2018 PDC World Championship- Alexandra Palace, London-14th December 2017- 1st January 2018

[Ginge]

Christopher Kempf, the new statistical analyst of the PDC, looks at Michael van Gerwen's bid to retain the William Hill World Darts Championship title.

IN the space of 20 minutes during the William Hill World Darts Championship third round, Michael van Gerwen went from winning his 16th consecutive leg in the event to losing seven consecutive legs for the first time in more than a year.

The invincible second-round Van Gerwen, who whitewashed James Wilson in legs on December 23, was replaced on December 27 by a less authoritative and more reckless presence.

In the end, Van Gerwen weathered a whitewashing in the fourth set, in which the explosive Gerwyn Price averaged nearly 119, and recovered just in time to save the fifth set from the Welshman's missed set-deciding darts.

The players remaining in the World Championship quarter-finals, while under no illusions about the potential of the world number one, will be cheered to see a few holes wearing through the thick green armour of of the reigning champion.

It often seems as if matches are won and lost in Michael van Gerwen's head. His evaluation of his opponents' capabilities can determine the level to which he raises his game - and if he is mistaken, he is in for an unpleasant surprise.

While the Dutch superstar has a great talent for reserving his best darts for his most dangerous rivals, he often looks unprepared when an underdog puts forth an unexpectedly resilent effort.

Recall Van Gerwen's close shave two years ago against German debutant Rene Eidams, who had averaged 69 in the preliminary round.

Van Gerwen averaged 102.5, without dropping a leg, in the first two sets - and then, likely feeling that the match had already been won, played with far less aggression and urgency.

Six of the next seven legs went the way of Eidams, as Van Gerwen's average dropped into the low 90s. The result was that Eidams pushed Van Gerwen all the way to a sixth leg in the final set, nearly causing a monumental upset.

Two years later, a similar situation occurred. Coming into the match, Michael van Gerwen had never lost to his Welsh rival, and had whitewashed Price twice in their past three meetings.

The few matches they have recently played have decided by scores nearly as lopsided: 30 of the previous 35 legs contested by the two went the Dutchman's way.

Again, Van Gerwen took a 2-0 lead in sets - this time with the aid of a 170 finish. Again, Van Gerwen lost six of the next seven legs, allowing Price to tie the score at 2-2.

But this time he was facing a more dangerous opponent in Gerwyn Price, and put himself in grave danger in the fifth set as he struggled to recover his dominant form.

Price matched him dart-for-dart, causing his opponent to struggle under pressure despite recording a 104 average in the set.

Van Gerwen missed a double with his last dart in hand in the first four legs, giving Price chances to win each of the five in the set.

Even with a more comfortable lead in the final set, he missed an agonizing six match darts before finally finding his way into double seven - and not before Price had secured another chance to force another set-deciding leg on tops.

Set play has not come easy to Michael van Gerwen, who is accustomed to winning matches in which every leg is as relevant to the score as any other, but he wound up as the unlikely beneficiary of the unforgiving format.

In winning as many legs as Price in the third round (13-13), Van Gerwen's only major advantage in the match was his ability to win all three of the match's set-deciding legs.

Had Price put forward a stronger effort in the first two deciders, the match, all other things being equal, could have turned into a 4-0 rout, with Price winning handily by a score of 12-5 in legs.

When considering a player as adept as Michael at hitting trebles, it is astonishing to think that the World Champion, over the past two weeks, has missed "big numbers" - the largest targets on the dartboard - at a rate exceeding one in every eight attempts.

A missed single 20 in the sixth set, for instance, forced him away from his favorite double, D16, to one of his worst, D6, allowing Price a chance to set up a finish and apply pressure.

Poor strategic decisions also plagued his third-round match: a dart at treble 19 left him with a score of 99, where a treble 20 would have left a far easier 96.

After missing the first treble for a 153 finish to save a set, Van Gerwen hit two bullseyes out of frustration, leaving himself with 33 where a treble would have given him an extra dart at double if he returned to the board.

Van Gerwen's talent can sometimes be a vulnerability if it lets him down, even for a moment.

The trouble for Van Gerwen's likely opponents in final three rounds of the World Championship - particularly quarter-final opponent Raymond van Barneveld - is that he will expect to be pushed to the limit, and will respond accordingly.

Van Barneveld will recall, not fondly, his semi-final obliteration at the hands of his rival last year, and Phil Taylor, Gary Anderson and Rob Cross are all still smarting from televised defeats as well.

He is still the best treble-hitter and double-hitter on the world stage, and no lead is safe against him, but Van Gerwen is, paradoxically, most vulnerable when he holds his biggest advantage - when he, the proverbial hare confident in his lead, goes asleep.

A few mistakes and miscalculations later, and suddenly his opponent has raced ahead, putting him within striking distance of a notorious victory.

Follow Christopher Kempf on Twitter through @Ochepedia

TLDR

[tapsa]

This is why I love set game!!

[ChrisW]

Oh yes!

[ssjsa]

William Hill World Darts Championship
Thursday December 28
Quarter-Finals
Friday December 29
Afternoon Session (12.30pm)

Jamie Lewis (101.26) 5 (9) 0 (91.85)Darren Webster
Dimitri Van den Bergh (98.60) 4 (9) 5 (97.13) Rob Cross

Evening Session (7pm)

Michael van Gerwen (102.91) 5 (9) 4 (98.76) Raymond van Barneveld
Phil Taylor v Gary Anderson

[ChrisW]

Not that convincing from MVG. Semis could be his downfall.

[BlueSpark]

Barney missing those 3 darts a killer. Could have won 2 of the sets he lost early doors aswell. An opportunity squandered.

[BlueSpark]

Delighted if Taylor goes out here.
I'll be cheering on Ando that's for sure.

[Demonloy]

Brilliant game, thought Barneveld played really well MVG was great but also proved he is beatable. MVG to me is an ultimate champion he is always good in defeat but with Taylor I think because he was so dominant he wasn’t as used to defeat. If MVG can dominate AND be as magnanimous in defeat throughout his career then he can eclipse Taylor.

[BlueSpark]

IMG_0410.PNG (153.23 KiB) Viewed 499 times

[craigmc]

Slow start but a good game with a few twists. Fine margins and the early sets cost Barney.Still he did better than I expected

[Ginge]

IMG_0410.PNG

Would be wanking hinself blind if it was Hurrell and Hughes up there chucking the same scores.

[ssjsa]

Delighted if Taylor goes out here.
I'll be cheering on Ando that's for sure.

Well done Sparky.

[ssjsa]

This should be good. It's time for the back to back, two time Champion of the Wooorld- Gary Anderson

Hope Ando comes out of the traps quickly and silences the crowd early on.

[Ginge]

Christopher Kempf, the new statistical analyst of the PDC, looks at Michael van Gerwen's bid to retain the William Hill World Darts Championship title.

IN the space of 20 minutes during the William Hill World Darts Championship third round, Michael van Gerwen went from winning his 16th consecutive leg in the event to losing seven consecutive legs for the first time in more than a year.

The invincible second-round Van Gerwen, who whitewashed James Wilson in legs on December 23, was replaced on December 27 by a less authoritative and more reckless presence.

In the end, Van Gerwen weathered a whitewashing in the fourth set, in which the explosive Gerwyn Price averaged nearly 119, and recovered just in time to save the fifth set from the Welshman's missed set-deciding darts.

The players remaining in the World Championship quarter-finals, while under no illusions about the potential of the world number one, will be cheered to see a few holes wearing through the thick green armour of of the reigning champion.

It often seems as if matches are won and lost in Michael van Gerwen's head. His evaluation of his opponents' capabilities can determine the level to which he raises his game - and if he is mistaken, he is in for an unpleasant surprise.

While the Dutch superstar has a great talent for reserving his best darts for his most dangerous rivals, he often looks unprepared when an underdog puts forth an unexpectedly resilent effort.

Recall Van Gerwen's close shave two years ago against German debutant Rene Eidams, who had averaged 69 in the preliminary round.

Van Gerwen averaged 102.5, without dropping a leg, in the first two sets - and then, likely feeling that the match had already been won, played with far less aggression and urgency.

Six of the next seven legs went the way of Eidams, as Van Gerwen's average dropped into the low 90s. The result was that Eidams pushed Van Gerwen all the way to a sixth leg in the final set, nearly causing a monumental upset.

Two years later, a similar situation occurred. Coming into the match, Michael van Gerwen had never lost to his Welsh rival, and had whitewashed Price twice in their past three meetings.

The few matches they have recently played have decided by scores nearly as lopsided: 30 of the previous 35 legs contested by the two went the Dutchman's way.

Again, Van Gerwen took a 2-0 lead in sets - this time with the aid of a 170 finish. Again, Van Gerwen lost six of the next seven legs, allowing Price to tie the score at 2-2.

But this time he was facing a more dangerous opponent in Gerwyn Price, and put himself in grave danger in the fifth set as he struggled to recover his dominant form.

Price matched him dart-for-dart, causing his opponent to struggle under pressure despite recording a 104 average in the set.

Van Gerwen missed a double with his last dart in hand in the first four legs, giving Price chances to win each of the five in the set.

Even with a more comfortable lead in the final set, he missed an agonizing six match darts before finally finding his way into double seven - and not before Price had secured another chance to force another set-deciding leg on tops.

Set play has not come easy to Michael van Gerwen, who is accustomed to winning matches in which every leg is as relevant to the score as any other, but he wound up as the unlikely beneficiary of the unforgiving format.

In winning as many legs as Price in the third round (13-13), Van Gerwen's only major advantage in the match was his ability to win all three of the match's set-deciding legs.

Had Price put forward a stronger effort in the first two deciders, the match, all other things being equal, could have turned into a 4-0 rout, with Price winning handily by a score of 12-5 in legs.

When considering a player as adept as Michael at hitting trebles, it is astonishing to think that the World Champion, over the past two weeks, has missed "big numbers" - the largest targets on the dartboard - at a rate exceeding one in every eight attempts.

A missed single 20 in the sixth set, for instance, forced him away from his favorite double, D16, to one of his worst, D6, allowing Price a chance to set up a finish and apply pressure.

Poor strategic decisions also plagued his third-round match: a dart at treble 19 left him with a score of 99, where a treble 20 would have left a far easier 96.

After missing the first treble for a 153 finish to save a set, Van Gerwen hit two bullseyes out of frustration, leaving himself with 33 where a treble would have given him an extra dart at double if he returned to the board.

Van Gerwen's talent can sometimes be a vulnerability if it lets him down, even for a moment.

The trouble for Van Gerwen's likely opponents in final three rounds of the World Championship - particularly quarter-final opponent Raymond van Barneveld - is that he will expect to be pushed to the limit, and will respond accordingly.

Van Barneveld will recall, not fondly, his semi-final obliteration at the hands of his rival last year, and Phil Taylor, Gary Anderson and Rob Cross are all still smarting from televised defeats as well.

He is still the best treble-hitter and double-hitter on the world stage, and no lead is safe against him, but Van Gerwen is, paradoxically, most vulnerable when he holds his biggest advantage - when he, the proverbial hare confident in his lead, goes asleep.

A few mistakes and miscalculations later, and suddenly his opponent has raced ahead, putting him within striking distance of a notorious victory.

Follow Christopher Kempf on Twitter through @Ochepedia

Quoted in case anyone missed it.

[BlueSpark]

IMG_0410.PNG

Would be wanking hinself blind if it was Hurrell and Hughes up there chucking the same scores.

He is a cretin.

Mark Daniels : Bigworm #SupportWorldDarts
·
6h
It really is great to watch an entire darts tourney from the comfort of your arm chair without spending hundreds of pounds like we always do at every event. #TheFutureOfSupportingWorldDarts #WakeyWakey

[Ginge]

IMG_0410.PNG

Would be wanking hinself blind if it was Hurrell and Hughes up there chucking the same scores.

He is a cretin.

Mark Daniels : Bigworm #SupportWorldDarts
·
6h
It really is great to watch an entire darts tourney from the comfort of your arm chair without spending hundreds of pounds like we always do at every event. #TheFutureOfSupportingWorldDarts #WakeyWakey

Ah yes the hundreds of pounds he has to borrow.

[BlueSpark]

Christopher Kempf, the new statistical analyst of the PDC, looks at Michael van Gerwen's bid to retain the William Hill World Darts Championship title.

IN the space of 20 minutes during the William Hill World Darts Championship third round, Michael van Gerwen went from winning his 16th consecutive leg in the event to losing seven consecutive legs for the first time in more than a year.

The invincible second-round Van Gerwen, who whitewashed James Wilson in legs on December 23, was replaced on December 27 by a less authoritative and more reckless presence.

In the end, Van Gerwen weathered a whitewashing in the fourth set, in which the explosive Gerwyn Price averaged nearly 119, and recovered just in time to save the fifth set from the Welshman's missed set-deciding darts.

The players remaining in the World Championship quarter-finals, while under no illusions about the potential of the world number one, will be cheered to see a few holes wearing through the thick green armour of of the reigning champion.

It often seems as if matches are won and lost in Michael van Gerwen's head. His evaluation of his opponents' capabilities can determine the level to which he raises his game - and if he is mistaken, he is in for an unpleasant surprise.

While the Dutch superstar has a great talent for reserving his best darts for his most dangerous rivals, he often looks unprepared when an underdog puts forth an unexpectedly resilent effort.

Recall Van Gerwen's close shave two years ago against German debutant Rene Eidams, who had averaged 69 in the preliminary round.

Van Gerwen averaged 102.5, without dropping a leg, in the first two sets - and then, likely feeling that the match had already been won, played with far less aggression and urgency.

Six of the next seven legs went the way of Eidams, as Van Gerwen's average dropped into the low 90s. The result was that Eidams pushed Van Gerwen all the way to a sixth leg in the final set, nearly causing a monumental upset.

Two years later, a similar situation occurred. Coming into the match, Michael van Gerwen had never lost to his Welsh rival, and had whitewashed Price twice in their past three meetings.

The few matches they have recently played have decided by scores nearly as lopsided: 30 of the previous 35 legs contested by the two went the Dutchman's way.

Again, Van Gerwen took a 2-0 lead in sets - this time with the aid of a 170 finish. Again, Van Gerwen lost six of the next seven legs, allowing Price to tie the score at 2-2.

But this time he was facing a more dangerous opponent in Gerwyn Price, and put himself in grave danger in the fifth set as he struggled to recover his dominant form.

Price matched him dart-for-dart, causing his opponent to struggle under pressure despite recording a 104 average in the set.

Van Gerwen missed a double with his last dart in hand in the first four legs, giving Price chances to win each of the five in the set.

Even with a more comfortable lead in the final set, he missed an agonizing six match darts before finally finding his way into double seven - and not before Price had secured another chance to force another set-deciding leg on tops.

Set play has not come easy to Michael van Gerwen, who is accustomed to winning matches in which every leg is as relevant to the score as any other, but he wound up as the unlikely beneficiary of the unforgiving format.

In winning as many legs as Price in the third round (13-13), Van Gerwen's only major advantage in the match was his ability to win all three of the match's set-deciding legs.

Had Price put forward a stronger effort in the first two deciders, the match, all other things being equal, could have turned into a 4-0 rout, with Price winning handily by a score of 12-5 in legs.

When considering a player as adept as Michael at hitting trebles, it is astonishing to think that the World Champion, over the past two weeks, has missed "big numbers" - the largest targets on the dartboard - at a rate exceeding one in every eight attempts.

A missed single 20 in the sixth set, for instance, forced him away from his favorite double, D16, to one of his worst, D6, allowing Price a chance to set up a finish and apply pressure.

Poor strategic decisions also plagued his third-round match: a dart at treble 19 left him with a score of 99, where a treble 20 would have left a far easier 96.

After missing the first treble for a 153 finish to save a set, Van Gerwen hit two bullseyes out of frustration, leaving himself with 33 where a treble would have given him an extra dart at double if he returned to the board.

Van Gerwen's talent can sometimes be a vulnerability if it lets him down, even for a moment.

The trouble for Van Gerwen's likely opponents in final three rounds of the World Championship - particularly quarter-final opponent Raymond van Barneveld - is that he will expect to be pushed to the limit, and will respond accordingly.

Van Barneveld will recall, not fondly, his semi-final obliteration at the hands of his rival last year, and Phil Taylor, Gary Anderson and Rob Cross are all still smarting from televised defeats as well.

He is still the best treble-hitter and double-hitter on the world stage, and no lead is safe against him, but Van Gerwen is, paradoxically, most vulnerable when he holds his biggest advantage - when he, the proverbial hare confident in his lead, goes asleep.

A few mistakes and miscalculations later, and suddenly his opponent has raced ahead, putting him within striking distance of a notorious victory.

Follow Christopher Kempf on Twitter through @Ochepedia

Quoted in case anyone missed it.

Cheers

[BlueSpark]

IMG_0410.PNG

Would be wanking hinself blind if it was Hurrell and Hughes up there chucking the same scores.

He is a cretin.

Mark Daniels : Bigworm #SupportWorldDarts
·
6h
It really is great to watch an entire darts tourney from the comfort of your arm chair without spending hundreds of pounds like we always do at every event. #TheFutureOfSupportingWorldDarts #WakeyWakey

Ah yes the hundreds of pounds he has to borrow.

[markymark]

Result as expected, game have peaks and lulls. Definitely agree with those who say MVG is gettable, but do his opponents believe they can beat him?

[The Shank]

Christopher Kempf, the new statistical analyst of the PDC, looks at Michael van Gerwen's bid to retain the William Hill World Darts Championship title.

IN the space of 20 minutes during the William Hill World Darts Championship third round, Michael van Gerwen went from winning his 16th consecutive leg in the event to losing seven consecutive legs for the first time in more than a year.

The invincible second-round Van Gerwen, who whitewashed James Wilson in legs on December 23, was replaced on December 27 by a less authoritative and more reckless presence.

In the end, Van Gerwen weathered a whitewashing in the fourth set, in which the explosive Gerwyn Price averaged nearly 119, and recovered just in time to save the fifth set from the Welshman's missed set-deciding darts.

The players remaining in the World Championship quarter-finals, while under no illusions about the potential of the world number one, will be cheered to see a few holes wearing through the thick green armour of of the reigning champion.

It often seems as if matches are won and lost in Michael van Gerwen's head. His evaluation of his opponents' capabilities can determine the level to which he raises his game - and if he is mistaken, he is in for an unpleasant surprise.

While the Dutch superstar has a great talent for reserving his best darts for his most dangerous rivals, he often looks unprepared when an underdog puts forth an unexpectedly resilent effort.

Recall Van Gerwen's close shave two years ago against German debutant Rene Eidams, who had averaged 69 in the preliminary round.

Van Gerwen averaged 102.5, without dropping a leg, in the first two sets - and then, likely feeling that the match had already been won, played with far less aggression and urgency.

Six of the next seven legs went the way of Eidams, as Van Gerwen's average dropped into the low 90s. The result was that Eidams pushed Van Gerwen all the way to a sixth leg in the final set, nearly causing a monumental upset.

Two years later, a similar situation occurred. Coming into the match, Michael van Gerwen had never lost to his Welsh rival, and had whitewashed Price twice in their past three meetings.

The few matches they have recently played have decided by scores nearly as lopsided: 30 of the previous 35 legs contested by the two went the Dutchman's way.

Again, Van Gerwen took a 2-0 lead in sets - this time with the aid of a 170 finish. Again, Van Gerwen lost six of the next seven legs, allowing Price to tie the score at 2-2.

But this time he was facing a more dangerous opponent in Gerwyn Price, and put himself in grave danger in the fifth set as he struggled to recover his dominant form.

Price matched him dart-for-dart, causing his opponent to struggle under pressure despite recording a 104 average in the set.

Van Gerwen missed a double with his last dart in hand in the first four legs, giving Price chances to win each of the five in the set.

Even with a more comfortable lead in the final set, he missed an agonizing six match darts before finally finding his way into double seven - and not before Price had secured another chance to force another set-deciding leg on tops.

Set play has not come easy to Michael van Gerwen, who is accustomed to winning matches in which every leg is as relevant to the score as any other, but he wound up as the unlikely beneficiary of the unforgiving format.

In winning as many legs as Price in the third round (13-13), Van Gerwen's only major advantage in the match was his ability to win all three of the match's set-deciding legs.

Had Price put forward a stronger effort in the first two deciders, the match, all other things being equal, could have turned into a 4-0 rout, with Price winning handily by a score of 12-5 in legs.

When considering a player as adept as Michael at hitting trebles, it is astonishing to think that the World Champion, over the past two weeks, has missed "big numbers" - the largest targets on the dartboard - at a rate exceeding one in every eight attempts.

A missed single 20 in the sixth set, for instance, forced him away from his favorite double, D16, to one of his worst, D6, allowing Price a chance to set up a finish and apply pressure.

Poor strategic decisions also plagued his third-round match: a dart at treble 19 left him with a score of 99, where a treble 20 would have left a far easier 96.

After missing the first treble for a 153 finish to save a set, Van Gerwen hit two bullseyes out of frustration, leaving himself with 33 where a treble would have given him an extra dart at double if he returned to the board.

Van Gerwen's talent can sometimes be a vulnerability if it lets him down, even for a moment.

The trouble for Van Gerwen's likely opponents in final three rounds of the World Championship - particularly quarter-final opponent Raymond van Barneveld - is that he will expect to be pushed to the limit, and will respond accordingly.

Van Barneveld will recall, not fondly, his semi-final obliteration at the hands of his rival last year, and Phil Taylor, Gary Anderson and Rob Cross are all still smarting from televised defeats as well.

He is still the best treble-hitter and double-hitter on the world stage, and no lead is safe against him, but Van Gerwen is, paradoxically, most vulnerable when he holds his biggest advantage - when he, the proverbial hare confident in his lead, goes asleep.

A few mistakes and miscalculations later, and suddenly his opponent has raced ahead, putting him within striking distance of a notorious victory.

Follow Christopher Kempf on Twitter through @Ochepedia

Quoted in case anyone missed it.

Cheers

Nice post, a very good read.