A field of 150 head to Moorways Leisure Centre in Derby on Saturday for the fourth Players Championship event of the season. Whilst the previous three events have thrown up winners such as Colin Lloyd, Denis Ovens & Mervyn King, it is the presence of world number one Phil Taylor that has the bookmakers on red alert with him being chalked up as 8/15 favourite (Skybet) to take the honours on his first non-televised outing of the season.
Of the twelve Players Championships entered in 2009, The Power reigned supreme on nine occasions with Mark Walsh, Ronnie Baxter & Andy Hamilton the only men able to get the better of him. The presence of Taylor inevitably pushes out the price of the field with Skybet going 16-1 bar. Last week's double winner Mervyn King can be picked up at that mark with the unseeded yet dangerous floater Simon Whitlock pencilled in as a 20/1 shot. The most notable absentee is yet again Raymond van Barneveld. With each way terms set at a skinny half the odds first two (on a 150 runner field), it's worth looking in the opposite half of the draw to Taylor (indicated below) when looking at who is most likely to yield returns.
Saturday's tournament will be followed by the second UK Open qualifier at the same venue with 166 men currently entered.
Saturday's Seedings: (Outright Price)
1. Phil Taylor (8/15)
2. Mark Walsh (33/1)*
3. Colin Osborne (33/1)*
4. Colin Lloyd (25/1)
5. Adrian Lewis (18/1)
6. Gary Anderson (20/1)*
7. James Wade (16/1)*
8. Wes Newton (100/1)
9. Steve Beaton (100/1)
10. Ronnie Baxter (33/1)*
11. Wayne Jones (66/1)*
12. Jamie Caven (50/1)
13. Dennis Priestley (125/1)
14. Mervyn King (16/1)*
15. Robert Thornton (66/1)*
16. Andy Hamilton (50/1)
17. Vincent van der Voort (100/1)
18. Denis Ovens (100/1)*
19. Michael van Gerwen (100/1)*
20. Alan Tabern (80/1)
21. Andy Smith (80/1)
22. Paul Nicholson (33/1)*
23. Terry Jenkins (33/1)*
24. Kevin Painter (66/1)
25. Co Stompe (100/1)
26. Peter Wright (500/1)*
27. Jelle Klaasen (66/1)*
28. Brendan Dolan (200/1)
29. Tony Eccles (200/1)
30. Mark Dudbridge (125/1)*
31. Steve Hine (250/1)*
32. Peter Manley (500/1)
* Denotes opposite half of the draw to Taylor
