It Is 7/1 the Field in This Week’s Betfred World Matchplay Darts
Peter Wright will begin the defense of his Betfred World Matchplay title against Latvian Madars Razma this weekend. Wright won the prestigious tournament in emphatic fashion 12 months ago and proceeded to regain his World Championship crown at the end of the season.
Blackpool’s Winter Gardens always attracts huge crowds during the World Matchplay. ©Lawrence Lustig/PDC
Taking place between July 16-24 at Blackpool’s iconic Winter Gardens, the World Matchplay’s first-round sees the world’s top 16 players seeded and pitted against 16 qualifiers from the one-year ProTour Order of Merit. Wright currently sits top of the world standings.
Champions Aplenty in a Quality Laden Field
Six former World Matchplay champions are amongst the 2022 field. The draw has put together two-time champion Michael van Gerwen with the often-controversial Adrian Lewis. Additionally, James Wade meets debutant Martin Lukeman, Gary Anderson faces Daryl Gurney, Dimitri Van den Bergh takes on Callan Rydz and Rob Cross will play Chris Dobey.
2021 World Champion and current world number two, Gerwyn Price begins his bid for a first World Matchplay title against German debutant Martin Schindler. 2019 runner-up and current number three ranked, Michael Smith goes up against 51-year-old Andrew Gilding in his opening match.
Luke Humphries, a winner of five ranking events in 2022, will play two-time TV champion Nathan Aspinall in another eye-catching tie. Premier League runner-up Joe Cullen faces Australia’s history-making World Cup winner Damon Heta in another intriguing match-up.
Bookies Believe It Is a Wide-Open Affair
Phil Taylor won this competition a remarkable 16 times between 1995 and 2017. But there have been four individual winners since and, in 2022, the sport is more competitive than it has ever been.
The leading darts betting sites underline the current nature of the sport. A comb through the prices available with the best odds bookmakers shows this is the most competitive World Matchplay tournament in its 29-year history.
Michael Smith was runner-up in the 2019 World Matchplay. At 12/1, he is joint fifth favorite this time around. ©Lawrence Lustig/PDC
Gerwyn Price and Michael van Gerwen are available at 7/1. Similarly, by shopping around, Jonny Clayton and Peter Wright can be backed at 8/1. Michael Smith and Luke Humphries are offered at 12/1. Dimitri Van den Bergh – the 2020 winner and 2021 runner-up – is available at 14/1 but only at Unibet.
The World Matchplay Format
The Betfred-sponsored World Matchplay tournament will see players compete across nine days of action for a record £800,000 prize pool. The winner will take home £200,000 and the coveted Phil Taylor Trophy.
First-round matches are a race to 10 legs. Second-round contests go to the first player to win 11 legs. Respectively, the quarter-final, semi-final and the final are the best of 31 legs, 33 legs and 35 legs. Sky Sports will broadcast all this action live.
This year’s visit to the Winter Gardens will also feature a new competition, the Betfred Women’s World Matchplay. Eight players – including world number one Lisa Ashton and the ‘Queen of the Palace’ Fallon Sherrock – will battle for this title and its £10,000 prize on Sunday, July 24.
2022 Betfred World Matchplay Opening Round Matches
- Peter Wright v Madars Razma
- Krzysztof Ratajski v Stephen Bunting
- Jonny Clayton v Rowby-John Rodriguez
- Dimitri Van den Bergh v Callan Rydz
- Michael van Gerwen v Adrian Lewis
- Joe Cullen v Damon Heta
- James Wade v Martin Lukeman
- Luke Humphries v Nathan Aspinall
- Gerwyn Price v Martin Schindler
- Dave Chisnall v Kim Huybrechts
- Jose de Sousa v Gabriel Clemens
- Rob Cross v Chris Dobey
- Michael Smith v Andrew Gilding
- Dirk van Duijvenbode v Ryan Searle
- Gary Anderson v Daryl Gurney
- Danny Noppert v Brendan Dolan
