Pipe, Thornton and Burnett poised for post Christmas wins

While most of the country will still be wallowing in a sea of mince pies and turkey sandwiches on December 27^th those inside London’s Alexandra Palace will be feasting on something else … top notch darts action.

The Ladbrokes World Darts Championship really starts to heat up after Christmas and this trio of winners could return a handsome festive bonus with a £10 stake returning £189

Justin Pipe (-2.5) to beat Devon Petersen @ 4/5

South Africa’s Devon Petersen is through on merit after coming through a preliminary match and dispatching Steve Beaton 3-1 in the last round but he will find Justin Pipe a different prospect altogether, especially on the world’s biggest stage.

Such is the size of the skills gap between The Force and The Spartan that the Taunton man is priced as the clear 1/6 favourite.

Better value then, can be had from taking Pipe at -2.5 to boost the odds to a healthier 4/5. Given that Pipe has taken the only two previous meetings between the two 6-2 and 6-1, coming from 2.5 behind shouldn’t be too much of an ask.

Rob Thornton to beat Wes Newton @ 8/13

The Thorn against The Warrior is arguably the pick of the afternoon ties but with the Ayrshire thrower losing just one of his last five against the man from Blackpool the favourite must be backed here.

Newton has had the most recent success at Ally Pally – reaching the last eight in 2012 and 2013 – but with a superior win ratio and higher three-dart average for the year Thornton will be the more confident player.

Newton looked impressive in beating former champion John Part 4-0 last time out and while there is admittedly little to separate the two, Thornton gets the nod here.

Richie Burnett to beat Ian White 4-3 @ 11/2

Scorelines may be tricky to predict but with this pair so closely pitted against each other on the match betting front and a history of tight encounters the price on a 4-3 Burnett win is too good to overlook.

Diamond took the last match between the two 6-0 but that can be overlooked thanks to the form of the resurgent Welshman.

Burnett looked back to his best in knocking out fifth seed Andy Hamilton in the last round and with five of the last six matches between these two being settled by a deciding set, backing the Prince of Wales to edge this one could prove a shrewd move.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

Fancy a flutter? Sign up today to claim up to £50 in free bets.