Whitlock Looking for Newcastle Miracle

Simon Whitlock is on the brink of elimination from this year’s Premier League as he and Adrian Lewis battle it out for the one remaining semi-final spot.

Whitlock must defeat Phil Taylor and hope that Gary Anderson beats Lewis whilst also overturning an eight-leg difference if he is to achieve a top four finish. Had the Aussie not been playing the unrelenting force that is Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor then perhaps it could have been conceivable for him to win convincingly whilst Lewis also lost by a large margin. However, he is playing The Power and he won’t be going through to the next round.

One betting market where Taylor can be got at is the 180s column. When the pair last met in week six of the Premier League the 15-time World Champion scored five 180s to Whitlock’s four. But over the course of the tournament The Wizard has 53 maximums compared to Taylor’s ever so slightly inferior 52. Taylor also has a tendency to experiment/showboat a little when the job is already done, as it is in the Premier League group stages this year. At odds of 6/4 it is worth taking a chance of Whitlock hitting the most 180s in this match.

Lewis could make Whitlock’s result irrelevant by repeating his 2011 World Championship final victory over Anderson, earlier in the night. Even if Lewis can get a point against the Scot Whitlock will be eliminated.

Jackpot comes into the match on the back of consecutive wins in the Premier League while Anderson lost last time out against Raymond van Barneveld. Although Anderson is a genuine challenger to Taylor when on form he currently lacks the consistency required to topple The Power from his perch.

Lewis showed in Glasgow earlier this year that his win over Anderson in the World Championship final was no fluke, and odds of 15/8 on him completing the Premier League double are worth backing.

The night’s other fixtures are effectively dead rubber matches – although Barney could move above Anderson in the table it wouldn’t make a difference to the semi-final pairings as the two will play against each other no matter who finishes highest in the table.

The Dutchman is the 1/2 favourite to beat bottom-of-the-table Mark Webster, and in the night’s opening match James Wade is the 8/11 favourite to beat perennial underachiever Terry Jenkins.

This year’s Premier League promised to be one of the most exciting we’ve ever seen and the group stages haven’t disappointed. Lets hope that finals night next week also lives up to expectations.