World Matchplay Darts: Day one predictions, odds, betting tips, order of play & TV time


The World Matchplay darts gets under way tonight so here's the full order of play, odds, predictions and our best bet.

Related Darts Content
Player-by-player guide & predictions
In-depth World Matchplay betting preview
World Matchplay draw, TV schedule & history 

It's the opening night of the World Matchplay at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, as Gary Anderson, Peter Wright and James Wade all begin their quest for one of the biggest prizes in darts.

While the two star Scotsmen are highly fancied to breeze into round two, 2007 champion and five-time finalist Wade is expected to have a tougher clash against Darren Webster.

The first match of the night sees 11th seed Michael Smith up against 750/1 tournament outsider Steve West.

Here, we have today's full running order, the Sky Bet odds, our predicted scoreline for each game and a best bet of the night.

Remember you can click here for a player-by-player guide of the full 32-man field and click here for a full in-depth tournament betting preview.

World Matchplay Darts: Saturday July 22


Click on the odds for more Sky Bet match markets

First Round (best of 19 legs)
TV Channel: Sky Sports Action (1900 BST)
(11) Michael Smith (2/7) v Steve West (13/5)
Our prediction: 10-5

(6) James Wade (4/11) v Darren Webster (2/1)
Our prediction: 10-8

(2) Gary Anderson (1/14) v Christian Kist (13/5)
Our prediction: 10-3

(3) Peter Wright (1/9) v James Wilson (11/2)
Our prediction: 10-5

Click here for the full World Matchplay draw, daily schedule & results

Saturday's Best Darts Bet


Michael Smith to beat Steve West and hit the most 180s at 11/10

On a night of short-priced favourites, unless you think there's an upset on the cards then you'll have to dive into the sub-markets to find the bigger prices. Darren Webster is a dangerous outsider for James Wade but the Machine has superb track record in Blackpool and until last year had always reached at least the quarter-finals in his 10 previous visits. The 2007 champion and five-time runner-up suffered a surprise exit to Mervyn King and he'll be determined to ensure there's no repeat tonight. There's nothing that really interests me in the Wright & Anderson games - even the odds-against match trebles are always liable to go wrong if their more than capable opponents land a big checkout - so I'm heading to Michael Smith's clash with Steve West. Bully Boy has more than enough quality to get the job done comfortably and he boasts encouraging form this season, especially on the European Tour where he's won a title, reached another final and two semis. I can't ignore West has beaten him in their only two meetings this year but over the best of 19 legs, Smith's scoring power should prove too much. Even if he lost I'd expect Smith to throw more 180s so it makes sense to throw maximums into the mix to boost the price to more than even-money. 

By Chris Hammer

Click here for an in-depth player-by-player guide & predictions 

Check out Chris Hammer's in-depth World Matchplay betting preview

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