Will the Bronzed Adonis pull off the next surprise?

Will Steve Beaton stay with the darts fans for longer? The 57 year old has already announced that if he falls out of the top 64 of the world ranking he would not torture himself through Q-School and might hang up his career instead. That danger doesn’t exist yet and by the success in the first round at the PDC World Championship the Bronzed Adonis could collect important price money for the Order of Merit.

On Wednesday he would like to cause a surprise at Alexandra Palace and defeat Belgian Kim Huybrechts. The Hurricane is favoured by the bookies to cap off a good 2021 for him personally.

Between Kim Huybrechts and Steve Beaton, the odds on the side of the favourite are 1.50 at the top, while there is a 2.75 on offer for the oldie from the island. The match will be the second match of the Evening Session and will start at around 22:00 hrs German time.

Kim Huybrechts – Statistics & current form

Kim Huybrechts has had quite a few experiences in his darts career so far. The now 36-year-old reached the final of the Players Championship Finals in 2012 and made the final breakthrough. He was the first player of his nation to reach the top of the world and till today he took part in two Major Finals, twice took part in the Premier League and once stood under the best eight players in the World Championship.

Has the Belgian been able to maintain his good form until the World Cup?

However, there have also been one or two lows in recent years. In 2018, for example, he fell into depression after a period of weakness and had to make the long and difficult journey back to the top of the world. At this stage, it can be said that the Hurricane is on a very good path and the world number 32 must be kept an eye on. Especially in the last few weeks his averages have been very stable and the performances really strong at times.

At the World Series Finals at the end of October he lost to his compatriot Dimitri van den Bergh in the quarterfinals with 8:10, although he threw an average of more than 100 points and the checkout rate was 57%. Before he won against Michael Smith and Peter Wright. He also defeated Michael van Gerwen in the Players Championship Event with 6:2.

Did the difficult journey influence the Hurricane?

The 36-year-old wants to take the new self-confidence with him to London and celebrate a successful start into the World Championship there. Between Kim Huybrechts and Steve Beaton it can be predicted that the favourite has a good chance if he can continue his form of the last weeks and months. However, he should not underestimate his experienced opponent and has to show his best game at the disc.

Last matches of Kim Huybrechts:

Players Championship Finals
11/26 2021 – Adrian Lewis 6 – 3 Kim Huybrechts

Players Championship 30
11/04 2021 – Joe Cullen 6 – 5 Kim Huybrechts

11/04 2021 – Kim Huybrechts 6 – 5 David Evans

11/04 2021 – Kim Huybrechts 6 – 1 Richard Veenstra

Players Championship 29
11/03 2021 – Kim Huybrechts 3 – 6 William O’Connor

Steve Beaton – statistics & current form

Just about every player had one wish before the draw: “Please not Fallon Sherrock in Round 1!” However, the Bronzed Adonis got to face the “Queen of the Palace” and also had to fend off the Alexandra Palace crowd. With his vast experience and three decades on the professional tour, the 57-year-old mastered this challenge magnificently and kept his nerve in the deciding set.

Three decades of World Cup and still not fed up

At 3:2 he presented himself almost like in the old days and convinced with a great consistency over the entire match duration. The incredibly high level from the first two sets, in which the average was 105 points, could not be maintained. But at the end of the day the Englishman converted his matchdart in the double 16 and was able to celebrate his entry into round 2.

After a very mixed year 2021 it is certain that the oldie could raise his level before the big highlight in Alexander Palace. Although he was also rated as an underdog by the bookmakers against Huybrechts, the Brit is a force to be reckoned with.

Success against Sherrock makes for broad chest for oldie

Between Kim Huybrechts and Steve Beaton a tip will mainly depend on a few decisive scenes. If Beaton takes his chances as consistently as in Round 1, the underdog could cause a surprise on Wednesday and he would reward himself with a third round match against reigning champion Gerwyn Price. In any case, this scenario is not out of the question.

Last matches of Steve Beaton:

World Darts Championship
12/19 2021 – Steve Beaton 3 – 2 Fallon Sherrock

Players Championship Finals
11/26 2021 – Gabriel Clemens 6 – 5 Steve Beaton

Players Championship 30
11/04 2021 – Jonny Clayton 6 – 4 Steve Beaton

Players Championship 29
11/03 2021 – Steve Beaton 2 – 6 Nathan Aspinall

11/03 2021 – Luke Humphries 1 – 6 Steve Beaton

Kim Huybrechts – Steve Beaton Direct comparison / H2H record

The direct comparison in the pairing Kim Huybrechts vs. Steve Beaton allows the prediction that the audience can expect an exciting match on Wednesday evening. The Belgian leads in the H2H comparison with 5:4 and most of the duels so far were very close.

While there was no match this year the last time the two players met was during the PDC Home Tour in November 2020. Over a very short distance both showed a very bad level and the average was under 80 points. In the end the Hurricane won 4:1. A completely different match can be expected on Wednesday.

Kim Huybrechts – Steve Beaton Tip

In the odds comparison you can see that Kim Huybrechts is favoured when it comes to the next opponent of world number one Gerwyn Price. His opponent Steve Beaton clearly has the advantage of having already stood at the oche at the Ally Pally once this year and survived a real test of endurance against Fallon Shrerrock.

That should have given the 57-year-old a lot of confidence and at times he was able to display an incredibly high level. If he can improve a little more in terms of consistency, the Bronzed Adonis may be able to spring a surprise.

Huybrechts had a somewhat complicated journey to the British capital due to pandemic regulations and if he is not highly focused from the first minute, the 36-year-old could be in for a quick exit and a bitter disappointment.

There are several betting options in this match, which will be extremely close and exciting until the last second. A small stake can be placed on the odds between Kim Huybrechts and Steve Beaton for a 3-2 win for the local hero. For this selection a very small stake of two units is absolutely sufficient.