAS 6/4)
GROUP 30 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top group: Gary Anderson 6/5, Dimitri van den Bergh 9/4, Kim Huybrechts 4/1, Dirk van Duijvenbode 5/1
A month after sending social media into a frenzy when revealing his internet connection was too slow to take part in the PDC Home Tour, Gary Anderson upgraded his dodgy WiFi enough to finally makes his debut just three days before the end of the first round. The picture he posted on Twitter of his internet speed received a whopping 15k likes as the world reacted in hilarity to the type of 'news' stories that were now dominating the sporting landscape. The Flying Scotsman is, of course, competing alongside three previous runners-up who effectively have the experience advantage in this tournament and that makes Anderson quite a vulnerable favourite tonight. It's often said that At this stage in his legendary career, the two-time world champion is motivated to peak for the big, lucrative prizes so it'll be interesting to see how much practice and preparation he's been dedicating to this event from his home out in the sticks in Somerset. That said, he's clearly bothered enough to change internet provider! He told Sky Sports: "It’s going to be a bit strange playing somebody over the net, I’ve never done it before. I think the youngsters do it all the time with all these new devices. It will be hard, it will be strange but fingers crossed I’ll get a win."
My pick, however, is Dimitri van den Bergh for the second time so far and my reasons are similar to the ill-fated previous attempt. The talented Belgian remains at the house of Peter Wright, who he's been living with since lockdown, and you'd like to think their recent practice sessions together will have been pretty rigorous and competitive ahead of their second chances over the next three days, with Snakebite is back in action on Monday. Van den Bergh played pretty well the first time around, averaging 98 in a 5-1 win over Karel Sedlacek, 91 during an unfortunate 5-4 defeat to group winner Rob Cross and 99 against William Borland, who beat him 5-3 with a mark of 104! At the time he thought he was eliminated, but snatching second spot by a single leg gives him another bite at the cherry. Kim Huybrechts won two of his three games either side of a costly defeat to Stephen Bunting while the popular Dirk van Duijvenbode was pretty disappointing after his opening 5-1 victory over Martin Schindler, losing to both Daniel Larsson and Kyle Anderson. The Dutchman has been a notable improver on the regular circuit this season so is tempting at 5/1 but I'm with the former two-time World Youth champion.
Chris Hammer's best bet: Dimitri van den Bergh to top the group at 9/4
Chris Hammer's second best: van Duijvenbode (v Huybrechts) and van den Bergh (v Anderson) both to win at 7/2
Sky Bet Price Boost: Gary Anderson to win each of his three matches 5-0, 5-1, 5-2 or 5-3 at 15/2 (WAS 13/2)
GROUP 31 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top group: Gerwyn Price 4/7, Joe Cullen 7/2, Keegan Brown 5/1, Bradley Brooks 11/1
It seems a lot longer than four weeks ago when Gerwyn Price suffered a shock yet jovial 'exit' on day two of the PDC Home Tour, which is evidently being taken a lot more seriously now that online darts is becoming a staple diet for both players and fans alike. The overall standard of the opening 25 weeks - before runners-up were given a second chance to reach round two - wasn't exactly piping hot, with the 99 players in those groups posting a combined average of 89 and recording just 21 separate ton+ averages between them from 150 matches. Two-time Grand Slam of Darts champion Price managed one of those during a 5-2 victory over Ted Evetts and also reached 97 against Rowby-John Rodriguez, but crashed out due to running into Luke Woodhouse, who averaged a tournament high 114 against him that was boosted by a nine-dart finish.
It tends to take world class performances to beat Price at any venue and Woodhouse's display in his kitchen was certainly just that - but will any of tonight's rivals posses the same kind of heat to melt the Iceman? The 7/2 Price Boost for Price to win all three matches by scorelines of better than 5-4 is pretty tempting but I'm going to play slightly safer and back him to top the group with maximum points at 6/5. The ultra competitive world number three will be taking this even more seriously than the first time, where he was getting used to a newly constructed practice area in his own home, and will certainly have his eyes on the prize next month now that the PDC have organised a final structure to this inaugural tournament. NHS hero Keegan Brown is back again for the third time after his first was blighted by internet problems before finishing runner-up in Group 25 to the brilliant Jose de Sousa but I'd say Price's closest rival will be Joe Cullen. The Rockstar averaged in the 90s in his two wins either side of a costly defeat to Jermaine Wattimena in which he was pipped 5-4 despite posting a slightly higher 89. No outsider should ever be overlooked, especially at 11/1, but Bradley Brooks did lose two of his matches to Darren Webster and Andy Hamilton before sneaking second spot on legs difference.
Chris Hammer's best bet: Gerwyn Price to win every match at 6/5
Chris Hammer's acca: Joe Cullen (v Brown), Keegan Brown (v Brooks) & Gerwyn Price (v Cullen) all to win at 11/4
Sky Bet Price Boost: Gerwyn Price to win all three of his matches 5-0, 5-1, 5-2 or 5-3 at 7/2 (WAS 3/1)
GROUP 32 TIPS
Sky Bet odds to top group: Peter Wright 8/11, Krzysztof Ratajski 9/4, Justin Pipe 11/2, Adam Hunt 14/1
One obvious feature that makes online darts different from traditional tournaments is that no two boards and their set-ups are the same. However, there's one particular setting that's been seen more than any other during the PDC Home Tour and its yet to celebrate a night of success. The home of Peter Wright. Not only did Snakebite suffer a shock 'exit' on opening night just over four weeks ago, averaging just 84 across his three games in the process, but his temporary lodger Dimitri van den Bergh managed just two victories from his six matches over two appearances there. I'd assumed the pair would be putting in some world-class practice sessions together during lockdown, but it seems the world champion has been spending more time building a 42 foot by 20 foot polytunnel in the garden.
Snakebite's explanation prevented the need for a google search: "They say you can actually put it up in two days but it has been a bit of an on and off project. The weather has been a bit windy and it has rained, so that has held it up. But there's going to be everything in there – tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, peppers. Jo keeps me busy. She's been asking me to make things for her chickens. I put a bench together, sanded it down and painted it – like a little garden seat to feed them. I'll give anything a go. It might not be great but I'll try."
Wright did admit to needing some time to recharge the batteries and while he also insists his hunger is still strong for when darts does return properly, I just wonder if 8/11 is too short - as well as the 6/5 for him to win all three games.
Krzysztof Ratajski, who has won a whopping eight titles since the start of 2018, will attract interest at 9/4 given his growing reputation in the game but he averaged 89 in his last group appearances whereas Justin Pipe managed a shade higher and only just missed out to a brilliant Glen Durrant. I did back the Force to top the group that night on the basis that his slow style will make it even harder than usual for his opponents, who are waiting impatiently in an empty room, the strategy so nearly paid off. Paul Nicholson's latest Sporting Life column goes into detail about what players find most difficult in online events and not being able to build a rhythm off your opponent's play is one of them. The outsider Adam Hunt, who won two matches after losing to Jonny Clayton and averaged in the high 80s, is also a huge price at 14/1 in this short and unpredictable format. Two victories aren't beyond him and that really would put him in the mix.
Chris Hammer's bets: Justin Pipe to win the group at 11/2 & Adam Hunt to win the group at 14/1
Sky Bet Price Boost: Wright to win each of his three matches 5-0, 5-1, 5-2 or 5-3 at 7/2 (WAS 3/1)
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How can I watch the PDC Home Tour and what time does it start?
Each night’s action begins at 1930 BST, and will include webcam footage of each player and their dart board, live score graphics and commentary from Dan Dawson. All PDC Home Tour action will be broadcast live on PDCTV for FREE to ALL registered PDCTV users, regardless of whether you have a paid or free membership. The action will also be shown live through a series of bookmakers’ websites and clips available through the PDC's social media channels.
Is the tournament ranked and will there be prize money?
This is not a ranked tournament but there will be prize money and appearance fees. However that will be determined once the number of entrants are finalised.