Wednesday 14 December 2011 10:28, UK
Rod Harrington guides you through the pick of the action from the opening days at the darts.
ROD SAYS: I think Mark Webster v Richie Burnett, the clash of the Welshmen, could be the game of the night. Mark Webster got to the final of the Players Championship last weekend, so will be in a good mood and you'd have to put him down as favourite, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if Burnett pulls something out of the bag like he did in the Grand Prix against Gary Anderson. He's a very experienced player, who has got himself in trim and has been practising more this year and as a result his performances have improved. It's one of the toughest draws Webster could have got, but he takes every game as it comes and will go in there focused. It should be a right old battle.
Adrian Lewis has also been given a tough draw against Nigel Heydon. He hasn't played well this year, I believe that the pressure of being the world champion has had a bearing on his performances at times because not only does he put pressure on himself, but his opponents seem to step it up when they have a chance to beat the world champion. He hasn't had as good a year as I expected, but I think he'll win his first match because of his scoring power. However, best-of-five sets is not a long game so he needs to stay focused against an opponent who is capable of pulling a shock out of the bag.
ROD SAYS: Phil Taylor should have few problems with his opener. He'll have been feeling down after losing to Mervyn King at the Players Championship when he didn't play up to his standards, but he will forget about that by Friday night and I don't expect him to have any trouble in his first match. I'm still backing him to win the World Championship, despite his defeat last weekend.
Keep an eye on Michael Smith, who plays against Co Stompe. Smith has hit a nine-darter on the youth tour this year and then the very next day he went on and won a Tour event. He is a very, very good player and although Co Stompe played well in the first round of the Players Championship, in the second round he didn't look great. If he repeats that performance on Friday night he should lose and in any case, I expect Smith to push him all the way - as long as he remains level-headed. Stompe will be odds-on favourite, but you won't go far wrong with a few quid on Smith!
ROD SAYS: Alan Tabern has got a lucky draw, but the other three seeds in action could be on the end of some upsets. Peter Wright has been throwing some of the best darts of his life and is rightly the favourite, but you never know what you're going to get with Jelle Klaasen. He's capable of firing off nine legs that nobody can touch and you might as well flick a coin to decide a winner there.
I expect Ronnie Baxter to win fairly comfortably, but Steve Farmer is a very good player on the tour and should push him all the way. Then I anticipate an upset for Robert Thornton because he's been very ill with pneumonia. I don't think he's over that properly and that could have a bearing when you're up there under the heat of the lights. Ian White is a former News of the World finalist and seems to be finding some form. I've watched him on the tour this year and I believe he should win that match.
ROD SAYS: Denis Ovens shouldn't have too many problems with one of those qualifiers, but the other games are interesting. I've known Magnus Caris for 25 years and he has upped his performance to stay with the new breed, but his opponent Steve Beaton is also playing some great darts and he's probably better than when he won the BDO World Championship in 1996. He should come through, but Caris has experience on the big stage and has been in good form for the last two or three weeks.
Paul Nicholson didn't play well at the Players Championship and has a tough first-round draw against Mensur Suljovic, who knows how to play darts tactically. He will try to slow Paul down and he always kicks his back leg out on his third dart - so if his opponent edges forwards early he might get a kick in the shins! Suljovic will play to the crowd and while I expect Nicholson to come through, if he doesn't stay focused he could be on the end of a shock.
ROD SAYS: James Richardson has been playing well and was the runner-up in a recent tournament in Benidorm. Barney showed some form again at the Players Championship and I expect him to win, but if he goes up there with a negative attitude he could easily get beaten. The viewers may not know Richardson, but I've seen him week-in, week-out and let me assure you he's a very good player. He has achieved more than he expected this year, so will just go up and enjoy himself - and that could be dangerous for Barney if his attitude isn't right. However, I do expect the Dutchman to win it.
Mark Dudbridge is a former World Finalist, but he messed around with his darts to try and make them go in the board like Phil Taylor's and he should never have done that. There are signs of form coming back, but he's up against a real task-master on the treble-20 in Dave Chisnall. Mark has got to make sure he doesn't give his throw away easily because Chisnall is prone to missing doubles. Mark must use all of his experience, but I expect Chisnall to outscore him and maybe win the game.
Brendan Dolan was runner-up in the Grand Prix, but he hasn't shown that sort of form since. Kim Huybrechts is a very good player from Belgium, he knows the big stage and we could see an upset there. Also, I expect Connie Finnan to win his preliminary match but Mark Walsh should have too much for him. He's experienced now and his solid throw should take him through.
