Will Snakebite make short work of his opponent?
Can Peter Wright reclaim the World Championship trophy? Last year it was snatched from him by Iceman Gerwyn Price and Snakebite said he planned to win the title at the biggest tournament in the world at least three times in his career. The Scot will make another attempt on Friday night when he faces Ryan Meikle in the last 64.
The Englishman outright defeated German World Championship debutant Fabian Schmutzler on Thursday night. After his first triumph in the Ally Pally he now gets to play the world number 2 and of course he goes into this match as a blatant underdog. The odds are clearly spread between Peter Wright and Ryan Meikle and there is nothing more than a 1.13 on offer for a win for the champion of 2020.
With a successful bet on the underdog, the stake can be more than sixfold. The match will be the last match in the Evening Session on Friday in London and will start at around 23:00 hrs German time.
Peter Wright – Statistics & current form
Not much needs to be said about the playing quality of Peter Wright when looking at his great successes in his career. The current condition seems to be right in time for the World Championship and after a little hiccup at the beginning of the second half of the season the 51 year old got back into the swing of things.
The hunt for the Iceman begins
At the Grand Slam of Darts he fought his way into the final with a spectacular comeback (16:12 after trailing 8:12 against Michael Smith) and lost to Gerwyn Price. In the dress rehearsal, the Players Championship Finals, he then managed the great triumph by a final win over Ryan Searle. Successes against Michael van Gerwen, Adrian Lewis and Jonny Clayton with a quite constant average of more than 95 points are very good to see.
But above all Snakebite proved his ability to be there in the decisive moments. This also made him the world champion at Alexandra Palace two years ago. The confidence should be good and in the opening match against Ryan Meikle the favourite can only beat himself
Could Snakebite compensate for his good form until the World Championship?
Between Peter Wright and Ryan Meikle, it’s fair to venture a prediction that the Scot will take an unassailable win if he can get back to his normal level. How far the way leads in the tournament afterwards, the next weeks will show.
Ryan Meikle – statistics & current form
In the third attempt it finally worked. Ryan Meikle has claimed his first success on the biggest darts stage in the world. Having stood at the oche at the Ally Pally once before in 2019 and 2021, where he was clearly defeated on both occasions, the Englishman won 3-0 against Germany’s Fabian Schmutzler on Thursday night.
Meikle ends German darts fairytale
The 16-year-old German was the second youngest player ever to compete in a World Championship and despite also being only 25, Meikle exuded the greater experience. The average of both players was almost equal at 89 points and in the end it was a few moments as well as a solid check-out rate of 33% that made the decision.
The Brit is ranked 71st in the world and has been on the PDC circuit for some years. He already won six titles on the Development Tour and several times secured himself a Tour Card via Q-School. In 2021 he was nominated Youth Player of the Year and his nickname “The Barber” indicates that he is actually a trained barber.
Underdog can play completely free
For now, though, it’s all about the sport of darts. The match against Snakebite will be the biggest highlight of the 25-year-old’s career so far. Only if he keeps his nerves under control and gets close to his absolute playing maximum can a tip be made between Peter Wright and Ryan Meikle that the underdog will win the set.
The most likely scenario, however, is that the underdog will have no chance and will have to pack his bags in London after Friday’s clash.
Peter Wright – Ryan Meikle Direct comparison / H2H-balance
Courageous bettors will take hope from the head-to-head comparison that odds are slightly on the side of the Englishman between Peter Wright and Ryan Meikle. After all the number 71 of the world could defeat the big favourite in the first direct duel.
That took place in a Players Championship event two and a half years ago and since then Snakebite could take revenge for the defeat several times. In the meantime the Scotsman leads the H2H comparison 4:1 and the most important match so far will take place on Friday at Alexandra Palace.
Peter Wright – Ryan Meikle Tip
The clear starting position in the odds comparison of the betting base is justified. One lacks imagination how Ryan Meikle will defeat the big favourite and world number 2. Actually, Peter Wright can only beat himself.
The Scot has shown good form before the World Championship and will be highly concentrated from the start in his opening match. Ryan Meikle of course has the advantage that he already played a match on Thursday and now has nothing to lose. However, the Englishman is a very consistent player with an average of about 90 points.
There are very rarely big swings upwards and the underdog would need a real cream day if he wants to sniff the sensation. Much more likely is a clear and unchallenged favourite win for Snakebite. Even a set win by the Schmutzler conqueror would be surprising.
For this reason, a bet on the odds for a 3:0 win for the world number two can be recommended between Peter Wright and Ryan Meikle. A stake of eight units is placed on this value bet.
