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Stephen Bunting and Luke Humphries

World Grand Prix darts 2024: Day one predictions, odds, betting tips, accas, order of play & TV times

By Chris Hammer

Darts

Mon October 07, 2024 · 2M ago

The 27th staging of the Boylesports World Grand Prix gets under way in Leicester on Monday night so here's Chris Hammer's match-by-match preview and best bets.

Darts betting tips: World Grand Prix day one

1pt Brendan Dolan to beat Martin Schindler at 7/4 (SpreadEx, Sporting Index)

1pt Raymond van Barneveld to beat Ricardo Pietreczko 2-0 at 6/4 (bet365)

1pt over 5.5 180s in Humphries v Bunting at 11/8 (General)

1pt Ross Smith to win and hit most 180s at 15/8 (Sky Bet)

SL Acca: 0.5pts Rock, Dolan, Aspinall & Van Barneveld all to win at 10/1 with Sky Bet

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

World Grand Prix: Monday October 7

TV Coverage: Sky Sports (1800 GMT)
First-Round Format: Best of 3 sets. All sets are the best of five legs. There will be no tie-break in any set. All legs must begin and end with a double, meaning that a player must hit a double before he can begin scoring in each leg.

Josh Rock (4/9) v Ryan Joyce (13/8)

Seasonal Average
Rock: 95.80
Joyce: 93.92
180s per leg in 2024
Rock: 0.31
Joyce: 0.21
Checkout % in 2024
Rock: 39.67%
Joyce: 43.52%

Josh Rock suffered a first-round defeat on debut 12 months ago but will fancy his chances of getting his maiden World Grand Prix victory having come into some encouraging form over the past few months.

Having picked up a Players Championship title in August, he beat the likes of Rob Cross (twice), James Wade and Luke Humphries on European Tour stages in recent weeks and is comfortably inside the top 10 for averages since the start of September.

Ryan Joyce is back in the World Grand Prix field for the first time since his debut in 2020 but his form isn't quite as impressive as Rock and that's why I'm siding with the Northern Irishman.

Scoreline prediction: 2-0

CLICK HERE to bet on Rock v Joyce with Sky Bet

Brendan Dolan (6/4) v Martin Schindler (1/2)

Seasonal Average
Dolan: 91.98
Schindler: 95.09
180s per leg in 2024
Dolan: 0.19
Schindler: 0.29
Checkout % in 2024
Dolan: 38.65%
Schindler: 40.84%

Most darts fans will probably lean towards Martin Schindler in this one after the German won his second European Tour title of the season in Switzerland last weekend.

All this success on stage environments bodes well for Schindler, who survived seven title darts from Ryan Searle from 7-4 down, while he also enjoyed a superb run in just his second World Grand Prix last season when reaching the quarter-finals.

His general stats this season are generally stronger than Brendan Dolan but the Northern Irishman is an awkward customer and this is the kind of format that really levels the playing field between heavy scorers and more methodical, canny operators.

The Northern Irishman also won his 10th PDC title earlier this season and will be keen, as ever, to upset the odds on opening night.

Scoreline prediction: 2-1

CLICK HERE to back Brendan Dolan to win with Sky Bet

CLICK HERE to bet on Dolan v Schindler with Sky Bet

Jonny Clayton (1/2) v Ritchie Edhouse (6/4)

Seasonal Average
Clayton: 93.73
Edhouse: 92.13
180s per leg in 2024
Clayton: 0.21
Edhouse: 0.27
Checkout % in 2024
Clayton: 39.91%
Edhouse: 38.84%

Jonny Clayton may not be playing at the levels that helped him win the World Grand Prix - and three other big titles - in that glorious 2021 but his experience could prove invaluable against debutant Ritchie Edhouse.

There isn't much between them in terms of averages but Ferret has managed to pick up a Pro Tour title back in July and also reached a European Tour final while the secret to Edhouse's qualification has been a lot of steady runs without making headlines.

That said, he did get a mention in Thursday's Players Championship report for averaging 120.24 thanks to reeling off legs off 12, 10, 13, 14, 15 and 11 darts!

Who knows what that could do to his belief levels but he's so far yet to make a name for himself on the major stages and I think he'll need Clayton to suffer an off day if he's to spring a surprise.

Scoreline prediction: 2-0

CLICK HERE to bet on Clayton v Edhouse with Sky Bet

Nathan Aspinall (11/10) v Ryan Searle (4/6)

Seasonal Average
Aspinall: 94.28
Searle: 96.07
180s per leg in 2024
Aspinall: 0.25
Searle: 0.26
Checkout % in 2024
Aspinall: 36.5%
Searle: 40.68%

The fact that the world number five is the marginal underdog against the world number 19 highlights the difference in form and fitness between Nathan Aspinall and Ryan Searle this season.

Searle won a title back in February and has also reached four other PDC finals in 2024 - including the recent Swiss Darts Trophy in which he missed seven title darts - while Aspinall's only 'finals' have come in the Premier League.

That said, it's important to mention that the Asp opted to miss many events during the Premier League campaign and he was also ruled out of all competition since his second-round defeat to James Wade at the World Matchplay this summer until mid-September due to injury.

Since his return, he's actually showing some pretty decent levels, averaging over 100 in three of his 11 matches and only dropping below 90 twice so it's not as if he's a sitting duck for Searle.

I wouldn't back Aspinall to win the title, but in this short set-play format, his battling quality could help him spring some very minor surprises in the early rounds.

Scoreline prediction: 2-1

CLICK HERE to bet on Aspinall v Searle with Sky Bet

Raymond van Barneveld (1/2) v Ricardo Pietreczko (6/4)

Seasonal Average
Barney: 94.29
Pietreczko: 89.45
180s per leg in 2024
Barney: 0.24
Pietreczko: 0.14
Checkout % in 2024
Barney: 40.52%
Pietreczko: 35.58%

It's been a very long time since Raymond van Barneveld was considered a dangerous double-start player having reached back-to-back finals in 2008 and 2009 as well as reaching his fifth semi-final back in 2016.

Last year, his first World Grand Prix since 2018 ended in a 2-1 defeat to Martin Schindler with an average of 76 but this year he'll be well favoured to reach at least the second round after being handed one of the softer possible draws against Ricardo Pietreczko.

Given how he's rubbed several players and fans up the wrong way, I don't think many readers will mind if that sounds disrespectful. Although he did very well to reach a European Tour final in September with a string of fine performances that weren't in line with his usual standard, he is one of the weaker players statistically.

And on top of that, his temperament probably isn't suited to the potentially frustrating format, especially if the fans jeer his faulty starts to legs. Which they will.

As for Barney, well he's looked in very nice touch in recent weeks and even thrashed Luke Littler 6-2 with an average of 104 on Wednesday en route to a Players Championship semi-final, which he lost 7-6 to Stephen Bunting.

Scoreline prediction: 2-0

CLICK HERE to back Barney to win 2-0 with Sky Bet

CLICK HERE to bet on Barney v Pietreczko with Sky Bet

Luke Humphries (4/9) v Stephen Bunting (13/8)

Seasonal Average
Humphries: 99.13
Bunting: 96.62
180s per leg in 2024
Humphries: 0.35
Bunting: 0.32
Checkout % in 2024
Humphries: 41.72%
Bunting: 40.56%

This is a nightmare draw for both players but as I've made a strong case for Stephen Bunting going all the way in my pre-tournament preview, then I'm obviously backing him to stun the defending champion on opening night.

Whoever wins, it promises to be a thrilling encounter between two of the more prolific 180 hitters on the circuit and if we see plenty of legs and all three sets, then the maximum count should be high for a double start match.

Scoreline prediction: 1-2

CLICK HERE to back over 5.5 180s in this match with Sky Bet

CLICK HERE to bet on Humphries v Bunting with Sky Bet

Rob Cross (7/4) v Luke Littler (2/5)

Seasonal Average
Cross: 96.61
Littler: 98.67
180s per leg in 2024
Cross: 0.25
Littler: 0.38
Checkout % in 2024
Cross: 40.6%
Littler: 40.59%

The match of the night in terms of hype as Luke Littler makes his World Grand Prix debut against a player who must absolutely loathe the double-start format.

Rob Cross has won just two matches in seven previous appearances in this event and crashed out in the first round of the previous two editions against Daryl Gurney and Andrew Gilding.

A lot is often made about how debutants will cope with double-start but have you ever seen Littler fazed by anything - on or off the oche?

He'll take to this like a duck to water and I'd expect him to open more World Grand Prix wounds for Voltage.

Scoreline prediction: 0-2

CLICK HERE to bet on Cross v Littler with Sky Bet

Gian van Veen (11/10) v Ross Smith (4/6)

Seasonal Average
Van Veen: 94.34
Smith: 96.12
180s per leg in 2024
Van Veen: 0.25
Smith: 0.38
Checkout % in 2024
Van Veen: 40.99%
Smith: 38.52%

Ross Smith doesn't spring to mind when you think of players with obvious 'double start' qualities but his scoring power can at least come in handy during legs he gets off to a slow start in.

The Englishman, who has enjoyed a strong season with one Players Championship title and a couple of European Tour finals, remains one of the most prolific 180 hitters in the game and the stats suggest he should hit more than Gian van Veen.

His young Dutch opponent narrowly missed out on a maiden European Tour title last month when losing a last-leg decider to Michael van Gerwen but this is his debut in the format and I'd rather side with Smith, who has won each of his three first-round matches here.

Scoreline prediction: 1-2