Darts
2023 Cazoo Players Championship Finals Preview: Humphries out to slam rivals once again
Darts is back over the weekend, with the return of the much-awaited Cazoo Players Championship Finals. This tournament is key as it offers the players one last opportunity to go into the World Championships, over the Christmas period, on a high.
Below we take you through some of the key players and what you must expect over the coming days.
Can Humphries be halted?
Luke Humphries is back in action tomorrow evening on the main stage in Minehead. He faces Martin Lukeman at the back end of the evening session, and if he continues his form from his recent Grand Slam victory it’s guaranteed to be worth the wait. Due to his recent success Humphries is unsurprisingly favourite for these finals. Wayne Mardle described him, in the week, as being ‘the best player on the planet currently’. We are offering a boosted 5/1 for the current world number four to win this weekend’s tournament as part of Wayne Mardle’s enhanced specials.
MVG’s knocking on the garden gate
No player has ever won more Players Championship Finals than Michael Van Gerwen with a total of seven tournaments resulting in ‘Mighty’ Mike being victorious. He has won this tournament in all of 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022. MVG will be keen to bounce back from his recent loss too Damon Heta, and there is no better way than for him to win his eighth Players Championship. He is 5/1 to do so. MVG also has two 9-dart finishes in this tournament in previous years including the third leg of last year’s final. Could MVG finish where he left off, he is 40/1 to have a 9-dart finish in his opening match against Callan Rydz.
Price of Gerwyn
Gerwyn Price also needs to bounce back from a recent slip up against the flying Scotsmen, Gary Anderson. Before that Gerwyn had been undefeated in 10, and this is an opportunity for him to show that was just a bump on the road to glory over this festive season. ‘Gezzy’ is also 5/1 to win this weekend. So, it’s very tight at the top of the market as hopefully it will be on the oche at Butlins come the weekend.
First-time finalists
As usual there are some new names on the schedule for the finals. Debutants include Radek Szaganski, Connor Scutt, Richard Veenstra, Mario Vandenbogaerde, Chris Landman, Daniel Klose, Lee Evans, Jules van Dongen and Dylan Slevin. Szaganski, shocked the darts world when producing a series of stunning displays to become only the second Polish player to win a PDC ranking event, cementing his position in the finals. He also kicks off the schedule playing Ian White in tomorrow afternoon’s first match. Szaganski is Evens to beat White in the opener.
