PDC Home Tour Darts – Last 32, Group 8 Predictions & Odds [June 2]

• Jonny Clayton starts rightly as a favourite to progress 
• Max Hopp is the dangerman but he’s yet to beat Clayton in three meetings
• The betting value may sit with Carl Wilkinson to defeat Scott Waites

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The second stage of the PDC Home Tour brings a slightly longer format with games now played over the best of 11 legs, rather than the first to five in the previous round. That should suit the higher-ranked players, giving them a chance to rectify a poor start in matches.

The tournament continues with the eighth and final day of the Last 32 stage with Jonny Clayton the favorite to progress to the Last 8 of the competition. It is a group that also features young German Max Hopp, Scott Waites and Carl Wilkinson. None of the four players lost a match in the first round.

Group Eight Odds

Group win odds taken on June 2, from bet365 NJ.

It Should Be Between Clayton and Hopp

This Group Eight is a tough one to call, but the pedigree players are the two highest-ranked of the quartet. Jonny Clayton won all three of his matches on Night 8 as he beat Adam Hunt 5-2, Richard North 5-3, and David Pallett 5-2 as he averaged 92.33. The world No. 15 from Llanelli in South Wales was a finalist in the 2017 Players Championship Finals and also won the PDC Austrian Darts Open in 2018. The 45-year-old plasterer by trade will fancy his chances on Tuesday evening but will have to be at his best to see off three challengers who enter the night full of confidence.

Max Hopp is Clayton’s biggest threat after coming through what became a three-man group on Night 12 in the first round after Keegan Brown was forced to withdraw because of internet issues. The 23-year-old German had been favorite to win the group anyway and duly beat Mike de Decker and Conan Whitehead to ensure his progression. The No. 23 in the world on the German Open in 2018 was also a semi-finalist in the European Championship the same year. The Maximiser has faced Clayton three times previously and lost each time. They are the only pair in this group to have played each other before.

Waites and Wilkinson Not Easy Scalps to Take

Scott Waites came through in Night 27 with three wins and a 95.83 average. He lost only five legs as he saw off Ross Smith, Ron Meulenkamp, and Steve Beaton after coming second in his group at the first time of asking. That runners up spot was no disgrace for the world ranked No. 99 as he came in behind the in-form Dave Chisnall (who we have tipped to lift the Home Event Trophy).

Waites will be taking to his oche in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and is a two-time winner of the BDO World Championship in 2013 and 2016. He won the PDC Grand Slam in 2010 but success for the 43-year-old has been harder to come by in recent years. He may find it tough to live up to his ‘Scotty 2 Hotty’ nickname in Group Eight.

Carl Wilkinson won all three of his matches on Night 13 as he dropped only five legs in victories over Steve Beaton, Callan Rydz, and Matthew Edgar. It was an impressive display from the world No. 89 in a group that possibly lacked a star turn. Wilky is another Yorkshireman and will play out of his home in Darfield. He won the Polish Open in 2018 but it is tough to make too strong a case for him on Tuesday evening.

Both Waites and Wilkinson have it in their armory to take a game or two in this group, but it should be Clayton or Hopp that tops the pile.

Hunting For The Value Bet?

Sometimes it takes a bit of scouring around the prices to find a bet that looks, in our opinion, wrongly priced.

That’s where we find betting value – where the price appears too generous.

Hopp is ranked 76 places higher than Waites in the PDC Order of Merit and yet Wilkinson is priced at the same +137 to win either game. On the basis that he has a far greater chance against Waites, that must be a price worth taking. It is not a guaranteed win, but it stands out as a great betting opportunity. Wilkinson is a player ranked 10 places in the world higher than Waites whose career appears to be on the downward curve.

Our Pick

Carl Wilkinson to beat Scott Waites at +137 with bet365. Also, Jonny Clayton can be parlayed up to +245 to win all three of his matches and that must be of interest, or you could play a safer +138 on him topping the group.