PDC World Darts: Taylor and Wright to romp into second round

With Christmas TV sinking ever further into the doldrums, if there’s one thing to be truly grateful for this Yuletide season, it’s the near ever-presence of darts to watch.

From the 18th December through to the 4th January, there is a feast of oche action to savour from the PDC World Championship, and Ladbrokes will be keeping you abreast of the wisest wagers available each day throughout.

Here’s our three best bets for day two of the tournament.

Phil Taylor to win 3-0 @ 1/2

The Power not only suffered the ignominy of a second-round exit last year, but also dropped a set in the opening round for the first time in six years as he beat Rob Szabo 3-1.

As the 2/1 favourite to win the whole tournament, we’re expecting Taylor to attack this year’s competition with renewed vigour, starting with a comfortable first-round win.

Five 3-0 victories in six years is a record that can’t be sniffed at, and Jyhan Artut is likely to be sent on his way without snatching a set at Alexandra Palace.

Over 3.5 sets in Andy Hamilton v Dave Richardson @ 8/15

However, we’re not expecting Hamilton to enjoy such an easy night against Canadian Dave Richardson, who qualified for the competition by winning the PDC Spectacular in Kingston, Ontario.

The Hammer has dropped at least a set in each of his past three opening matches at the World Championship and has endured a horrible recent run at major tournaments, failing to reach a single quarter-final this season.

Peter Wright to win 3-0 @ 7/4

Last year’s runner-up Snakebite faces one of the more interesting new faces at Alexandra Palace in the first round, with Gerwyn Price recently giving up a rugby career to focus on darts.

However, the Iceman is unlikely to enjoy his first appearance at the World Championship too much, as we’re expecting Wright to stroll through this match without dropping a set, as he has done in each of the past two years.

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

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