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 18 taking place? Monday 4th 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
STEPHEN BUNTING
2020/21 SEASON SO FAR
Best Results in PDC Ranking Tournaments
Semi-finals x1
Last 16 x3
Stats in PDC Players Championship tournaments
Average – 94.61
180s – 56 (0.29 per leg)
H2H
vs Kim Huybrechts
W2, L3
Last meeting: Kim Huybrechts 3-0 Stephen Bunting (Oct 2016 – World Grand Prix)
vs Nathan Derry
N/A
vs Harald Leitinger
N/A
PROSPECTS
Stephen Bunting had a decent start to the season prior to the disruption of the tour. The former BDO World Champion reached the semi-finals of a Players Championship event in February and also had a run to the last 16 at the UK Open. He is the highest ranked player in the group and is the favourite to qualify.
KIM HUYBRECHTS
2020/21 SEASON SO FAR
Best Results in PDC Ranking Tournaments
Semi-finals x1
Last 32 x3
Stats in PDC Players Championship tournaments
Average – 94.16
180s – 34 (0.21 per leg)
H2H
vs Stephen Bunting
W3, L2
Last meeting: Kim Huybrechts 3-0 Stephen Bunting (Oct 2016 – World Grand Prix)
vs Nathan Derry
W2, L0
Last meeting: Kim Huybrechts 6-2 Nathan Derry (Oct 2016 – Players Championship)
vs Harald Leitinger
N/A
PROSPECTS
Kim Huybrechts has slipped down the rankings over the last three years but showed glimpses of his old form with a run to the last 16 at the World Championship last December. More recently, he also made an appearance in the semi-finals of the last Players Championship event before the tour was halted.
NATHAN DERRY
2020/21 SEASON SO FAR
Best Results in PDC Ranking Tournaments
Last 128 x5
Stats in PDC Players Championship tournaments
Average – 84.85
180s – 4 (0.11 per leg)
H2H
vs Stephen Bunting
N/A
vs Kim Huybrechts
W0, L2
Last meeting: Kim Huybrechts 6-2 Nathan Derry (Oct 2016 – Players Championship)
vs Harald Leitinger
N/A
PROSPECTS
Nathan Derry has struggled to reach the latter stages in tournaments on the PDC circuit since winning his Tour Card back at Q School in 2019. Obviously in a format like this there have been some surprises, but I don’t think he will have the consistency to qualify.
HARALD LEITINGER
2020/21 SEASON SO FAR
Best Results in PDC Ranking Tournaments
Last 64 x3
Last 128 x4
Stats in PDC Players Championship tournaments
Average – 86.66
180s – 10 (0.14 per leg)
H2H
vs Stephen Bunting
N/A
vs Kim Huybrechts
N/A
vs Nathan Derry
N/A
PROSPECTS
Austria's Harald Leitinger earned his PDC Tour Card at the start of this year by winning eight matches on the first day of European Q School. He didn’t have any eye-catching runs in the early months of the season though and looks unlikely to claim top spot in this section.
THREE PICKS FROM 3 DART ANALYST
Stephen Bunting -2.5 handicap vs Harald Leitinger
Bunting can make a strong start to his campaign with a win against Leitinger in the opening fixture of the night. Opting for a -2.5 handicap looks to be good value, too.
Kim Huybrechts to win and score the most 180s vs Nathan Derry
I expect Huybrechts to enjoy the freedom of a tournament which brings a lot less pressure than the regular tour and I am picking him to put in a good display whilst also hitting the most 180s in this particular contest.
Over 104.5 checkout – Stephen Bunting vs Kim Huybrechts
Both of these players are very competent at taking out ton-plus combination finishes, and as I think this match could last at least eight legs we might have a good chance of seeing at least one of over 104.5.
