Unibet PDC Home Tour – Group 17 Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
What is the Unibet PDC Home Tour? With the PDC Tour currently on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, the PDC have devised the tournament to supply some darting action to players and fans, with all matches are being streamed live from the homes of the players who are involved.
Who is taking part in the Unibet PDC Home Tour? All 128 PDC Tour Card holders were invited to take part, though there are some absences, the most notable being Michael van Gerwen due to the birth of his second child earlier this month, whilst Gary Anderson and Daryl Gurney are both missing due to internet connection problems.
What is the format of the Unibet PDC Home Tour? Each night, four players compete in a round-robin format with matches played over the best-of-nine legs, with the 32 group winners qualifying for the second stage of the event.
When is the Unibet PDC Home Tour Group 17 taking place? Sunday 3rd May, 2020 – 19:30 start (UK)
Where can I watch the Unibet 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.
THE PLAYERS
JOHN HENDERSON
2020/21 SEASON SO FAR
Best Results in PDC Ranking Tournaments
Last 32 x3
Last 64 x5
Stats in PDC Players Championship tournaments
Average – 94.45
180s – 50 (0.28 per leg)
H2H
vs Damon Heta
N/A
vs Gary Blades
W1, L0
Last meeting: John Henderson 6-4 Gary Blades (Feb 2020 – Players Championship)
vs Krzysztof Kciuk
N/A
PROSPECTS
Popular Scotsman John Henderson is the highest ranked player in this group. Hendo is a vastly experienced player and a formidable opponent when he is in full flow, though prior to the disruption of the tour he hadn’t reached the last 16 in any of the ranking events played this season.
DAMON HETA
2020/21 SEASON SO FAR
Best Results in PDC Ranking Tournaments
Last 32 x2
Last 64 x2
Stats in PDC Players Championship tournaments
Average – 95.85
180s – 36 (0.32 per leg)
H2H
vs John Henderson
N/A
vs Gary Blades
N/A
vs Krzysztof Kciuk
N/A
PROSPECTS
Damon Heta only joined the tour at the start of the year and he has already posted a number of impressive performances which prove that his victory at the 2019 Brisbane Masters where he defeated James Wade, Gary Anderson, Simon Whitlock and Rob Cross on his way to the title was no fluke.
GARY BLADES
2020/21 SEASON SO FAR
Best Results in PDC Ranking Tournaments
Last 32 x2
Last 64 x2
Stats in PDC Players Championship tournaments
Average – 85.33
180s – 20 (0.17 per leg)
H2H
vs John Henderson
W0, L1
Last meeting: John Henderson 6-4 Gary Blades (Feb 2020 – Players Championship)
vs Damon Heta
N/A
vs Krzysztof Kciuk
N/A
PROSPECTS
Gary Blades did excellently to secure a tour card on the first day of Q School in January but his performances on the circuit suggest that he might struggle to produce the consistency to challenge for top spot in this group.
KRZYSZTOF KCIUK
2020/21 SEASON SO FAR
Best Results in PDC Ranking Tournaments
Last 128 x7
Last 160 x1
Stats in PDC Players Championship tournaments
Average – 93.14
180s – 21 (0.30)
H2H
vs John Henderson
N/A
vs Damon Heta
N/A
vs Gary Blades
N/A
PROSPECTS
Poland’s Krzysztof Kciuk performed better in the early months of the year than his results suggest. He has the ability to be very competitive in this group but I think Heta and Henderson will ultimately be too good.
THREE PICKS FROM 3 DART ANALYST
Damon Heta to win the group
Heta is a quality player who will surely be rising up the rankings whenever the main tour restarts and I’m predicting him to win the group, although it will be the middle of the night in Australia where he is based so hopefully that won’t be an issue!
Damon Heta to beat Gary Blades and score the most 180s.
I expect Heta to be too good for Blades in this match and, with the Australian having a superior 180 hitting ratio on the tour than his opponent, I think it might be worth siding with him in that market too.
Over 7.5 legs – John Henderson vs Krzysztof Kciuk
John Henderson might not have it all his own way in this opening match of the night with Poland’s Krzysztof Kciuk capable of pushing him hard, so over 7.5 legs looks to be a good option.
