Crackpot will only have a chance if he avoids Taylor.

I've backed Mark Webster to reach the final. 40/1 at Ladbrokes, could be the eaisest £200 I've ever made.

Or any of the other top players who disrupt his flow and get into his head, such as Gary Anderson. It's a shame as I think Lewis is the most talented darts player around when on his game and can beat anyone who just lets him throw his darts at his tempo.

Watch out for Wade to play well until the crowd start singing about Miss Chamberlain. Then he starts losing it mentally.

The format of this tournament, the heat inside the venue and the threat to each player of colds/flu etc at this time of year means you have to be so strong mentally to win it. This is as much a reason for me as to why Barney won't win again.

The shout for Webster is very good and he's backed down to 16's and will fancy his chances when he plays Taylor should they both win their games up to then. The man who I think will win is Simon Whitlock who was great in his first year and looks to have the mental strength and temperament to go with his obvious ability.

LOL at Colin Lloyd yesterday punching the board.....good idea that.....no really

I was there last night and what a pleasure to see Gary Anderson perform at the top of his game, superb darts. I've never been a big Anderson fan but any darts fan has to admire a performance like that. He could be going far if he can keep his consistency. I've backed King and Webster, really fancy Webster to go far again this year. His best performance by far in the PDC was at the World Cup and he only dropped two legs in his first round match.

It would be nice if he can do well.

Can see ZZ Top's missing 4th member winning it too tbh, got to let an Aussie win something

I don't care who wins as long as it's not Taylor AGAIN!!!!
And if it is Taylor (AGAIN!!!!), then the rest can hang their collective heads in shame once again, given that they couldn't topple an aging darts player who was uncharacteristically out of form and ripe for the taking.
Mind you, it's rare Taylor gets to be tested in his half of the draw.
And those that try have usually lost the game already in their heads. The guy scares the crap out of them.

Seen a lot of comments about Taylor recently making out he is on the wane or finished, what is this assesment based on? Wade, Anderson, Barney, Lewis, Whitlock and King shoul;d all be challengers.

Taylor by plenty, experience over promise/pretenders evertime!!

Until you have been there and done it on a regular basis you are nothing IMHO!

There will always be one offs/once in a lifetime players/players that win when Taylor is not at his best but until Taylor retires hes the main man IMO, I think players like James Wade/Barney are awesome aswell but they just dont quite have what Taylor does in terms of being consistent for so long(although some still have time to do the same)

Yes he may have bad spells but he will/has always bounced back so far, until he doesnt they are all basically playing for 2nd

My thoughts on round 1

a) 3 players impress...Nicholson, Webster and Anderson....2 of which are in Taylor half.

b) The first round lasts a bit too long...needs condensing with afternoon sessions

c) Taylor...averaged only the 31st best score in round1...but why am i not worried that he will breeze into the final

d) I hope Mardle qualifies next year...im not even a fan..but he is missed

e) John Part....can you please reduce your carbon footprint please...a 3 time world champion should not be slipping down the rankings like he is....he could get away with it once...but he has no longer the stamina for 10,000 miles plus per week

Firstly, nice too see you back posting on darts mate.



Spot on, not sure if you've just posted them three or in order of who you thought was best but I'd go in reverse order, Anderson, Webster and Nicholson.



It's a shame we've lost the afternoon sessions, I always go the first weekend of the tournament and the last three years we've had a full Sunday programme afternoon and evening but this year the schedule changed, started Thursday and just evening darts. Shame.



I've got my doubts, although he's being gifted a place in the last 16 by default, Part crumbling against Laursen and Nicholson doing the same this afternoon.



I hope so, he was close this year losing in the final of the qualifying stage so the signs are he's coming back. He just adds something to the tournaments - he's got a great personality that the crowd can latch onto. Ever read his book?



It's crazy, it really is. How he thinks he can travel that distance and then play a major tournament is barmy. Rod Harrington's said it for years and he's spot on when Part won his last world title he should've moved over then, he should've based himself here and I'm certain he'd be still in the top 3 of the world and won many more titles. Simon Whitlock's done it and it's paying dividends. During the Premier League he flew in from Canada every week to play and then went home again, such a ridiculous thing to do.

Taylor doesn't have to do anything ... it's like the parting of the Red Sea, as people who have beaten him get shoved aside.

It was very pleasing to watch Mark Webster hammer Baxter 4-0 whilst knowing that I had put a fiver on him at 40/1 before the tournament had even begun. A very good scorer and the darkhorse.

How weirdly did Paul Nicholson act today?

His walk on was ridiculous - wearing shades during his entrance, then smacking fans arms away acting all moody, and giving it the 'bring it on' when he got on stage.

He won the first 2 legs and started well. Then he began missing doubles and Peter Wright pulled a leg back.
In the next leg he missed doubles to win the set and the Scot won, making it 2-2.
Amazingly, Nicholson started walking off stage thinking he'd lost the first set and had to be shouted by his opponent there was a leg left to decide the set.

During the rest of the match the crowd gave him plenty of stick as he missed more and more doubles, some of the misses were miles away from hitting the target and he'd obviously let the occasion get the better of him.

Now I know he likes the bad guy image but he clearly is going to have to have a re-think about how he portrays himself if he wants a long pro career. Especially as he had to be refrained by the referee from confronting a spectator at a tournament in Bolton earlier this year after he'd lost a game.

It's a shame as he's a top player when on form as indicated by one or two posters in this thread tipping him to get to the final.

Didn't notice anything at all. Nicholson always acts like that.

And on a side note, the PDC crowd are not half a bunch of fickle, pi$$ed up morons.

Why? I can't see what was different tonight then normal?

Yeah ... you're right, they'd be happy with another Taylor victory.
Sad fookers.

He's never acted as bad as that yesterday.

Are you saying he's walked off before thinking a set had finished when it hadn't? Or missed 6 consecutive throws at the same double? Or missed a double by such a distance it only just stayed on the board?

Didn't know that James Wade and Helen Chamberlain had split up. That will help his chances of winning.

They've parted for nearly a year now.

Not her legs though ...


Poor old Wade ... he's going home as well.

Mensur Suljovic's wife is a stunner too.

I've never liked Wade; an arrogant, cocky boy from Aldershot.

Agreed. Gary Anderson was on fire this afternoon averaging 111 until the finish line was in sight then his ar5e fell out and he nearly let Priestley level it from 3-0 before winning 4-2. The pair of them were after Double One in one leg. Cracking game though.