Who's aiming for the playoffs?

It's getting really exciting in the Premier League Darts.

Here's what I think will happen over the final two rounds before the playoffs:

Week 13 - April 24 (Odyssey Arena, Belfast)
Peter Manley v Adrian Lewis 5-8 (4/5)
Wayne Mardle v Phil Taylor 2-8 (2/13)
Raymond van Barneveld v James Wade 8-5 (13/10)
Terry Jenkins v John Part 7-7 (4/1)

Week 14 - May 1 (Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle)
James Wade v John Part 8-5
Adrian Lewis v Wayne Mardle 8-6
Phil Taylor v Peter Manley 8-3
Raymond van Barneveld v Terry Jenkins 8-6

And if you fancy betting on the Champions League, here's how I think the semi final first legs will go:
Champions League - Semi final first leg
Liverpool v Chelsea 1-1 (11/2)
Barcelona v Man Utd 1-2 (9/1)

Very frequent flyer

I’ve just got back from a two-week trip to England and Germany. As well as my weekly Premier League Darts matches there were some other work commitments. Unfortunately there’s no time to rest as it’s straight back to the UK for week 10 of the Premier League in Aberdeen.
With the Premier League it’s a really exhausting schedule at the moment and it seems as soon as I’ve come back from one trip I’m off again. Taxi in, taxi out; hotel in, hotel out; match and then flight home.

I know my regime is very different to my opponents in the Premier League, who, apart from Canadian John Part, are British. It is, of course, my choice to be based in my home country of Holland but this means I must consider travel a lot more.

Working week

Currently, Tuesday is my day to relax. When I say relax I do still practise and on this day we’ll try to set up a session with another player. Normally they are other Dutch players but sometimes the Brits come over. In fact, two weeks ago James Wade came over for a very productive session.

On a Wednesday morning there’ll be more practice in the morning before flying over to the UK for Thursday’s Premier League match. Friday will be spent travelling to the weekend’s game, normally a Pro Tour competition, and then back home when the tournament’s over. If there’s no Pro Tour I’ll take any chance to take time out with my family.

And then there’s going to the gym every day and fitting in training wherever possible.
It can be gruelling with lots of darts and lots of travelling so I have to make sure I peak at the right time. For me, the Premier League is the most important so as well as my practice time I’ll use Pro Tour events as extra practice and opportunities to work on my game. This means I’m right for the Premier League.

League leader

It’s great to back at the top of the Premier league, especially with Phil Taylor playing so well. Tomorrow I’ll face Peter Manley. We both are feeling the pressure but for different reasons as Peter, despite having a good first half of the tournament, is bottom. He hasn’t been playing bad, it’s just the quality of every player is so high. Because of this I think Peter may be a little vulnerable and it’s a good chance for me to get the win. I feel very confident in my game right now.

No luck at the tables

Remember the PartyPoker.com tournament I told you about in my last post? Well, things didn’t go to plan. I wasn’t involved for too long before going all in and unfortunately my gamble didn’t pay off. That’s poker. I did enjoy my time, though, and will definitely do better next time.
Look out for Barney180, that’s me. I’m normally in $6 Sit & Go tournaments on Wednesdays or Fridays.

Barney's bets

Here are my predictions for the week 10 and 11 matches in Premier League darts:
Week 10
Lewis v Taylor 4-8
Manley v van Barneveld 5-8
Part v Mardle 8-5
Wade v Lewis 8-6

Week 11

Wade v Mardle 7-7

Part v Lewis 6-8

Manley v Jenkins 7-7

Taylor v van Barneveld 7-7

And in the football, here's what I think will happen in the Premier League this weekend:

Arsenal v Liverpool 2-1

Aston Villa v Bolton 1-1

Blackburn v Tottenham 1-2

Fulham v Sunderland 2-0

Man City v Chelsea 1-1

Newcastle v Reading 2-0

Wigan v Birmingham 0-1

Everton v Derby 3-1

Middlesbrough v Man United 1-2

West Ham v Portsmouth 0-0

If you want a bet, go to PartyBets.com. All the best.