THE FACTS
When is James Wade vs Steve Beaton taking place? Sunday 22nd December, 2019 – evening
Where is James Wade vs Steve Beaton taking place? Alexandra Palace, London
What channel is James Wade vs Steve Beaton on? Sky Sports Darts
Where can I stream James Wade vs Steve Beaton? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via Sky Go
Where can I get tickets for James Wade vs Steve Beaton? https://www.pdc.tv/william-hill-world-darts-championship-tickets
What was the outcome in the last meeting? James Wade beat Steve Beaton 6-4
THE PLAYERS
JAMES WADE
- James Wade defeated Ritchie Edhouse in straight sets on Wednesday evening to reach the last 32. It was in the end a comfortable victory, although two of the sets went to deciding legs.
- Wade’s supreme finishing was the major difference against Edhouse as he only missed five darts at a double during the encounter, resulting in a checkout percentage of 64.29%.
- The Machine has an excellent record against Beaton having won 20 of their 23 previous meetings. This includes three victories – all in the last 32 – at the PDC World Championship – the most recent of which was three years ago, with Wade winning 4-1 on that occasion.
STEVE BEATON
- Steve Beaton hit seven 180s and took out a 170 finish in his 3-1 victory against Australia’s Kyle Anderson in their round two encounter on Thursday afternoon.
- The 1996 BDO world champion’s match against Anderson had looked set to go into a deciding set but the Australian number two missed three set darts to level up at 2-2 and Beaton gratefully took his chance to claim the victory in four sets.
- Beaton has lost each of his last nine matches in the last 32 at the PDC World Championship, and a win here would put him into the last 16 for the first time since the 2003-04 tournament.
THE PREDICTION
This match has some familiarity surrounding it as it is the fourth time that they have met in this very round at the PDC World Championship. All of the previous meetings were won by James Wade and he has very much had the upper hand in their previous encounters. The Machine's more consistent level of play should again see him come through on this occasion, therefore extending Beaton’s run without a last 16 appearance at this tournament since 2003-04. Beaton will have his moments but the clinical finishing from the number eight seed is likely to be the difference. Wade to win 4-2 is the prediction.