PDC Darts: Jelle has the Klaasen to Win the Title

Best Bookies, Betting, Bookmakers, Darts, Favourite Sites, Fixed Odds, Tipsters | selectabet | December 31, 2008 at 4:13 pm

Doo-DooDooDooDoo-DooDooDooDooDoo-Doo-Doo-Doo-Doo!

One of these years I’m going to go the PDC World Darts Championship – the atmosphere looks absolutely brilliant on Sky Sports and the darts? well they’re just ‘Magic’ as Sid Waddell once famously said

And so far this year the action hasn’t let anyone down, with yesterday’s 4-0 win for Dutchman Co Stompe over Wayne ‘Hawaii 501′ Mardle providing the biggest upset of the darting extravaganza so far. In fact the men from Holland are enjoying a great tournament this year with Raymond van Barneveld seeing off Ronnie Baxter to take his place in the quarter finals and the prodigious Jelle Klaasen sealing an appointment with his fellow countryman with a resounding 4-1 victory over Andy Hamilton. But more on him in a minute.

They are all of course playing in the shadow of the greatest darts player ever, Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor who is aiming for his first World title in three years – a real drought by his standards – and is clear favourite to win the title again at 4/9 with tournament sponsors, Ladbrokes. But at such short odds he’s hardly worth backing.

Back in 2006 I made a wee bit of money after backing the then unknown 21-year-old, Jelle Klaasen, to lift the BDO World Championship. He burst onto the scene from nowhere having only taken up the game in 2003 and duly beat van Barneveld 7-5 in the final. He hasn’t quite manged to live upto the great expectations that were placed upon him at the time and has slipped to 35 in the World Rankings. But this week he’s shown signs of getting back to his best and has the tools in his locker to beat Barney, who wobbled last night against Baxter, once again in the quarters.

If he wins that one – he’s 15/8 (Bet Direct, Stan James) to do so – he then faces either Paul Nicholson or James Wade in the semis both of whom he’s well capable of beating if he can re-aquaint himself with the doubles. That should set him up with an epic finale against the legendary Taylor, where anything could happen. At 14/1 (SkyBet) I think Klaasen is worth a punt, even at each way.

He will win the PDC World Championship at some stage of his career. He might as well start now.