Darts Betting Tips: Two bets from Tom Beresford for the opening night at Ally Pally

As the 2022 World Darts Championship gets underway at Alexandra Palace, @tomsportsjourno is on-hand to provide the lowdown ahead of the action. 

As is the tradition on the opening night of action, the reigning World Champion and world no.1 Gerwyn Price takes to the stage. He faces either London’s Ritchie Edhouse or Mancunian Peter Hudson, who comes in as a last-minute replacement for Lihao Wen, who had problems with obtaining a visa in time for his trip to London. 

But, prior to seeing the world champion make his return to the Alexandra Palace stage, there are several other key matches to get stuck into. 

Ricky Evans vs Nitin Kumar - 20:15

In the second match of the evening, Kettering’s Ricky Evans, a now established name in the PDC ranks takes on India’s Nitin Kumar, who makes his third appearance at Alexandra Palace - looking to avenge his previous two displays on the world championship stage. 

For Evans, it’s been another steady year on-tour and the 31-year old will be looking to better his runs to the last 32 in previous years. In 30 Players Championship events, this year, Evans averaged a shade under 92 over the course of the year, piling in 108 maximums en route. 

But, as we all know, the World Championship is just so different to any other event, isn’t it? Apart from being the biggest event on the calendar with the most prize money on offer, the format can be ruthless to say the very least. Set play is also used in the World Grand Prix, but some of the world’s biggest names can be caught out and exposed in the set-play format. 

I for one, expect Evans to emerge victorious in this one, to some tune. In terms of picking out some value for this one, I recommend the match treble in favour of the Northamptonshire thrower, to win the match, most 180’s and highest checkout which is available at 5/4.

Adrian Lewis vs Matt Campbell - 21:15

In this potentially mouth-watering contest, this stir-up has all the makings of an opening-round classic. As the year has progressed, Lewis has looked like rekindling the sort of form that saw the Stoke-on-Trent ace secure back-to-back World Championship titles. 

But, Matt Campbell, the exciting Canadian ace, will not lie down. Campbell earned the right to be at Ally Pally for a second time after topping the PDC Challenge Tour order of merit, securing a PDC tour-card in the process. 

Campbell has produced some captivating performances at the World Cup and the World Championship previously and despite not quite producing his A-game at the Grand Slam of Darts in November, Campbell little over a week ago won the Online Darts Live League, producing some solid displays, which I’m sure will stand him in good stead. 

As for Lewis, it’s been quite a solid year for ‘Jackpot’ on the tour, showing several signs of prominence. Lewis reached the final on-tour back in October, just losing out to Dimitri van den Bergh on that occasion, producing several ton-topping averages en route. 

And, with an average of just under 95 over the course of 2021 on-tour, Lewis is certainly producing some stellar stuff and with all things considered and all the necessary statistics digested, this tie has all the makings of a thriller.

As aforementioned, I expect this tie to be heavily contested, and this battle will go to a deciding set, which is available at 9/4. Tremendous value to be had, here. 

Gerwyn Price vs Edhouse/Hudson - 22:15

As previously mentioned, the reigning world champion and world no.1 Gerwyn Price makes his return to the Ally Pally stage, this time in front of a packed audience. And despite not quite dominating the televised tournaments in the latter end of the year as he’d hoped to, this is the big one. 

With £500,000 on offer and the opportunity to cement his place as the top name in world darts, Price will be looking to send out a big statement on the opening day with a stand-out performance against either Ritchie Edhouse or Peter Hudson, who battle it out in their preliminary round clash at the start of the night. 

On some occasions, the first match of a tournament such as the World Championship can be the toughest. But, can either Edhouse or Hudson cause major problems for the world no.1?

For me, Price wins this one rather convincingly. The Welshman is determined to ensure that the trophy heads back to South Wales and the thought of doing so inspires Price massively. Price would join an elite group of names if he can successfully defend his crown, joining the likes of Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson. 

Price also spoke out this week about how he wants to dominate the sport, much like Phil Taylor did for over 25 years. “I know in previous tournaments that I’ve won and been defending champion, I’ve gone and backed it up or had a really good run,” Wright told the BBC. 

As for the most suitable selection for this particular tie, the match treble, to win the match, most 180’s & highest checkout in favour of the Welshman is most suitable, here.  Which is available at (TBA)