Nicholson to turn off the Power at the World Grand Prix

The partypoker.com World Grand Prix takes centre stage on Wednesday evening and with four high profile matches taking place we looks set for some explosive action.

There’s no doubting the match of the night when the 10-time World Grand Prix champion Phil Taylor takes on Paul Nicholson. The Power, who averaged 99.94 in his first round victory over Jamie Caven, is 1/6 with Coral to book his place in the quarter-finals, but with Nicolson having beaten Taylor twice in recent years, the Power is going to have to be at the top of his game to progress.

As the odds suggest, this is going to be a real test for Nicholson. The 34-year-old is 7/2 to overcome the world number one and a repeat of his first round victory over Robert Thornton could see Nicholson go close. He averaged 99 against the Scot and hit 64% of his opening doubles and 57% of his finishing doubles in the game.

All eyes will be on the Irish hero Connie Finnan when he takes on James Wade on Wednesday evening. The 51-year-old produced the shock of the first round when he knocked out Terry Jenkins.

The Irishman is 4/1 to win the opening game of the second round, but Wade should prove too strong for Finnan and that is represented in the odds (1/7 Wade).

Elsewhere in the World Grand Prix, number four seed Simon Whitlock, is 4/11 to overcome Ronnie Baxter (2/1) and  the 2012 semi-finalist Wes Newton, is 11/10 to overcome Gary Anderson, who had the first round’s highest average.