World Matchplay (darts)
| World Matchplay | |
|---|---|
| Tournament information | |
| Venue | Winter Gardens |
| Location | Blackpool, Lancashire |
| Country | England |
| Established | 1994 |
| Organisation(s) | PDC |
| Format | Legs |
| Prize fund | £450,000 (2014) [1] |
| Month(s) Played | July |
| Current champion(s) | |
 Michael van Gerwen | |
The World Matchplay, also known as the BetVictor World Matchplay for sponsorship purposes,[2] is a professional darts tournament. It is played in a legs format, and is run by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Michael van Gerwen is the reigning champion.[3]
The World Matchplay has been played annually since 1994 in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool. The first ever winner was Larry Butler, who beat Dennis Priestley 16-12, and the current holder is Michael van Gerwen. It is regarded as the second biggest PDC Tournament, status shown by the fact the whole tournament was sold out within three days of the tickets being on sale.
The 1995 World Matchplay turned out to be Jocky Wilson's last appearance in a major televised event. Wilson had reached the quarter-finals of the inaugural tournament in 1994 and he beat Rod Harrington in the 1st round in 1995, but a 2nd round defeat against Nigel Justice was effectively the end of his career.
From 1994 to 2012, matches at the World Matchplay had to be won by two clear legs. For example, the first round was usually played over the first to 10 legs, but if the score reached 9-9, play continued until either player gained a two-leg lead. Starting with the 2013 World Matchplay, if a two leg-lead hadn't been established after six extra legs, then a sudden death leg is played, so sudden death would come into play in a first round match at 12-12.[4]
Sponsors
There have been six different sponsors for the World Matchplay:
| Sponsor | Years |
|---|---|
| Proton Cars | 1994 |
| Webster's | 1995–1997 |
| PDC | 1998–1999 |
| Stan James | 2000–2010 |
| Skybet | 2011 |
| Betfair | 2012 |
| BetVictor[2] | 2013– |
World Matchplay finals
The list of finals:[5]
| Year | Champion (average in final) | Score | Runner-Up (average in final) | Prize Money | Sponsor | Venue | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Champion | Runner-Up | ||||||
| 1994 |  Larry Butler (90.72) |
16–12 |  Dennis Priestley (91.59) |
£42,800 | £10,000 | £6,000 | Proton Cars | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| 1995 | Phil Taylor (90.72) |
16–11 | Dennis Priestley (87.63) |
Webster's | ||||
| 1996 | Peter Evison (100.51) |
16–14 | Dennis Priestley (96.67) |
£52,000 | £12,000 | £7,000 | ||
| 1997 | Phil Taylor (106.32) |
16–11 | Alan Warriner (98.42) |
£48,000 | £6,000 | |||
| 1998 | Rod Harrington (95.03) |
19–17 | Ronnie Baxter (94.07) |
£58,000 | £14,000 | £7,000 | PDC | |
| 1999 | Rod Harrington (85.95) |
19–17 | Peter Manley (86.91) | |||||
| 2000 | Phil Taylor (100.32) |
18–12 | Alan Warriner (97.14) |
Stan James | ||||
| 2001 | Phil Taylor (99.57) |
18–10 |  Richie Burnett (90.99) |
£65,000 | ||||
| 2002 | Phil Taylor (98.76) |
18–16 |  John Part (94.14) |
£75,500 | £15,000 | £7,500 | ||
| 2003 | Phil Taylor (94.38) |
18–12 | Wayne Mardle (97.44) |
£80,000 | £8,000 | |||
| 2004 | Phil Taylor (100.20) |
18–8 | Mark Dudbridge (89.24) |
£100,000 | £20,000 | £10,000 | ||
| 2005 | Colin Lloyd (97.89) |
18–12 | John Part (94.53) |
£120,000 | £25,000 | £12,500 | ||
| 2006 | Phil Taylor (100.08) |
18–11 | James Wade (90.01) |
£150,000 | £30,000 | £15,000 | ||
| 2007 | James Wade (96.83) |
18–7 | Terry Jenkins (91.62) |
£200,000 | £50,000 | £20,000 | ||
| 2008 | Phil Taylor (109.47) |
18–9 | James Wade (102.58) |
£300,000 | £60,000 | £30,000 | ||
| 2009 | Phil Taylor (106.05) |
18–4 | Terry Jenkins (92.32) |
£400,000 | £100,000 | £50,000 | ||
| 2010 | Phil Taylor (105.16) |
18–12 | Raymond van Barneveld (100.11) | |||||
| 2011 | Phil Taylor (103.84) |
18–8 | James Wade (98.84) |
Sky Bet | ||||
| 2012 | Phil Taylor (98.97) |
18–15 | James Wade (95.92) |
Betfair | ||||
| 2013 | Phil Taylor (111.23) |
18–13 | Adrian Lewis (105.92) |
BetVictor | ||||
| 2014 | Phil Taylor (107.19) |
18–9 | Michael van Gerwen (101.49) |
£450,000 | ||||
| 2015 | Michael van Gerwen (99.91) |
18–12 | James Wade (90.37) | |||||
| 2016 | Michael van Gerwen (103.93) |
18–10 | Phil Taylor (101.13) | |||||
Finalists
Over the course of the tournament's 22-year existence, there have only been seven different winners: Phil Taylor (15), Rod Harrington (2), Michael van Gerwen (2), Larry Butler (1), Peter Evison (1), Colin Lloyd (1) and James Wade (1). Dennis Priestley was also runner-up for three consecutive years.
| Player | Won | Runner-up | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Taylor | 15 | 1 | 16 |
| Michael van Gerwen | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Rod Harrington | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| James Wade | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Larry Butler | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Peter Evison | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Colin Lloyd | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Dennis Priestley | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Alan Warriner | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| John Part | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Terry Jenkins | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Ronnie Baxter | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Peter Manley | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Richie Burnett | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Wayne Mardle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Mark Dudbridge | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Raymond van Barneveld | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Adrian Lewis | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Records
- Nine dart finish
- In the 2002 tournament, Phil Taylor hit the first ever nine dart finish to be broadcast live on UK television.
- In the 2010 tournament, Raymond van Barneveld achieved a nine dart finish in the Matchplay against Denis Ovens in the first round.
- In the 2011 tournament, John Part achieved a nine dart finish against Mark Webster. Part went on to lose the match 10–8.
- In the 2012 tournament, Michael van Gerwen hit a nine dart finish against Steve Beaton in a 13–9 second round win.
- In the 2012 tournament, Wes Newton hit a nine dart finish against Justin Pipe in a 13–10 second round defeat.
- In the 2014 tournament, Phil Taylor hit a nine dart finish against Michael Smith in the second round.
- Longest match in Matchplay history
- The finals of 1998 and 1999 both went to 36 legs as a result of the format of "2 clear legs".
- Highest average in a Matchplay final
- 111.23 by Phil Taylor in the 2013 final.[6]
- Longest unbeaten run
- Phil Taylor from 2008 - 2015: 38 games. Taylor has only lost eight matches in the history of the event:
- 1994 Bob Anderson 9–11 (sudden death, second round)
- 1996 Peter Evison 1–8 (second round)
- 1998 Ronnie Baxter 10–13 (quarter-finals)
- 1999 Peter Manley 14–17 (semi-finals),
- 2005 John Part 11–16 (quarter-finals)
- 2007 Terry Jenkins 11–17 (semi-finals).
- 2015 James Wade 14–17 (semi-finals).
- 2016 Michael van Gerwen 10–18 (Final)
Format
From the beginning of the tournament in 1994, the World Matchplay has always been a legs only event. The length of matches for each round has changed several times over the years, as shown below.
1994
- First Round: First to 8 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
- Second Round: First to 8 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
- Quarter Finals: First to 11 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
- Semi Finals: First to 11 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
- Final: First to 16 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
1995–1997
- First Round: First to 8 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
- Second Round: First to 8 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
- Quarter Finals: First to 11 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
- Semi Finals: First to 13 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
- Final: First to 16 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
1998
- First Round: First to 8 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
- Second Round: First to 8 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
- Quarter Finals: First to 13 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
- Semi Finals: First to 13 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
- Final: First to 18 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
1999–2012
- First Round: First to 10 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
- Second Round: First to 13 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
- Quarter Finals: First to 16 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
- Semi Finals: First to 17 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
- Final: First to 18 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs)
2013–2015
- First Round: First to 10 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs; sudden death leg at 12–12)
- Second Round: First to 13 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs; sudden death leg at 15–15)
- Quarter Finals: First to 16 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs; sudden death leg at 18–18)
- Semi Finals: First to 17 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs; sudden death leg at 19–19)
- Final: First to 18 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs; sudden death leg at 20–20)
2016–present
- First Round: First to 10 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs; sudden death leg at 12–12)
- Second Round: First to 11 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs; sudden death leg at 13–13)
- Quarter Finals: First to 16 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs; sudden death leg at 18–18)
- Semi Finals: First to 17 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs; sudden death leg at 19–19)
- Final: First to 18 legs (match must be won by 2 clear legs; sudden death leg at 20–20)
Media coverage
The World Matchplay has been broadcast in the UK by Sky Sports since the first tournament.[7]
Previous incarnation
During the 1980s, the British Darts Organisation staged an unrelated version - the MFI World Matchplay championship. It was short-lived but historic in darts as it featured the first ever televised nine dart finish on 13 October 1984 when John Lowe won £102,000 for the perfect game of darts against Keith Deller. Lowe went on to win the title that year. The tournament was broadcast on ITV and came from originally came from The Fulcrum Centre, Slough, before moving to Festival Hall, Basildon.[8] The tournament ceased after the 1988 tournament due to ITV announcing that they were pulling out of darts coverage altogether. ITV broadcast the 1988 World Masters before leaving the BBC as the only broadcaster of darts from 1989 to 1991. ITV didn't return to tournament darts coverage until they broadcast the 4 WDC UK Matchplay tournaments from 1993 to 1996, tournaments which featured a quadro dart board, where each number from 1-20 also had a quadruple slot for 4 times the number. ITV regional channels also showed events like the Lada UK Masters (Anglia Television) and the Samson Classic (Tyne-Tees Television). In 1999, ITV broadcast the head to head showdown at Wembley between Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld, and returned to tournament darts coverage with the Grand Slam of Darts tournament in 2007.
The complete list of final results:[9]
| Year | Champion (average in final) | Score | Runner-up (average in final) | Sponsor | Prize fund | Champion | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | John Lowe |
5–3 (sets) | Cliff Lazarenko |
MFI | £36,000 | £12,000 | £5,000 |
| 1985 | Eric Bristow |
5–4 | Bob Anderson |
MFI | £41,000 | £15,000 | £6,000 |
| 1986 | Mike Gregory |
5–1 |  Jocky Wilson |
MFI | £41,000 | £15,000 | £6,000 |
| 1987 | Bob Anderson |
5–1 | John Lowe |
MFI | £47,400 | £18,000 | £7,000 |
| 1988 | Eric Bristow |
5–1 | Bob Sinnaeve |
MFI | £52,000 | £21,000 | £7,500 |
References
- ↑ http://www.pdc.tv/news/article/x8j56hdz8y961h0jdoq3fx4h4/title/pdc-prize-fund-increases-confirmed
- 1 2 "BetVictor To Sponsor World Matchplay". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ↑ "Brilliant Taylor Takes 13th Title". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ↑ http://www.pdc.tv/news/article/bgb4ol0qkjjl1v2he76at5dpc/title/betvictor-world-matchplay-rule-change
- ↑ http://www.mastercaller.nl/en/tournaments/pdc/world-matchplay/1996
- ↑ "Super Taylor's BetVictor World Matchplay Win". PDC. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ↑ "PDC & Sky Sports Extend Partnership". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ↑ "Darts Results - MFI World Matchplay - Darts Mad". Retrieved 21 December 2015.
- ↑ "MFI World Matchplay Winners". DartsDatabase. Retrieved 25 July 2014.