Grand Prix Darts Tips: Big boys can handle hot atmosphere

Darts / Alex Lee / 08 October 2011 / Leave a Comment

Big Phil knows what to do at the business end

"Handling the atmosphere will be of vital importance this evening with the noise at the New City West Convention Centre in Dublin having increased in decibels night-on-night since the tournament started on Monday."

Alex Lee gets his betting boots on again for two days of tips at the World Grand Prix

The oft-used phrase 'trebles for show, doubles for dough' has never been more appropriate than during the last few days of darts in Dublin. Unlike all other darts majors, each and every leg in the World Grand Prix relies on starting on a double as well as finishing on one. And oh how this has separated the William Tells from the Blind Pews.

The four semi-finalists are Brendan Dolan, James Wade, Phil Taylor and Richie Burnett. All have held their nerve to hit their doubles at the beginning and the end of enough legs to progress this far.

The biggest surprise for me has been Burnett, who despite showing some great form to reach his first televised semi for ten years, hasn't smiled all tournament. At least when Taylor sends him packing tonight he won't have to alter any of his facial muscles.

Dolan, meanwhile, has no big tournament pedigree to speak of (his best performance to date coming in the 2008 Ulster Open) and will find the semi-final atmosphere just that little bit too hot when he faces Wade. He may, however, hold it together enough to edge it on the most 180s market as he has hit 11 so far this week against Wade's six, and this provides the value bet of the round.

Handling the atmosphere will be of vital importance this evening with the noise at the New City West Convention Centre in Dublin having increased in decibels night-on-night since the tournament started on Monday. This is one of the factors I've taken into consideration for selecting my two semi-final winners - Wade and Taylor - as they tend to save their best darts for the biggest, noisiest crowds and tonight's capacity audience won't be composed of mute librarians.

Recommended Bets
Back a Wade/Taylor double @ [1.75]
Back Taylor -3.5 @ [1.6]
Back Dolan to score most 180s @ [3.0]

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Super League Betting: Can Kyle handle the pressure and keep Saints marching on?

Super League / Ralph Ellis / 23 February 2011 / Leave a Comment

Will Eastmond's dilemma jeopardise St Helens' form?

"It’s a lot easier to make promises than to deliver on the pitch and Friday’s meeting with Warrington Wolves will be an acid test for Eastmond."

Kyle Eastmond has both codes of rugby at his feet - or his hands - so will he switch to union or stick with league? Ralph Ellis wonders if the youngster might struggle with the pressure in the mean-time.

Kyle Eastmond is a wanted man. St Helens are throwing money at him to try to persuade him to stay. Bath are offering him riches to convert to rugby union. Sale are bidding big bucks too and also dangling the carrot that he can continue to leave in the North West.

Two weeks into a new Super League season and it looks as if the future of the superbly talented scrum half could turn into one of those sporting sagas that drags on. Will he leave, won't he leave? If he does where will he go? Can he convert from one code to another or will he, like Sam Tomkins, come crawling back with his tail between his legs? And meanwhile at the tender age of 21, Eastmond himself has got to put all those issues aside and go on playing until the end of this season before his current Saints deal runs out.

That won't be easy. There are always deep suspicions, in any sport, about players who are running down their contract. Fans hate the thought of paying to watch somebody whose loyalties already lie elsewhere. I remember watching a puzzled Steve McManaman trying to understand why Liverpool fans turned against him in the last few months of his final season at Anfield. He tried to leave the honest way, making public that he'd organised a move to Real Madrid. And still he was made the scapegoat for Gerard Houllier's first miserable season.

Already there are signs that Eastmond might have to face the same sort of flak. Look at the fans' forums and many of them singled him out for St Helens' poor first half in their Millenium meeting with Wigan. Never mind his part in a great comeback, he was already being cast as the villain. He didn't get too much credit for his two try role in helping thrash Salford last Friday night either.

It all adds to the pressure on a player who, for all his talent, is still only a kid with barely two seasons experience behind him. And you worry that it will start to take its toll.
Eastmond is saying all the right things. Saints coach Royce Simmons reveals today: "If he does end up leaving he's told me he'll be focused on doing everything for Saints while he's here." But it's a lot easier to make promises than to deliver on the pitch and Friday's meeting with Warrington Wolves - the club's first game in their temporary Widnes home - will be an acid test.

Saints are [1.51] in the early market for the live Sky game and that's far too short. They will be without injured Great Britain star Leon Pryce and youngster Sean Magennis is also missing after hurting his wrist during his dazzling display of promise against Salford. Watch the market develop and if you can lay them at anywhere around [1.8] then dive in.

Five things you might not know about Kyle Eastmond

1. Born July 1989 in Oldham, he went to school at the local comprehensive The Radclyffe School, and credits his mum with inspiring his rugby career by making sure he always got to training nights after joining St Helens aged 13.
2. He still lives in Oldham - he bought his first house in January 2009 when he moved out of mum and dad's place
3. He was the star of St Helens Academy, playing in two Academy Grand finals and then two reserve Grand Finals
4. In his first season in Super League, 2009, he scored all of Saints ten points in their Grand Final defeat by Leeds
5. He is a cousin of Arsenal midfielder Craig Eastmond, currently on loan at Millwall

Kyle Eastmond has both codes of rugby at his feet - or his hands - so will he switch to union or stick with league? Ralph Ellis wonders if the youngster might struggle with the pressure in the mean-time....

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