World Darts Championship: Tournament preview and who will win

Things start with a bang tomorrow, with reigning World champion Gerwyn Price and former title winner Adrian Lewis both on the oche, and the action will build towards a climax in the final on Monday, January 3.

Who are the likely winners? Who are the dark horses to keep an eye on? And might there be a North-Easterner lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy come the start of the new year?

WHO ARE THE FAVOURITES?

Unsurprisingly, Gerwyn Price starts as favourite to retain his crown, having seen off Gary Anderson in last year’s final to claim his first World title. The ‘Iceman’ had to miss a significant chunk of the first half of this season through Covid, but has been rediscovering his best form in recent months, claiming four titles away from the TV cameras before triumphing at the Grand Slam.

He has every chance of retaining his title, but as something of a ‘pantomime villain’, the Welshman definitely benefited from the absence of a baying crowd 12 months ago. Things will be different this time around, and he has to prove he can cope with the pressure.

Price has been saddled with a tricky enough draw in the first quarter – he might have to beat Kim Huybrechts, Stephen Bunting and either Jonny Clayton or Michael Smith just to make the semi-finals – so other leading lights have to be considered.

Michael van Gerwen has had a disappointing year by his usual high standards – it took him until November to claim his first ranking title – and the Dutchman is no longer the force of old. That said, he wouldn’t have to improve too much to be operating at a level above pretty much all of his rivals, and his experience on the Alexandra Palace stage should help. Like Price, though, he finds himself in a difficult section of the draw.

Peter Wright goes into the tournament as the number two seed, and ‘Snakebite’ was in irrepressible form during the summer, claiming five titles including a cherished first win at the World Matchplay. His form dipped in the autumn, but there were signs of life at the Grand Slam, where he finished as runner-up to Smith, and the longer format of the World Championships tends to suit him. At his best, he’s more than capable of going all the way.

WHICH OUTSIDERS ARE PRIMED FOR A RUN?

The days of a Phil Taylor or a van Gerwen dominating the sport are long gone – the talent pool at the top of the World game has arguably never been deeper, and its easy to make a case for a dozen or so players to finish the next three weeks as champion.

Dimitri van den Bergh heads to Alexandra Palace as the number five seed, and having been knocking on the door for quite a while now, this might be the year when the 27-year-old Dutchman finally lives up to his abundant promise.

The ‘Dream maker’ has had an excellent season, losing in the final of both the World Matchplay and World Series of Darts, and has twice made the quarter-finals at Ally Pally. He is in the second quarter of the draw which, on paper at least, looks by far the weakest section.

With the likes of Anderson, James Wade and Lewis seemingly on the decline, this could the tournament which witnesses a major changing of the guard. Jonny Clayton has had a stellar year, rising from 17th in the rankings into the top ten and claiming the Premier League title in his maiden year in the competition. He is definitely capable of making a major impact at the Worlds, although an early meeting with Price dampens enthusiasm somewhat.

Jose de Sousa has been one of the breakthrough stars of the season, but the Portuguese seems to have gone off the boil a bit in recent weeks, while English duo Nathan Aspinall and Michael Smith are both capable of beating anyone on their day.

For a lively outsider at around 25-1 though, don’t ignore the credentials of former World champion Rob Cross. ‘Voltage’ can blow hot and cold, but after struggling in the immediate aftermath of his World title win, he has shown promising signs this autumn, most notably when he claimed his second European title by beating van Gerwen in the final.

COULD WE SEE A NORTH-EAST WINNER?

It’s unlikely, but you never know. Glen Durrant, a three-time BDO World champion, has flown the flag for the North-East in the last few years since switching over to the PDC, but the Teessider has had a wretched 12 months, with struggles with Covid exacerbating a chronic lack of form.

It would be great to see a return to the World stage sparking an improvement in Duzza’s results, but given his problems this year, a lot has to be taken on trust. Durrant should be capable of seeing off either William O’Connor or Daniel Lauby in his first game, but a likely last-32 meeting with ‘Bully Boy’ Smith would cause problems.

Perhaps Bedlington’s Chris Dobey will be the North-Easterner to watch? ‘Hollywood’ has made at least the third round in the last three World Championships, and has enjoyed a solid season, with the highlight coming courtesy of a run to the sixth round of the UK Open. The draw has not been kind to him though, as he might have to beat the dangerous Rowby-John Rodriguez in his opening game to set up a last-32 encounter with van Gerwen.

Newcastle’s Callan Rydz has been a second-round loser at the last two World Championships, but he made the quarter-finals of the World Matchplay this season and is an improving player. He’s unseeded, which means he will have to come through a first-round game against Yuki Yamada, but provided he wins that, a second-round clash with Brendan Dolan looks negotiable.

Another Geordie, Ryan Joyce, has also qualified, and he takes on Roman Benecky on Friday afternoon. Win that, and he should have a decent chance against veteran Mervyn King in round two.

WHAT WILL BE THE OTHER MAIN TALKING POINTS?

Having been christened the ‘Queen of the Palace’ when she beat Ted Evetts and Mensur Suljovic to become the first female player to win a game at the World Championships 12 months ago, Sherrock will be involved in the stand-out game of the first round when she takes on veteran fans’ favourite Steve Beaton on Sunday night.

Sherrock has had a sensational 12 months since winning at the Worlds, beating van den Bergh to reach the final of the Nordic Darts Masters and producing a sensational 170 finish to reach the knockout stages of the Grand Slam. Beaton is a wily old campaigner, but Sherrock is capable of seeing him off. Potentially, she could play Price in the last 32.

She is not the only female player in the first round, with Lisa Ashton preparing to take on Ron Meulenkamp on Thursday night. The winner of that game goes up against Smith in the last 64.

Paul Lim is back on the World stage, preparing for his 26th World Championship appearance at the age of 67. The Singaporean made history when he became the first player to reel off a nine-darter at the Worlds in 1990, and will be hoping to enjoy more success in his first-round game against Joe Murnan on Friday night.

Also, look out for the first father and son combination to feature at the Worlds. Australian duo Raymond and Ky Smith are in the same section of the draw, with the former paired with Jamie Hughes in the first round and the latter taking on Maik Kuivenhoven for the right to go up against James Wade in round two.