BLUE SQUARE provide a betting preview ahead of Sunday's Blue Square UK Open Welsh Regional Final - which will be streamed live on www.bluesquare.com.
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Written by Derek Bilton
THE great and the good of the darts world are out in force for the Blue Square UK Open Welsh Regional Final in Newport this Sunday, and rather unsurprisingly Phil Taylor is again the man the bookies want to keep onside.
Taylor, the 13-time World Champion, won the event last year but 'The Power' was short-circuited by Terry Jenkins at the World Matchplay in July and there have been mumblings within the trade that his reign of terror on the oche could be now at an end.
This is because as well as Jenkins and great rival Raymond van Barneveld there are a number of top youngsters coming through the ranks now, lads who are playing without fear and getting more and more used to the glare of the TV lights.
James Wade was absolutely awesome in Blackpool, with the man they call '009' dropping just 14 legs in total after the quarter-final stage, eventually blitzing Jenkins 18-7 in a high quality final to announce his arrival on the world stage.
If the Wade who ran amok in Blackpool turns up in Newport then his current odds of 12/1 will start to look very generous.
However Wade is to consistency what Ken Barlow is to 'Bling' and while he won't be without hope in Wales, I feel there are more viable alternatives.
Adrian Lewis is another youngster who could be set for a big tournament. The Stoke sensation is a massive talent but too often in the past has let his emotions get the better of him on stage.
He's been playing well of late though and given his draw could be worth a nibble at 16/1.
Michael van Gerwen is another youngster who will have his backers - if 'Mighty Mike' gets into his stride early he could take some stopping.
The 18-year-old is very much the baby of the tour but anyone who witnessed his fabulous nine-darter in the Masters of Darts tournament back in February will tell you his talent belies his tender years.
He's 20/1 to do the business in Newport, but like Wade consistency is a worry and in this type of format (best of nine legs down to the last 16, then best of 11 in the quarter-finals, semis best of 13 and the final best of 15) I'm not sure he'll be able to put it all together.
The two men I do fancy to go well in the event though both hail from the same part of the world as van Gerwen.
Van Barneveld, the Blue Square UK Open champion, has been rock solid all year and could take all the beating here.
'Barney', the reigning World Champion who has also nabbed the Las Vegas Desert Classic this year, has a decent draw and will fancy his chances of going all the way.
He also seems to have lost that fear factor when playing arch nemesis Taylor, having recorded several big wins over 'The Power' in recent months. All things considered, he looks a fair price at 7/2.
If you are looking for a bigger priced Dutchman to give you a run for your dough, then Jelle Klaasen could be the man to get with.
'The Young Matador' has taken a while to find his feet since moving to the PDC and is chalked up at 80/1 to spring a shock here, but as he showed at the Lakeside Championship back in 2006 - when he became the youngest winner in the event's history as a 125/1 outsider - he can make odds-compilers look frightfully silly when in the mood.
His form this year has been a bit patchy, but if he can negotiate his way through some tricky matches early on he could become very dangerous as the event reaches its business end.
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