World Darts Championship day five predictions and PDC darts betting tips

PDC darts tips, best bets and player analysis for day five of the 2022 William Hill World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, London.

When to watch

Live on Sky Sports Arena and Main Event, 12.30pm and 7pm

Best bets

Fallon Sherrock
3pts 5-6 Betfred

Stephen Bunting
3pts 8-11 general

Martin Schindler
2pts 8-11 general

Previews

Jonny Clayton has gone from humble Tour journeyman to prolific title winner on the PDC circuit this year - and Ferret will expect to further advertise his World Championship credentials by scuttling into the third round on Sunday night.

Victory in the World Cup for Wales alongside Gerwyn Price a year ago seemed to spark Clayton into life - and the Llanelli-born tungsten tickler has not looked back since. This year he has won the Masters, the Premier League, the World Grand Prix and the World Series of Darts Finals, starting this World Championship with only Price and Michael van Gerwen ahead of him in the betting.

Clayton is due on the Alexandra Palace oche around 9.30pm, facing Irishman Keane Barry - a match jaunty Jonny is a best-price 1-8 to win.

Maik Kuivenhoven v Ky Smith

Head-to-head: no previous meetings

Ky Smith is part of the first father and son combination to have ever competed in the same World Championship. Ky's dad, Raymond, beat Jamie Hughes in round one, so the Smiths could meet in the quarter-finals if both progress that far.

Maik Kuivenhoven is no mug, though, and will probably end the hopes of Smith junior on Sunday afternoon. Kuivenhoven, who lost 6-4 to Michael van Gerwen in the World Series of Darts Finals at the end of October, has a significant experience edge.

Jason Heaver v Gordon Mathers

Head-to-head: no previous meetings

Jason Heaver has taken some decent scalps in Players Championship competition this year - Dimitri Van den Bergh and Daryl Gurney among them - and the Englishman deserves favouritism against 40-year-old Aussie Gordon Mathers.

Heaver likes to emerge to 'We Will Rock You' by Queen, but he may not need to put on much of a show to see off Mathers at the Palace.

Alan Soutar v Diogo Portela

Head-to-head: no previous meetings

Alan Soutar beat Peter Wright 6-4 in a Players Championship meeting last month and the Soots can build on that confidence-boosting success by progressing to the second round of the World Championship.

Diogo Portela spends most of his time competing in low-grade online matches and the Brazilian looks vulnerable for this competition.

Stephen Bunting v Ross Smith

Head-to-head: Bunting leads 2-1

If Stephen Bunting brings his A-game to Ally Pally for the Sunday-afternoon curtain-closer, then Ross Smith knows his tournament is over. Bunting in full flow is one of the joys of darts - the Bullet won the 2014 BDO World Championship in style - and he was a losing semi-finalist at the Palace last January.

Gerwyn Price, the eventual champion, defeated Bunting 6-4 in the semis last time. That run to the last four of the Worlds showed that Bunting remains dangerous at the highest level and it is a surprise to see such generous prices about him seeing off Smith in round two. Smith averaged just 85.15 in round one.

Martijn Kleermaker v John Michael

Head-to-head: no previous meetings

Cypriot-born Greek John Michael always brings plenty of character to the Ally Pally oche, but the 47-year-old is yet to progress past round one, and that trend seems likely to continue.

Martijn Kleermaker, known as the Dutch Giant, should dwarf Michael in both height and scoring.

Florian Hempel v Martin Schindler

Head-to-head: no previous meetings

Germany has a decent crop of arrowsmiths these days and 25-year-old Strausberg man Martin Schindler has plenty of potential. The Wall, as he is known, can see off compatriot Florian Hempel in their first PDC meeting.

Schindler, who won the German Super League this year, beat Gerwyn Price in the group stages of the Grand Slam of Darts a month ago.

Steve Beaton v Fallon Sherrock

Head-to-head: no previous meetings

Steve Beaton, known as the Bronzed Adonis in his younger days, will probably be as white as a ghost when faced with Fallon Sherrock and her adoring band of noisy followers at the Palace.

Beaton, a 57-year-old who won the World Championship in 1996, is a nervy character on the oche these days. Even at the best of times, the Coventry man is easy to knock out of kilter, so an assignment against a woman who is clearly good enough to mix it on the PDC circuit seems far from ideal for him.

The start to the match appears crucial. If Sherrock, who crushed Mensur Suljovic in the Grand Slam of Darts last month before pushing Peter Wright hard in a 16-13 quarter-final defeat, gets her scoring boots on early, the crowd will go wild, and Beaton could quickly wilt.

Beaton is often a slow starter and Sherrock, seemingly unflappable and a deadly finisher, can take advantage. Beaton has dropped out of the top 32 of the PDC Order of Merit, while Sherrock is going from strength to strength.

Jonny Clayton v Keane Barry

Head-to-head: Clayton leads 1-0

Jonny Clayton is well fancied by many to threaten a first world title this year - and Keane Barry does not seem equipped to ruffle Ferret's feathers. The 21-20 about a 3-0 Clayton success is well worth considering.

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