The opening night of the World Matchplay promises to be an excellent evening of arrers as a number of star names look to go a step closer to the title at the iconic Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
Among the big names in action on the first day of the competition are the defending champion Michael van Gerwen and the Premier League stars Robert Thornton and Dave Chisnall. The evening begins with a tasty looking clash too.
Vincent van der Voort vs Kyle Anderson
In many ways you could be forgiven for thinking Kyle Anderson was the seeded player here given his meteoric rise in the game over the last 12-18 months but it is actually Vincent van der Voort even though he is the outsider in the match.
These two met at the World Championship in December when Kyle Anderson proved too strong and I fancy he might well win this match too. He has experience of this stage having run James Wade close here last year and his improvement keeps coming at a big rate.
Vincent van der Voort won’t go down without a fight so this could be the closest match of the night but I like the fight and heart of Anderson which we saw in spades at the World Cup. I think the Aussie will win but the prices are about right so I’ll sit back and enjoy this one.
Robert Thornton vs Josh Payne
Chalk and cheese in terms of World Matchplay experience between these two. This will be Robert Thornton’s seventh Matchplay and Josh Payne’s first but there is a common denominator between the two in that they are both looking for their first win in the tournament.
That’s right, Thornton has been here six previous times and he is yet to win a single match so he can’t be feeling too good about things heading back to Blackpool. On the other side of the coin Josh Payne is really making nice strides in the game and there is nothing he would like more than take a serious scalp on his major tournament debut.
We all know Thornton is a class act but you would be pushing it to say that he is in form at the minute. In fact the last time he made a quarter final in a singles event was back in November at the Grand Slam and that is a real indictment of where his form is right now.
Josh Payne has shown good form this year. He has won a Players Championship event beating James Wade, Mensur Suljovic and others along the way and he made the quarter final of another one. He is a young player who can clearly play this game and he has to be chanced to beat an out of form Thornton who must think he will never win a game here.
Michael van Gerwen vs Jamie Caven
The star attraction of the night looks like it has the potential to be a one-sided affair and indeed it might well turn out to be the case but Jamie Caven can take some solace in the fact that in three of the last four times these two have met he has forced a deciding leg and the way MVG has been playing in the last 2 years that is a feat not to be understated.
That said over the extended distance of the best of 19 legs it would be hard to see Caven winning the match or getting really close but those who go on the past could easily get lured into the Englishman with the 5.5 leg start and I’m close to taking it myself. He isn’t daft. He knows he is a huge underdog with nothing to lose so he can throw everything at van Gerwen here.
I would like to see how Michael van Gerwen is playing right now though so while I’ll sit the handicap out I will back Caven to put in a good performance, one which can see him average over 93.5. That is a runner whether he plays well or not. If he doesn’t play his best he won’t be going at many doubles to bring his average down and if he does play well he’s much better than a 93.5 average.
Dave Chisnall vs Benito van de Pas
This is the match of the night I’m looking forward to the most. I’ve been a big fan of van de Pas for a few years now and this year he is really showing people why but he’s up against it here against a Dave Chisnall who oozes class on the oche every time he toes it.
Chisnall is a warm favourite in this match and that is understandable based on what they’ve achieved in the game but Benito van de Pas is a genuine contender in this one. He has won two tour events this year and made the final of another and the latter stages of a raft of other events so Chisnall is going to have to play well to win this one.
He might well do that but I wouldn’t be betting on it. Instead I prefer to bet on the 180s here which should really flow. Chisnall is a demon 180 hitter and is sure to plough them in here but van de Pas has really improved his grouping and with it his scoring this year. 9.5 180s looks a very low line in a match which is likely to have plenty of legs before it ends.
Tips
Back J.Payne to beat R.Thornton for a 3/10 stake at 3.00 with Titanbet
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Back J.Caven’s average – Over 93.5 for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Paddy Power
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Back D.Chisnall vs B.van de Pas – Over 9.5 180s for a 4/10 stake at 1.80 with Boylesports
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