Paul Nicholson: “He is averaging better and amassing better stats, but stats don’t win matches”

Rob Cross v Nathan Aspinall 

Everything about this match should make it tight. Their head to head record is close (5-3 to Rob), their current form is similar, and their ability to leave points out there is fairly similar too. 

Out of the two players, you would have to say that Rob is averaging better and amassing better stats, but stats don’t win matches as he well knows. He will be much encouraged to see that this PL has brought better form and he is definitely trending in the right direction, but he will have a mental battle to overcome at the end of the first phase of this campaign, as he slid down into elimination rapidly last year, and he will not want something familiar to happen once more. 

As for Aspinall, every point he is getting is hard graft and he isn’t too far away from getting it all back on song, but in order to be in the same position as last year come the end of the regular league, he will have to win games like this. As for whether he will is a really tough call. 

Rob Cross will show up in this game and eye it as a final. Cross to win in 12 legs – 19/2

 

Rob Cross is refusing to go away easily here as he fires in a brilliant break and he's back within two of Van den Bergh! pic.twitter.com/iB8C3OLcFn

— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) April 20, 2021

 

James Wade v Jonny Clayton

Nobody on the face of planet darts seems to have the measure of Wade better than Clayton. If you look at their previous encounters, it makes for amazing reading. Clayton has had more incredible performances against James than any other big hitter, and with the form he is in, why would he stop!

If you also think that James isn’t aware of this, you’d be sorely mistaken. He will remember it all, and he will recognise what he will have to do to get even one point in this Night 8 match. 

As for what I think James will get, I don’t think he will get anything, purely because of this crazy pattern of Clayton magic against the Machine. To prove that fact, Jonny has beaten Wade the last 3 times they’ve played with an accumulative average of 102.11 and had some disturbingly accurate finishing. I don’t expect that to change, as he seems to have Wadey’s number. James carrying an injury doesn’t help. 

Clayton to win and by a minimum of 3 legs – (Clayton -2.5) – 47/20

 

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Peter Wright v Glen Durrant

One of the hardest things sometimes about creating tips for punters is saying the same thing over and over again, and people thinking that you have it in for someone. To be clear, nobody has it in for Glen right now, and everyone wants him to rebound in big style when this slump dissipates, but you cannot negate the fact that the odds are stating that Duzza’s opponents are going to win. 

Peter will want nothing less than a dominant performance here, and he will want to accelerate towards a possible bagel scoreline against the Teessider. I don’t think it will be that simple, but I do believe that Peter will boss most of the stats and get the points too. He is playing way too well in B-game mode to slip up here, and if he finds an A-game from the bottom of his pocket, the gap in the score could be large. 

Wright to win and to get the most 180s – 13/20