One of the highlights of the festive period, as far as sports fans are concerned, is the World Darts Championship, which takes place across the Christmas and New Year spell each year. It’s the showpiece event on the darts calendar, bringing together all the best players from across the world to battle it out for the world title.
It’s no surprise that Gerwyn Price leads the way in the darts odds ahead of the prestigious event at Alexandra Palace. But there a number of players who will have a major say in trying to deny the Welshman a second successive world crown. Read on, as we take a look at five players hoping to cause a stir at Ally Pally.
Michael van Gerwen
It’s hard to believe it’s been three years since Michael van Gerwen last won the PDC World Darts Championship. He contested the 2020 final against Peter Wright, losing out 7-3, before falling at the quarter-final stage of the 2021 event.
When the Dutchman is in full flow, few can compete with MVG. If he can get on a roll and produce some of his best darts at Alexandra Palace, he’ll have every chance of winning the tournament. It’s been a while since Van Gerwen won a truly top-tier event, but he can never be ruled out.
Peter Wright
We all remember Wright’s 2020 World Championship win with great fondness, as an emotional ‘Snakebite’ overcame Van Gerwen to achieve his dream of winning the big one. The 51-year-old has enjoyed some good results in 2021, winning both the World Matchplay and the Players Championship Finals, suggesting that he is in good form heading to Ally Pally.
Without the pressure of being the defending champion, Wright could flourish this time around and make up for exiting in the third round last winter.
Fallon Sherrock
It’s understandable that people are keeping a close eye on Fallon Sherrock after she sensationally made it to the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam of Darts recently, becoming the first female player to make it to that stage.
Sherrock is on a potential collision course with Price, which is a mouth-watering prospect for darts fans. She’ll be giving her all to try and turn a few heads at Alexandra Palace.
Jonny Clayton
If you’re looking at the form guide or the darts predictions from Betfair, Jonny Clayton is certainly one to watch out for at the World Championship this year. Having won four PDC premier events in 2021 — the World Grand Prix, the Premier League, the Masters and the World Series Finals — the Welshman will be supremely confident in his own game.
That kind of form means Clayton will take some stopping, but the greatest misgiving is his prior record at the World Championship. He has never made it past the round of 32, could this be the year he turns things around?
Gary Anderson
What about Gary Anderson? The Scot upset the odds last year by reaching the World Championship final, and although he was outclassed by Price in the showpiece match, he proved he still has what it takes to produce his best on the big occasion.
Anderson can be found at odds of around 33/1 to win the title this year, the result of a poor season overall. However, he turned on the style at Ally Pally last year, and there’s no reason why he couldn’t do the same again.
