Find out which players were statistically the best performers during the Summer Series
Find out which players were statistically the best performers during the Summer Series

World Matchplay darts: Essential player form and statistics for all 32 players gathered from the PDC Summer Series


Leading darts analyst Carl Fletcher has pulled together the essential statistics from the PDC Summer Series to gage which players are most in form ahead of the World Matchplay in Milton Keynes..

In the run up to any big major, there would normally have been numerous events to look back on throughout the course of the season. This year, however, we have been limited to online darts since the restrictions were put in place due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The return of the Summer Series in the PDC ended an almost four-month long wait for normal darts to return and gave us something to grasp in terms of the current form of players in the World Matchplay field.

Here, Carl Fletcher has collated the key Summer Series stats for all 32 players who qualified for a return to the Marshall Arena - including their overall ranking for each one against the rest of the field - as well as a summary and best bets for who he feels stand the best chances of working their way through the draw.


World Matchplay seeds: Summer Series stats

  • (Ranking in brackets after applicable stats is compared to the other players in the World Matchplay field. Not their overall Summer Series ranking)

Michael Van Gerwen (1)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 2
  • Summer Series Best: Winner Event 1 & 3
  • Prize Money Won: £21500 (2nd best of the 32 participants)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 17/3 (3rd)
  • Summer Series Average: 100.39 (2nd)
  • Highest Average: 107.29 (14th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 10 (3rd)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 14 (5th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 121/65 (3rd)* Legs Won
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 3/2
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.23 (23rd)
  • First Round Opponent: Brendan Dolan

Peter Wright (2)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 1
  • Summer Series Best: Winner Event 5
  • Prize Money Won: £22000 (1st)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 23/4 (1st)
  • Summer Series Average: 98.87 (4th)
  • Highest Average: 108.96 (9th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 11 (1st)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 20 (1st)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 158/85 (1st)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 2/1
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.40 (1st)
  • First Round Opponent: Jose De Sousa

Gerwyn Price (3)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Runner Up Event 5
  • Prize Money Won: £10000 (5th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 12/5 (8th)
  • Summer Series Average: 99.69 (3rd)
  • Highest Average: 115.62 (1st)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 10 (3rd)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 13 (7th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 92/58 (10th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 3/2
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.33 (7th)
  • First Round Opponent: Danny Noppert

Rob Cross (4)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Runner Up Event 4
  • Prize Money Won: £8000 (8th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 10/5 (13th)
  • Summer Series Average: 97.28 (9th)
  • Highest Average: 110.12 (3rd)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 6 (6th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 9 (14th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 78/63 (13th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 3/2
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.27 (14th)
  • First Round Opponent: Gabriel Clemens

Michael Smith (5)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Quarter Final Event 4
  • Prize Money Won: £5250 (15th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 10/5 (13th)
  • Summer Series Average: 93.66 (23rd)
  • Highest Average: 106.40 (15th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 2 (18th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 5 (22nd)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 77/66 (14th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 3/2
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.32 (9th)
  • First Round Opponent: Jonny Clayton

Nathan Aspinall (6)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Semi Final Final Event 2
  • Prize Money Won: £7750 (9th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 14/5 (4th)
  • Summer Series Average: 95.83 (18th)
  • Highest Average: 104.95 (18th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 2 (18th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 13 (7th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 106/63 (4th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 1/2
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.36 (4th)
  • First Round Opponent: Dimitri Van Den Bergh

Daryl Gurney (7)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Semi Final Event 3
  • Prize Money Won: £7750 (9th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 14/5 (4th)
  • Summer Series Average: 97.44 (7th)
  • Highest Average: 107.57 (12th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 6 (6th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 13 (7th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 102/59 (5th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 1/1
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.27 (14th)
  • First Round Opponent: Ricky Evans

Gary Anderson (8)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Semi Final Event 2
  • Prize Money Won: £4000 (22nd)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 7/5 (22nd)
  • Summer Series Average: 96.51 (13th)
  • Highest Average: 109.98 (4th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 5 (10th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 5 (22nd)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 59/50 (22nd)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 2/1
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.31 (10th)
  • First Round Opponent: Justin Pipe

James Wade (9)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 1
  • Summer Series Best: Winner Event 4
  • Prize Money Won: £16250 (3rd)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 19/4 (2nd)
  • Summer Series Average: 94.79 (20th)
  • Highest Average: 103.79 (21st)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 5 (10th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 17 (3rd)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 127/78 (2nd)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 1/0
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.20 (29th)
  • First Round Opponent: Keegan Brown

Dave Chisnall (10)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Runner Up Event 2
  • Prize Money Won: £9250 (7th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 12/5 (8th)
  • Summer Series Average: 94.77 (21st)
  • Highest Average: 104.01 (20th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 4 (12th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 13 (7th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 96/68 (8th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 1/3
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.31 (10th)
  • First Round Opponent: Vincent Van Der Voort

Ian White (11)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Semi Final Event 4
  • Prize Money Won: £6750 (12th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 12/5 (8th)
  • Summer Series Average: 96.00 (17th)
  • Highest Average: 113.25 (2nd)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 4 (12th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 6 (19th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 90/56 (11th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 0/2
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.27 (14th)
  • First Round Opponent: Joe Cullen

Mensur Suljovic (12)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Semi Final Event 4
  • Prize Money Won: £6750 (12th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 12/5 (8th)
  • Summer Series Average: 94.96 (19th)
  • Highest Average: 108.59 (11th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 2 (18th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 12 (12th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 90/71 (12th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 3/2
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.24 (21st)
  • First Round Opponent: Jamie Hughes

Krszystof Ratajski (13)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Semi Final Event 1
  • Prize Money Won: £7750 (9th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 14/5 (4th)
  • Summer Series Average: 97.40 (8th)
  • Highest Average: 108.67 (10th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 6 (6th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 13 (7th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 100/56 (6th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 0/1
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.22 (27th)
  • First Round Opponent: Jermaine Wattimena

Adrian Lewis (14)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Last 32 Event 2
  • Prize Money Won: £1000 (31st)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 2/4 (31st)
  • Summer Series Average: 88.97 (32nd)
  • Highest Average: 95.21 (31st)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 0 (26th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 3 (28th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 24/30 (31st)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 0/0
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.26 (18th)
  • First Round Opponent: Steve Beaton

Glen Durrant (15)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Quarter Final Events 1 and 2
  • Prize Money Won: £6500 (14th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 12/5 (8th)
  • Summer Series Average: 96.70 (11th)
  • Highest Average: 107.36 (13th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 6 (6th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 15 (4th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 93/63 (9th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 3/2
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.27 (14th)
  • First Round Opponent: Jeffrey De Zwaan

Simon Whitlock (16)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Last 32 Event 1
  • Prize Money Won: £2000 (26th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 4/5 (26th)
  • Summer Series Average: 97.91 (6th)
  • Highest Average: 104.47 (19th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 3 (16th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 6 (19th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 41/45 (26th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 1/2
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.35 (6th)
  • First Round Opponent: Ryan Joyce

Top 16 Summary

It didn’t take long for the pecking order to be re-established in the PDC. World number one, Michael Van Gerwen won two of the five events available, whilst reigning world champion, Peter Wright topped the Summer Series order of merit with his tournament victory on the final day (Scroll down for Order of Merit standings). In that final he beat, Gerwyn Price who averaged the third highest across the summer series from the players involved in the World Matchplay. These three without doubt are still the three to beat, something which the betting suggests too.

Looking further afield from these sixteen however and at bigger odds, the first one that jumps out and looks more than capable of a good run is James Wade. He won the fourth event of the series on a day that saw a new Players Championship tournament average recorded, he was consistent all week – only Peter Wright won more matches – and on top of that, he loves this event. The only negative would be that a potential quarter final match up with Michael Van Gerwen awaits.

The next one would be Krzysztof Ratajski. Prior to lockdown the seasonal average of the ‘Polish Eagle’ across all events was 97.66. He maintained this standard on return with a Summer Series average of 97.40. He opened up with a Semi Final in the first event and backed this up with a Quarter Final run in event 4. His seeding for this event changed last week and he now ends up in the second quarter, arguably the most wide open section of the draw, which also means he avoids the aforementioned big three until the Semi-Final at the earliest.

Finally, Daryl Gurney impressed last week. His Summer Series average was 97.44. Which was an increase of just over 3 points on his pre-lockdown season average of 94.38. Following an opening event disappointment the Northern Irishman was ultra-consistent thereafter. His defeats in the final four events were all against high quality opponents playing to an excellent standard namely: Gabriel Clemens, Jose De Sousa, Mensur Suljovic and Devon Petersen. He’s placed in a section of the draw where a Quarter Final berth should be his minimum aim and if he can sustain his current level of performance, this previous major winner is a threat to all.

Scroll down for the 16 unseeded players

Profiles and verdicts for all 32 players competing at the World Matchplay
Click on the image for Chris Hammer's player-by-player analysis of the World Matchplay field


Pro Tour World Matchplay Qualifiers: Summer Series Stats

  • (Ranking in brackets after applicable stats is compared to the other players in the World Matchplay field. Not their overall Summer Series ranking)

Joe Cullen (17)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Last 32 Event 3
  • Prize Money Won: £1500 (29th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 3/5 (29th)
  • Summer Series Average: 93.29 (24th)
  • Highest Average: 101.19 (23rd)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 1 (22nd)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 2 (29th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 34/37 (30th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 0/2
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.24 (21st)
  • First Round Opponent: Ian White (11)

Brendan Dolan (18)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Last 16 Event 5
  • Prize Money Won: £3000 (23rd)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 6/5 (23rd)
  • Summer Series Average: 93.13 (25th)
  • Highest Average: 99.99 (26th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 0 (26th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 4 (25th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 53/49 (23rd)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 2/3
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.06 (32nd)
  • First Round Opponent: Michael Van Gerwen (1)

Jose De Sousa (19)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Runner Up Event 3
  • Prize Money Won: £9500 (6th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 13/5 (7th)
  • Summer Series Average: 100.50 (1st)
  • Highest Average: 109.26 (8th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 11 (1st)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 18 (2nd)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 99/72 (7th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 3/2
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.39 (3rd)
  • First Round Opponent: Peter Wright (2)

Danny Noppert (20)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Quarter Final Event 1
  • Prize Money Won: £5250 (15th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 10/5 (13th)
  • Summer Series Average: 96.76 (10th)
  • Highest Average: 109.31 (7th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 4 (12th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 10 (13th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 75/59 (15th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 2/2
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.23 (23rd)
  • First Round Opponent: Gerwyn Price (3)

Jermaine Wattimena (21)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Last 16 Events 2 and 3
  • Prize Money Won: £5000 (17th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 10/5 (13th)
  • Summer Series Average: 92.32 (26th)
  • Highest Average: 99.10 (27th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 0
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 9 (14th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 74/69 (16th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 5/0
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.23 (23rd)
  • First Round Opponent: Krzysztof Ratajski (13)

Gabriel Clemens (22)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Semi Final Event 1
  • Prize Money Won: £5000 (17th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 9/5 (18th)
  • Summer Series Average: 94.12 (22nd)
  • Highest Average: 105.78 (17th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 2 (18th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 5 (22nd)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 69/50 (19th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 1/2
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.33 (7th)
  • First Round Opponent: Rob Cross (4)

Jonny Clayton (23)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Quarter Final Event 2
  • Prize Money Won: £4750 (19th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 9/5 (18th)
  • Summer Series Average: 98.57 (5th)
  • Highest Average: 109.98 (4th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 7 (5th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 14 (5th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 71/45 (17th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 0/1
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.36 (4th)
  • First Round Opponent: Michael Smith (5)

Jamie Hughes (24)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Quarter Final Event 4
  • Prize Money Won: £4750 (19th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 8/5 (21st)
  • Summer Series Average: 96.04 (15th)
  • Highest Average: 105.79 (16th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 1 (22nd)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 8 (16th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 65/50 (20th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 0/2
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.25 (19th)
  • First Round Opponent: Mensur Suljovic (12)

Jeffrey De Zwaan (25)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Last 32 Event 4
  • Prize Money Won: £2000 (26th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 4/5 (26th)
  • Summer Series Average: 90.33 (28th)
  • Highest Average: 95.45 (30th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 0 (26th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 4 (25th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 39/47 (27th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 2/0
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.29 (12th)
  • First Round Opponent: Glen Durrant (15)

Ryan Joyce (26)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 1
  • Summer Series Best: Winner Event 2
  • Prize Money Won: £11000 (4th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 9/4 (17th)
  • Summer Series Average: 96.12 (14th)
  • Highest Average: 103.02 (22nd)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 4 (12th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 8 (16th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 71/61 (18th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 3/1
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.25 (19th)
  • First Round Opponent: Simon Whitlock (16)

Dimitri Van Den Bergh (27)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Last 16 Event 3
  • Prize Money Won: £2500 (24th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 5/5 (24th)
  • Summer Series Average: 96.60 (12th)
  • Highest Average: 109.47 (6th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 3 (16th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 4 (25th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 48/37 (24th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 0/1
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.29 (12th)
  • First Round Opponent: Nathan Aspinall (6)

Justin Pipe (28)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Last 64 Event 1
  • Prize Money Won: £500 (32nd)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 1/3 (32nd)
  • Summer Series Average: 96.03 (16th)
  • Highest Average: 98.92 (28th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 0 (26th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 2 (29th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 17/23 (32nd)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 1/0
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.40 (2nd)
  • First Round Opponent: Gary Anderson (8)

Vincent Van Der Voort (29)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Last 32 Events 1 and 3
  • Prize Money Won: £2500 (24th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 5/5 (24th)
  • Summer Series Average: 89.89 (30th)
  • Highest Average: 100.01 (25th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 1 (22nd)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 8 (16th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 47/41 (25th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 0/2
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.18 (30th)
  • First Round Opponent: Dave Chisnall (10)

Keegan Brown (30)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Last 32 Event 2
  • Prize Money Won: £1500 (29th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 3/5 (29th)
  • Summer Series Average: 89.36 (31st)
  • Highest Average: 93.46 (32nd)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 0 (26th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 1 (32nd)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 36/37 (29th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 0/1
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.10 (31st)
  • First Round Opponent: James Wade (9)

Steve Beaton (31)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Last 16 Event 1
  • Prize Money Won: £2000 (26th)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 4/5 (26th)
  • Summer Series Average: 92.18 (27th)
  • Highest Average: 98.55 (26th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 0 (26th)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 2 (29th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 37/41 (28th)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 1/1
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.21 (28th)
  • First Round Opponent: Adrian Lewis (14)

Ricky Evans (32)

  • Summer Series Events Won: 0
  • Summer Series Best: Last 16 Event 1
  • Prize Money Won: £4500 (21st)
  • Matches Won/Lost: 9/5 (18th)
  • Summer Series Average: 90.30 (29th)
  • Highest Average: 100.61 (24th)
  • Number of 100+ Averages: 1 (22nd)
  • Ton+ Checkouts: 6 (19th)
  • Legs Won/Lost: 65/64 (21st)
  • Last Leg Deciders Won/Lost: 3/0
  • 180 Per Leg Ratio: 0.23 (23rd)
  • First Round Opponent: Daryl Gurney (7)

Pro Tour Summary

There’s no better starting point than Jose De Sousa. The Portuguese star recorded the highest average over the Summer Series, recorded the joint most ton plus averages and has a 180 per leg ratio of 0.39. He lost to MVG in the third event of the Series and there’s no doubt he’ll carry a threat to Peter Wright in the most exciting of first round of ties. If he comes through that you wouldn’t bet against this maverick dartist going all the way.

Another unseeded player who could potentially be well placed for a good run is Jonny Clayton. ‘The Ferret’ started the Summer Series with three decent events followed by two first round exits but look into his statistics a bit closer and you can see how much the former Top 16 player is a threat to Michael Smith in the opening round. He boasted an average across the five events of 98.57 (fifth best in this field), a 180 per leg ratio of 0.36 and registered a ton plus average in 50% of the matches he played. In the two televised tournaments so far this year, he reached the Quarter Finals of the Masters and the Semi Final of the UK Open. If ‘Bully Boy’ isn’t at full strength in the opener the Welshman could take advantage.

World Matchplay: Suggested Bets

To conclude this article I’m going to suggest three bets that may be worth following. First up is Steve Beaton to beat Adrian Lewis in the first round at odds of 7/5 (Sportingbet). Over the Summer Series ‘Jackpot’ didn’t play the final event due to personal reasons but was playing well below par with an average of just 88.97. Three first round exits surrounded a venture to the third round in event two but that was as good as it got for him. Whilst ‘The Adonis’ didn’t fare a great deal better he was more consistent. The current odds – albeit shortening - for Beaton to prevail in this match are certainly fair given all doesn’t seem to be going to plan for Lewis of late.

I’ve already mentioned Peter Wright, Daryl Gurney and Jose De Sousa in the summaries that accompany the stats presented and it’s interesting to note that those three are all drawn in the same quarter. So the widely available 100/30 for Quarter 3 to produce the tournament winner would be a play I’d like to side with. On top of these three this quarter also features last year’s semi-finalist and Premier League table topper Glen Durrant. This quarter certainly boasts strength in depth.

Finally, Gerwyn Price to win the fourth quarter at 6/4 (bet365) is the other pick I’ll be taking pre-tournament. The ‘Iceman’ would have registered a 100+ Summer Series average but for a disappointing final vs Peter Wright in the fifth Summer Series event. He’s not been given the easiest of first round matches vs Danny Noppert, but he did beat him quite comfortably at the UK Open. Next up would be a tie vs Steve Beaton or Adrian Lewis which you’d certainly expect him to come through, whilst tougher match ups then await, potential opponents include Nathan Aspinall or Ian White who didn’t quite reach the heights last week that they did pre-lockdown.

Click here for all of Sky Bet's World Matchplay odds

Paul Nicholson previews the World Matchplay
Click here for Paul Nicholson's previews of the World Matchplay

Summer Series Order Of Merit

This is how much every player in the World Matchplay earned during the five-day Summer Series to give you an indication of form ahead of their return to the Marshall Arena. Michael van Gerwen won two of the first three titles either side of Ryan Joyce's maiden title while James Wade and day one runner-up Peter Wright bagged the others. Each title was worth £10,000 while Wright, Dave Chisnall, Jose De Sousa, Rob Cross and Gerwyn Price picked up £6,000 cheques for runners-up placings.

  1. Peter Wright £22,000
  2. Michael van Gerwen £21,000
  3. James Wade £16,250
  4. Ryan Joyce £11,000
  5. Gerwyn Price £10,000
  6. Jose de Sousa £9,250
  7. Dave Chisnall £9.250
  8. Rob Cross £8,000
  9. Daryl Gurney £7,750
  10. Nathan Aspinall £7.750
  11. Krzysztof Ratajski £7,750
  12. Ian White £6,750
  13. Mensur Suljovic £6,750
  14. Glen Durrant £6,500
  15. Michael Smith £5,250
  16. Danny Noppert £5,250
  17. Jermaine Wattimena £5,000
  18. Gabriel Clemens £5,000
  19. Jonny Clayton £4,750
  20. Jamie Hughes £4,750
  21. Ricky Evans £4,500
  22. Gary Anderson £4,000
  23. Brendan Dolan £3,000
  24. Dimitri van den Bergh £2,500
  25. Vincent van der Voort £2,500
  26. Jeffrey de Zwaan £2,000
  27. Simon Whitlock £2,000
  28. Steve Beaton £2,000
  29. Joe Cullen £1,500
  30. Keegan Brown £1,500
  31. Adrian Lewis £1,000 (Missed one event)
  32. Justin Pipe £500 (Missed two events)
Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price head the betting for the World Matchplay
Click here to read our in-depth betting preview and tips

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Responsible gambling

We are committed in our support of responsible gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

Sky Bet's responsible gambling tools are detailed here and if you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, or visit begambleaware.org.

Further support and information can be found at GamCare and gamblingtherapy.org.

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