Will O’Shea overcome the first hurdle in the Senior World Championship?

Once both players were among the elite in darts, Tony O’Shea and Kevin Painter are now retired – at least for the time being. At the Senior World Championship 2022 the two “oldies” will make their comeback. Surprisingly, O’Shea is only the underdog in the showdown with Painter.

“The Artist”, as Kevin Painter is also called, is the favourite for the first round of the 2022 Senior World Cup, where the 54-year-old will meet “Silverback” Tony O’Shea for the first time. The best bookmakers are currently offering odds of 1.53 on O’Shea vs Painter for tip 2. A prediction on the supposed underdog O’Shea, on the other hand, is rewarded with odds of 2.62 in the event of a win.

Last year, both players were represented in the Online Live League. O’Shea left a far better impression than Painter. After all, “Silverback” won seven of the last eight matches in the Online Live League. Painter, on the other hand, has lost four matches in a row in the past year.

If O’Shea continues his recent form at the Senior World Championship, there are realistic chances to set the course for a potential showdown with Phil Taylor in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Championship. For that “Silverback” not only has to win the match against Painter but also the following last 16 against Warren.

Tony O’Shea – Statistics & current form

Tony O’Shea is back on the big stage! This year the “Silverback” as O’Shea is also called will take part in the new World Senior Darts Tour of the PDC. The adventure already starts this week with the World Senior Darts Championship in Purfleet where among others darts icon Phil Taylor will be represented.

In the run-up to the WSDT last year O’Shea already gained a lot of confidence. In the Online Live League he had a record of 12-6 over the calendar year 2021 with seven of the twelve wins coming in the last eight matches. In that period, O’Shea lost only the match against Haines. In the best-of-seven there was only a 2:4 after six legs.

So it’s all the more surprising that O’Shea is rated as an underdog despite recent form – albeit only in the Online League. Bets on the “oldie” from Stockport certainly have value. In the event of O’Shea’s success against Painter, odds of 2.62 are paid out for tip 1.

Eternal runner-up: Will the title coup be successful this time?

Tony O’Shea is by no means among the narrow circle of title favourites at the 2022 World Senior Championships. Nevertheless, the 60-year-old should by no means be underestimated in the current competition. In his long career, O’Shea has reached the final of a prestigious tournament several times, but “Silverback” has always failed to reach the final.

Seven times O’Shea reached the final of a BDO Major. But in all seven finals the Englishman failed – the last time at the World Championship 2013 where Tony O’Shea lost the final against Scott Waites with 1:7.

Kevin Painter – Statistics & current form

Nearly a year ago Kevin Painter announced his retirement. Since then, “The Artist”, like his upcoming opponent, has only featured in the Online Live League. Compared to O’Shea, there were only mixed performances for Painter last year. In the last four matches of the “OLL” the 54-year-old even conceded four defeats in a row.

At the newly introduced WSDT, there is now the retirement from retirement. Kevin Painter has the potential to stand up to the former elite of the BDO and PDC. Nevertheless “The Artist” is only one of many outsiders at the World Seniors Championship 2022. The clear favourite is Phil Taylor who is on the same half of the tournament as Kevin Painter.

The two players could meet in the quarterfinals at the latest. It would be a highlight, after all the World Championship final 2004 between Phil Taylor and Kevin Painter was one of the biggest highlights in the history of darts

Has Kevin Painter already passed his zenith?

Taking a look at the results at the “OLL” it is more than surprising that Kevin Painter is rated as favourite in the first round of the 2022 Senior World Championship. It is quite possible that “The Artist” will already fail in the first round of the Senior World Cup. With Tony O’Shea the 54 year old got a hammer draw.

In his long career with the PDC and the BDO Kevin Painter won two Major titles. On the one hand he won the BDO title at the British Matchplay in 1997, on the other hand the title coup at the Players Championship Finals in 2011. Since his defeat in the final against Phil Taylor in 2004 “The Artist” remained harmless in World Championships.

Since 2008 Kevin Painter always was eliminated early from the competition. Four times in a row Painter was eliminated in the first or second round of a World Championship before his retirement from professional sport. It is quite possible that the next World Cup dilemma will follow in the context of the WSDT.

Tony O’Shea – Kevin Painter Tip

Tony O’Shea, unlike Kevin Painter, left a positive impression at the Online Live League last year. It would therefore not be surprising at all if “Silverback” continues his recent form at the start of the tournament – especially as opponent Kevin Painter has already passed his zenith anyway.

Some years ago “The Artist” ended his active professional career after bitter setbacks in the PDC. Since then Painter – like his opponent O’Shea – only took part in the online Live League which is of no importance for the sport. In contrast to “Silverback” O’Shea Painter was hardly convincing there.

We therefore see value in the high odds on a surprise coup by Tony O’Shea and dare to bet on “Silverback” with a stake of five units. O’Shea vs. Painter odds of 2.62 are currently being offered for a bet on the supposed underdog.