The 30th staging of the World Matchplay gets under way in Blackpool on Saturday night so here's our match-by-match preview and best bets.
Tournament favourite Gerwyn Price gets his campaign under way against Stephen Bunting on opening night while two former champions in Rob Cross and Gary Anderson also take to the Winter Gardens oche.
Here, we look ahead to all four matches with seasonal statistics, predictions, best bets and an acca...
Darts betting tips: World Matchplay day one
1pt Cullen and De Decker to both hit 5+ 180s each at 5/4 (Sky Bet)
1pt Anderson v Chisnall to have most 180s in the session at 13/8 (Sky Bet)
1pt all eight players to hit 4+ 180s in the session at 11/1 (Sky Bet)
SL Acca: Cullen, Price (-2.5), Cross & Chisnall all to win at 11/2 with Sky Bet
World Matchplay: Saturday July 15
- Venue: Winter Gardens, Blackpool
- TV Coverage: Sky Sports (1900 BST)
- Format: Best of 19 legs. Each game must be won by two clear legs, with up to a maximum of five additional legs being played before the sixth additional leg is sudden-death
Joe Cullen (1/2) v Mike De Decker (6/4)
- Overall H2H: 3-1 (TV: 0-0)
2023: 1-0 (TV: 0-0) - Seasonal Average
Cullen: 95.21
De Decker: 93.77 - 180s per leg in 2023
Cullen: 0.35
De Decker: 0.32 - Checkout % in 2023 (Stage events only)
Cullen: 38.63%
De Decker: 32.53% - Match Treble % (Win, most 180s & high checkout)
Cullen: 34.78%
De Decker: 22.54%
Joe Cullen and debutant Mike De Decker have the honour of opening this year's World Matchplay and they can be expected to get the Winter Gardens crowd on their feet with a barrage of 180s.
The Rockstar's maximum per leg ratio of 0.35 this season is among the highest in the 32-player field while his Belgian opponent is also a renowned 180 hitter and boasts a highly impressive 0.32.
As far as the result is concerned, Cullen goes into this contest as a firm favourite having played to a consistently higher standard than De Decker this season while he also won their most recent contest en route to the semi-finals of Tuesday's Players Championship event.
Blackpool isn't usually kind to players on their debut due to the unique nature of the venue so experience could well be an important weapon for Cullen.
Scoreline prediction: 10-6
ALSO READ: Chris Hammer's World Matchplay outright preview
Rob Cross (4/9) v Daryl Gurney (13/8)
- Overall H2H: 15-7, 1 draw (TV: 8-4, 1 draw)
2023: 0-0 (TV: 0-0) - Seasonal Average
Cross: 95.67
Gurney: 94.52 - 180s per leg in 2023
Cross: 0.23
Gurney: 0.22 - Checkout % in 2023 (Stage events only)
Cross: 42.60%
Gurney: 34.02% - Match Treble % (Win, most 180s & high checkout)
Cross: 25%
Gurney: 19.48%
Daryl Gurney won't want reminding about the last time he faced Rob Cross on the Winter Gardens stage but he'll no doubt have experienced flashbacks as soon as he saw the draw.
The Northern Irishman was just three legs away from his first World Matchplay final when leading 14-7 back in 2019 but never even had a match dart as Cross won nine legs in a row en route to the most dramatic of 17-15 victories.
Voltage has continued to dominate their head-to-head ever since that unforgettable night although Gurney did triumph in their last televised encounter at the 2022 World Grand Prix.
Cross has also enjoyed the much better season having picked up a couple of Pro Tour titles while average-wise he's consistently operating at a higher level than Gurney.
The 180s per leg stats suggest there won't be too many maximums for the crowd to get excited about - but if it's a lengthy battle then both players have the class to rise to the occasion and find their range.
Scoreline prediction: 10-7
Gerwyn Price (1/4) v Stephen Bunting (11/4)
- Overall H2H: 8-4 (TV: 3-1)
2023: 0-0 (TV: 0-0) - Seasonal Average
Price: 99.18
Bunting: 94.73 - 180s per leg in 2023
Price: 0.34
Bunting: 0.28 - Checkout % in 2023 (Stage events only)
Price: 41.53%
Bunting: 35.47% - Match Treble % (Win, most 180s & high checkout)
Price: 36.79%
Bunting: 27.27%
Gerwyn Price is the clear favourite to get his campaign off to a winning start against Stephen Bunting and bosses all the key discussion points and statistics.
Except one.
The pair have only met on the Winter Gardens stage once back in 2019 and it was Bunting who prevailed 13-12 in a first-round epic.
Price had a terrible record at the venue back then but having reached the final last year, he'll be feeling much more positivity about another lengthy stay in Blackpool.
Scoreline prediction: 10-6
ALSO READ: Paul Nicholson's Winter Gardens analysis
Dave Chisnall (5/6) v Gary Anderson (5/6)
- Overall H2H: 6-19, 1 draw (TV: 5-10)
2023: 0-0 (TV: 0-0) - Seasonal Average
Chisnall: 96.39
Anderson: 98.02 - 180s per leg in 2023
Chisnall: 0.35
Anderson: 0.34 - Checkout % in 2023 (Stage events only)
Chisnall: 36.89%
Anderson: 35.88% - Match Treble % (Win, most 180s & high checkout)
Chisnall: 23.26%
Anderson: 36.23%
A potential show-stopper closes the night as two of the most popular players in darts history collide for the 27th time.
Neither would have wanted to face each other so early given how well they are both playing this season and it is incredibly difficult to pick a winner.
Gary Anderson's seasonal average is the second highest behind Gerwyn Price this year and that's a massive improvement considering he dropped out of the world's top 20 after such a deflating 2022.
To think many of us pondered whether a retirement announcement could be round the corner but instead the Flying Scotsman has suddenly found another gear and is now gunning for yet another major title in his glittering career.
Dave Chisnall is still seeking his first and while he's not averaging quite as consistently high as Anderson, he has picked up a couple of titles this season and also lost two finals, including at a Players Championship event earlier this week.
The pair of them are firing on all cylinders when it comes to 180s too, with maximum per leg ratios around the 0.35 mark. If this is a close encounter, which I expect, then they could comfortably combine to hit the most 180s in the session.
Scoreline prediction: 10-8




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