The 2012 World Matchplay Darts second round starts tonight, with Adrian Lewis set for a comfortable victory against Andy Smith
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Four fascinating second round matches take place at Winter Gardens tonight, with three of the tournament favourites in action and Adrian Lewis delivered a real statement of intent when beating Robert Thornton 10-0 in his first round match.
However, we begin the night with an intriguing tussle between Michael van Gerwen and Steve Beaton, with the young Dutchman set to blaze his way into the quarter finals of the competition.
7.10pm Michael van Gerwen v Steve Beaton
Simon Whitlock is one of the best darts players in the world, although the Wizard of Oz couldn’t live with van Gerwen in their first round match as the latter ran out a 10-6 winner and the Dutchman now has Steve Beaton in his sights.
The 23-year-old finally appears to be coming of age, although Beaton also claimed something of a scalp when beating Kevin Painter in his first round match, although Painter’s average of 88 was one of the worst at Winter Gardens.
MATCH PREDICTION: Van Gerwen to win @ 8/13 with BetVictor SCORE PREDICTION: Van Gerwen to win 13-7 @ 10/1 with bet365
8.20pm James Wade v Mark Walsh
Wade made no mistake when beating Richie Burnett in his opening game and the Machine looks destined to play Adrian Lewis in a grudge match of a semi-final. It’s hard to see Walsh living with the Aldershot player.
SCORE PREDICTION: Wade to win 13-8 @ 8/1 with Sportingbet
9.30pm Raymond van Barneveld v Terry Jenkins
This could be the closest match of the night despite the bookies making Barney favourite to win. The Dutchman is always well-supported in televised tournaments although his form has been hit-and-miss for some time.
Jenkins is one of the steadier players on the circuit but was made to work hard for his place in the last sixteen against Huybrechts, with Barney taken to edge out The Bull here.
MATCH PREDICTION: van Barneveld to win @ 4/9 with BetVictor SCORE PREDICTION: van Barneveld to win 13-11 @ 11/1 with Paddy Power
10.40pm Adrian Lewis v Andy Smith
Jackpot is the headline act and some will be considering backing Lewis at a massive 250/1 (Sky Bet) to claim a 13-0 win although Smith should have too much class to avoid the whitewash and might even give the world champion something to think about.
Paul Nicholson was easily beaten by The Pieman and he has nothing to lose against a player that can produce fireworks if allowed to dominate the early stages of a match. We expect Lewis to get the job done without too much fuss.
MATCH PREDICTION: Lewis to win @ 1/6 with Betfred SCORE PREDICTION: Lewis to win 13-3 @ 20/1 with Sportingbet
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