Double Dutch best bet on Premier League Darts return

Defending champion Michael van Gerwen is favourite to retain his Premier League Darts crown as the new season begins at the Liverpool Echo Arena.

The Dutch world number one faces the legendary Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor in a mouth-watering encounter that headlines week one.

Compatriot Raymond van Barneveld faces an easier task against Scotsman Gary Anderson and Coral are giving great odds of 9/2 for the two Netherlands darting giants to pull off a double victory.

Elsewhere in tonight’s event, another clash-of-the-titans battle between Australian Simon Whitlock and Adrian Lewis of England will take place. Lewis is the favourite at 4/5, but interestingly the 2011 league runner-up historically has a poor form-record after the Christmas period.

Therefore Whitlock’s 2/1 odds look the more enticing, and it seems there will be more English misery after three months of Aussie Ashes torture in the cricket! Odds of an all-England victory double of Taylor and Lewis doesn’t sound very appealing at 7/2.

Scot Peter Wright, who shone brightly with appearance and performance at the World Championships – where he was courageously beaten in the final – also takes the stage tonight against Fleetwood’s Wes ‘The Warrior’ Newton, in a preview to this weekend’s rugby union match-up between Scotland and England in the Six Nations for the Calcutta Cup.

The eccentric Wright said: “Wes will have the crowd on his side so I will try and turn them on to my side. It will be a good battle I don’t know what the score will be but it’s going to be a win for me.” As it seems he already knows the result, you can back Wright at 10/11 to guarantee a return!

In what promises to be a fantastic night of darts, you can also put your money on any player completing a nine-dart finish at 4/6. Taylor holds the record for that feat with nine televised attempts and you can back him at 33/1 to complete his 10th.

If that isn’t enough for you, van Gerwen, who is not only the favourite to win the tournament at 7/4, but also for the most amount of 180s for the evening at 7/2 as well as highest checkout with odds of 11/2.

Needless to say, ‘The Power’ will have something to say about it, however, with odds of 2/1, 12/1 and 11/2 respectively.