PDC World Darts Championship: Day 3 Betting Tips - Afternoon Session

James Hurrell vs Jim Long

James Hurrell is set to make his debut at the PDC World Championships after a pretty solid first season on tour. Qualifying for the Players Championship Finals and the World Championship is certainly a good return.

‘Hillbilly’ has made 3 quarter-finals in Players Championship floor events and has a seasonal average of 91.42. A former WDF World Number 1, World Championship and World Masters Quarterfinalist, he’ll not be shy of the big stage. 

The experienced Canadian Jim Long returns to the Ally Pally for his second appearance, after an impressive season on the CDC tour. He won two titles over the season and lost in the final of the Continental Cup to Leonard Gates.

He beat Mickey Mansell in the first round on debut in 2019, before losing to Benito van de Pas in a very close match. He previously had a run to the Quarter Finals of the World Cup alongside Dawson Murschell in 2019 and in 2023 he beat Michael Smith in the first round of the US Darts Masters.

This is definitely going to be a close game and a tough one to call. This is, however, Hurrell’s debut here and he hasn't looked great the last month or so.

They're both very solid players but I'm just edging towards the Canadian as he’s played more on the big stages and experience can most of the time drag you through a tight game like this.

Kevin Doets vs Noa-Lynn van Leuven

Kevin Doets returns to the Alexandra Palace a year on from a great performance against Michael Smith, narrowly losing 3-2. He had a really good start to the season, reaching the Quarter Final of the Dutch Darts Masters and last 32 of the UK Open.

However, his form has certainly been on the decline over the last 6 months and he's not coming into this event with a great amount of confidence. He has only managed 7 wins in his last 20 matches, which certainly isn't good enough for someone with his undoubted ability. 

Noa-Lynn van Leuven qualified for her debut at the PDC World Championships by finishing 2nd on the Women's Series Order of Merit. She won 4 titles and was runner-up in another three.

Noa-Lynn also qualified for the Grand Slam this year but was handed a tough group which featured Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson, ultimately finishing bottom of the group. She will need to improve on her seasonal average of 81.06 to trouble Doets but she did set a record average earlier in the season on the Women's Series of 109.64.

There are certainly doubts over Kevin Doets’s form but I still expect him to come through this match fairly comfortably as Noa-Lynn hasn't performed to her ability on TV so far in her career.

Ryan Joyce vs Darius Labanauskas

Ryan Joyce is back for his 7th appearance at the PDC World Championships after another very respectable season.

In Major tournaments especially this year he's starting to make strides. He reached the semi-final of the World Grand Prix, the last 16 of the Grand Slam and a quarter-final in the recent Players Championship Finals.

He has a seasonal average of 94.02 and a win percentage of 60%. A former Quarter Finalist here in 2019 shows he can mix it with the best on the biggest stage of them all.

Darius Labanauskas was a Tour Card holder for a while until a loss of form ultimately lost him his status as a professional. He qualified for this tournament by finishing second on the PDC Nordic and Baltic Tour winning 2 events. ‘Lucky D’ is a former Quarter Finalist at Ally Pally and famously hit a 9 darter against Mike De Decker here in 2022.

This will be his 6th appearance at the World Championship and he looks in good form after winning a series at the Modus Super Series a week ago. If he plays like we’ve seen in previous years then he could be a real banana skin for Ryan Joyce. 

I think Ryan Joyce will be a little too strong in this contest after some great performances this year in front of the cameras, but I still expect Labanauskas to make a good game of it as he’s looking in good form. ‘Lucky D’ will no doubt be steady here and will be in most sets so I expect him to be competitive and nick a set.

Mike De Decker vs Luke Woodhouse

Mike De Decker has had an incredible last few months, especially in the TV Majors. He stormed to victory at the World Grand Prix with some really impressive stuff, beating Luke Humphries 6-4 in the final to win his first Major title.

The Belgian then backed that win up with a run to the last 16 of the Grand Slam and a Quarter Final at the recent Players Championship Finals, losing to Luke Littler in both.

He’s had two quarter-finals on the Euro Tour and won his first Players Championship title at PC16. ‘The Real Deal’ is certainly starting to live up to his nickname and has risen to 24 in the World rankings and will be looking for another deep run in a Major here at the World Championship.

Luke Woodhouse played as solid as he usually does yesterday, averaging 94.38 in a 3-0 demolition of Lourence Ilagan. ‘Woody’ lost only 2 legs, hit 4 180s and had a checkout percentage of 45%.

He will know it's a difficult task this afternoon but he’ll feel comfortable now after winning his first-round game and should come into this game positive about his chances.

De Decker is coming here in such great form so it's really difficult to see any other outcome than a win for the Belgian. He’s a really big power scorer and sits 8th on 180s hit for the season with 521.

Woodhouse won't just roll over and he may well nick a set but De Decker is a much better player now after his success on TV over recent months and I expect him to dominate this contest and have a deep run at this year's World Championship.