The stars of the darting world head to the Winter Gardens in Blackpool from Saturday for what is set to be a sizzling World Matchplay in more ways than one with the action on the oche likely to be overshadowed by the heat on it as the UK endure a heatwave.
Peter Wright enjoyed his week in Blackpool a year ago when he walked off with the title and the world champion will be back in Lancashire looking to make a successful defence of his crown. We say it every year but the field this year looks fantastic so he’ll have to go well to keep the title.
Recent Winners
2021 – Peter Wright
2020 – Dimitri Van den Bergh
2019 – Rob Cross
2018 – Gary Anderson
2017 – Phil Taylor
2016 – Michael van Gerwen
2015 – Michael van Gerwen
2014 – Phil Taylor
2013 – Phil Taylor
2012 – Phil Taylor
The Format
Much has changed in the world in recent times but the format of the World Matchplay hasn’t. The event begins with the first round over the best of 19 legs with the second round moving up to the best of 21 legs. The quarter finals take place over the best of 31 legs with the semi-finals the best of 33. The winner will then be determined on the second Sunday of the tournament in a best of 35 leg final. Each match in the tournament has to be won by two clear legs unless each player reach two beyond the scheduled winning number (12-12 in the first round, 13-13 in the second round etc). If that happens the next leg will be a deciding leg.
Top Quarter
The world number one and defending champion Peter Wright is the top seed this week and so he is the star act in the top quarter. Wright will be hoping to make it out of this quarter and into the semi-final but he doesn’t have it easy because the other three seeds in his section are Dimitri Van den Bergh, the players Wright beat in the final 12 months ago, Jonny Clayton and Krzysztof Ratajski who is still searching for a real big major breakthrough in his PDC career.
Given that the unseeded players come from the Players Championship Order of Merit, the last event of which only took place on Monday, we’re guaranteed form players throughout the bracket. The unseeded players in the top quarter are the recent European Tour finalist Rowby-John Rodriguez, World Championship quarter finalist Callan Rydz, former world champion Stephen Bunting and the Latvian number one Madars Razma.
Second Quarter
You have to go back six years for the last time Michael van Gerwen won this tournament but he’ll look to correct that statistic from the second quarter this week. He is the highest seed in that section and is seeded to face former champion James Wade in the quarter final. The Masters champion Joe Cullen is one of the other two in this section with the other being the man who has dominated the European Tour this season in Luke Humphries.
The unseeded players in this quarter are absolutely lit it has to be said. They are headed by the former UK Open champion Nathan Aspinall. World Cup winner Damon Heta is another dangerous unseeded player in this quarter while Adrian Lewis comes into the event off the back of winning a Players Championship event last week. The other player in it is European Tour finalist Martin Lukeman, who makes his debut in the competition this week.
Third Quarter
Surprisingly Gerwyn Price has never got his hands on the Phil Taylor Trophy but he’ll aim to put that right from the third quarter this week as that is where he is the highest seed. If everything goes to the rankings then Price will meet Jose de Sousa in the quarter final although the 2019 winner Rob Cross will have something to say about that. The other seeded player in this section is the local lad Dave Chisnall, who is always dangerous.
It is the German section in terms of the unseeded players with their two star players both in this quarter. Gabriel Clemens will be looking to do some damage but it is his World Cup teammate Martin Schindler who is probably having the better season of the two. Kim Huybrechts is no stranger to this Blackpool stage and he will get another look at it this week while the quarter is completed by Chris Dobey, who could easily be seeded.
Special Offer
OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH 888SPORT AND BET £10 TO GET £30 IN FREE BETS PLUS A £10 CASINO BONUS! PERFECT OFFER TO USE ON THIS TOURNAMENT! CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO JOIN. USE CODE 30F. NEW ACCOUNTS ONLY. 18+ T&Cs apply (See image for significant terms). Gamble Aware.
Bottom Quarter
The World Championship finalist Michael Smith is the highest seed in the bottom quarter. He hasn’t really delivered on his talent on this stage but he’ll be looking to put that right as he comes in here with some decent form behind him. He is seeded to take on his former mentor Gary Anderson in the quarter final but the UK Open champion Danny Noppert and the aggressive but quality thrower that is Dirk van Duijvenbode will have something to say about that.
This is a loaded section because the former major winner Daryl Gurney is in this quarter and his first round clash with Gary Anderson is probably the highlight of the opening round. The other half of the World Cup team for Northern Ireland is also in here in the form of Brendan Dolan, fresh from winning the Players Championship event on Monday. Andrew Gilding has been ploughing in the results on the floor recently and he’s in this section and Ryan Searle completes the draw.
Outright Betting
I’ll go with one outright this week and that comes in the form of the UK Open champion Danny Noppert who not only has the right draw to make sufficient progress but is also the right build to go well. People might scoff and laugh at that statement but it is going to be baking on that stage this week and the bigger players might really struggle to feel comfortable and we could see a lot of darts slipping from the hands as a result of that. If you think back a decade or so it was well-known that Raymond van Barneveld hated that stage for this very reason.
Noppert has no such concerns in that regard though. He is skinny as a rake and he’s having an excellent year. The pressure is off him because he’s won a first TV title and he has also made the final of a couple of European Tour events and won on the floor. Noppert also went well in one of the World Series tournaments so he is picking up a lot of wins. They have got him up to 11 in the world and with his first round opponent of Brendan Dolan beatable and then Gary Anderson his seeded last 16 opponent there is the chance for Noppert to go deep here.
Quarter Betting
Given that we never know which Peter Wright is going to turn up I feel obliged to get stuck into the top quarter this week. It might be that the inspiration of defending the title brings the best out of the world champion but I’m not sure that is going to be the case and I want to take him on. The obvious ones to take him on with are Jonny Clayton and Dimitri Van den Bergh but only one of them will come out of their second round clash, should the two progress to that.
It might be that doesn’t happen because Clayton isn’t in the greatest form and he meets Rowby-John Rodriguez in the first round where there could be an upset. Rodriguez beat Clayton at the World Cup, albeit over a shorter format, and has kicked on from there. He has made a European Tour final and the quarter final of a Players Championship event in the last couple of weeks and is clearly throwing some great darts. I really feel this draw could open up in the conditions and the Austrian is overpriced at 66/1 to win three matches. I’ll play him in this quarter.
Tips
Back D.Noppert to win World Matchplay (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with Betfred (1/4 1-4)
Back R-J.Rodriguez to win 1st Quarter for a 1/10 stake at 67.00 with Sky Bet
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2022
