Low6 PDC Home Tour – Play-offs Group 8 Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
What is the PDC Home Tour? With the PDC Tour currently on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, the PDC devised the tournament to supply some darting action to players and fans, with all matches being streamed live from the homes of the players who are involved.
Who is taking part in the PDC Home Tour? All 128 PDC Tour Card holders were invited to take part, though there were some absences in the first phase with the most notable being Michael van Gerwen, whilst Daryl Gurney, Mensur Suljovic and Adrian Lewis were also missing. For a recap of the first phase as well as an overview of the whole tournament, visit our dedicated tournament page.
What is the format of the PDC Home Tour? The tournament is played in a round-robin format consisting of four players per group; the first phase took place over 32 consecutive evenings and we are now left with the 32 group winners, who have been separated into eight groups of four for the play-offs.
Where can I watch the PDC Home Tour? All PDC Home Tour action will be broadcast live on PDCTV for FREE to ALL registered PDCTV users, regardless of whether you have a paid or free membership.
When is the Low6 PDC Home Tour Play-offs Group 8 taking place? Tuesday 2nd June, 2020 – 19:30 start (UK)
THE PLAYERS
JONNY CLAYTON
2020 PDC HOME TOUR
Route to the play-offs
Group 8 Winner – 6pts (+8)
(95.97) Jonny Clayton 5-2 Adam Hunt (90.24)
(90.52) Jonny Clayton 5-3 Richard North (87.64)
(77.67) David Pallett 2-5 Jonny Clayton (92.81)
Stats
Average – 92.93
180s – 8 (0.36 per leg)
High finish – 118
H2H
vs Max Hopp
W3, L0
Last meeting: Jonny Clayton 6-2 Max Hopp (June 2018 – Euro Tour)
vs Carl Wilkinson
N/A
vs Scott Waites
W1, L0
Last meeting: Jonny Clayton 10-7 Scott Waites (Mar 2020 – UK Open)
PROSPECTS
Jonny Clayton comfortably qualified for the play-offs with three wins from his three matches in Group 8. He is likely to be tested more thoroughly in this section but he is the highest ranked player and the favourite to progress.
MAX HOPP
2020 PDC HOME TOUR
Route to the play-offs
Group 12 Winner – 6pts (+5)
(89.80) Max Hopp 3-5 Mike De Decker (94.61)
(81.32) Conan Whitehead 3-5 Max Hopp (81.86)
(85.98) Mike De Decker 3-5 Max Hopp (90.35)
(81.95) Max Hopp 5-2 Conan Whitehead (83.63)
Stats
Average – 85.79
180s – 1 (0.03 per leg)
High finish – 86
H2H
vs Jonny Clayton
W0, L3
Last meeting: Jonny Clayton 6-2 Max Hopp (June 2018 – Euro Tour)
vs Carl Wilkinson
N/A
vs Scott Waites
N/A
PROSPECTS
Germany’s Max Hopp had his season disrupted by illness prior to the main tour being halted. Having recovered, he earned his place in the Home Tour play-offs by topping a group which was reduced to three players due to Keegan Brown withdrawing on the night. Hopp is a very capable performer, but he faces a tough task to finish ahead of Clayton and Waites in a very tricky pool.
CARL WILKINSON
2020 PDC HOME TOUR
Route to the play-offs
Group 13 Winner – 6pts (+10)
(90.72) Matthew Edgar 0-5 Carl Wilkinson (101.55)
(88.32) Callan Rydz 3-5 Carl Wilkinson (96.12)
(88.37) Carl Wilkinson 5-2 Steve Beaton (87.88)
Stats
Average – 94.61
180s – 3 (0.15 per leg)
High finish – 160
H2H
vs Jonny Clayton
N/A
vs Max Hopp
N/A
vs Scott Waites
N/A
PROSPECTS
Carl Wilkinson was a surprise winner of Group 13 where he won all of his three matches. He notably averaged 101.55 in his opening match of that night when defeating Matt Edgar and then followed that up with an average of 96.12 in his second outing. It’s possible that he'll hit the same standard but he starts as the underdog in all three of his games in this group.
SCOTT WAITES
2020 PDC HOME TOUR
Route to the play-offs
Group 27 Winner – 6pts (+10)
(92.50) Steve Beaton 3-5 Scott Waites (97.41)
(90.54) Scott Waites 5-0 Ron Meulenkamp (93.28)
(98.97) Ross Smith 2-5 Scott Waites (98.61)
Stats
Average – 95.83
180s – 6 (0.30 per leg)
High finish – 130
*these stats only apply to the group from which qualification was achieved
H2H
vs Jonny Clayton
W0, L1
Last meeting: Jonny Clayton 10-7 Scott Waites (Mar 2020 – UK Open)
vs Max Hopp
N/A
vs Carl Wilkinson
N/A
PROSPECTS
Scott Waites played well to win all of his three matches when qualifying from Group 27 in what was his second attempt at making it through to the play-offs after finishing as runner-up behind Dave Chisnall on his previous foray in the competition. Since losing against Chizzy, Waites has won five consecutive matches in this tournament and should be a strong contender for top spot in this group.
THREE PICKS FROM 3 DART ANALYST
Scott Waites -1.5 handicap vs Carl Wilkinson
Scott Waites is more familiar with this format than most having featured in two qualifying groups and the Yorkshireman has shown enough on those occasions to suggest he is good value to win this match against Wilkinson by a margin of at least two legs.
Scott Waites to win the group
Waites has performed well enough in his previous matches in this tournament to be considered as a major contender for top spot in this group and he is my pick to make it through to the next stage.
Over 9.5 legs – Jonny Clayton vs Scott Waites
The action in this group begins with what should be a good contest between Jonny Clayton and Scott Waites. I’m expecting both players to rise to the challenge and produce a match that should last over 9.5 legs.
