World Matchplay 2023: Day three darts predictions, odds, betting tips, accas, order of play & TV times
The 30th staging of the World Matchplay continues on Monday night so here's our match-by-match preview and best bets.
Two former champions in Peter Wright and Dimitri Van den Bergh get their campaigns under way on Monday night while there's an emotional Winter Gardens return for Raymond van Barneveld.
Here, we look ahead to all four matches with seasonal statistics, predictions, best bets and an acca...
Darts betting tips: World Matchplay day three
1pt Ross Smith to win and hit most 180s at 2/1 (Sky Bet)
1pt Andrew Gilding to win and Peter Wright to hit most 180s at 5/1 (Sky Bet)
SL Acca: Smith, Van Barneveld, Gilding (+2.5) & Clayton all to win at 8/1 with Sky Bet
World Matchplay: Monday July 17
- 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
Dimitri Van den Bergh (8/11) v Ross Smith (1/1)
- Overall H2H: 2-5 (TV: 0-1)
2023: 1-0 (TV: 0-0) - Seasonal Average
VDB: 94.18
Smith: 95.71 - 180s per leg in 2023
VDB: 0.28
Smith: 0.37 - Checkout % in 2023 (Stage events only)
VDB: 37.23%
Smith: 38.79% - Match Treble % (Win, most 180s & high checkout)
VDB: 22.02%
Smith: 27.27%
Dimitri Van den Bergh opens the third night of action at the World Matchplay as favourite to see off Ross Smith - but you could argue this is based on his overall reputation rather than seasonal form.
The Belgian's key statistics listed above are all lower than those of his English opponent, who has also picked up a Players Championship title this season whereas VDB remains empty handed.
While Smith has never won on the Winter Gardens stage in just one previous appearance here in 2021, he returns with the confidence of being a major winner having captured the European Championship last October.
Van den Bergh obviously has a superb record here having reached the final in 2021 and the last four 12 months ago but if he's not at his best then Smith's firepower and superior 180 hitting could see him heading for an early exit.
Scoreline prediction: 7-10
Ryan Searle (8/11) v Raymond van Barneveld (1/1)
- Overall H2H: 2-5 (TV: 0-0)
2023: 1-1 (TV: 0-0) - Seasonal Average
Searle: 94.93
RVB: 94.08 - 180s per leg in 2023
Searle: 0.24
RVB: 0.24 - Checkout % in 2023 (Stage events only)
Searle: 32.64%
RVB: 40.28% - Match Treble % (Win, most 180s & high checkout)
Searle: 18.64%
RVB: 19.74%
Raymond van Barneveld makes his World Matchplay return after a five-year absence and he's eager to make the absolute most of it.
He told Sporting Life prior to the tournament: "There's a lot of media interest around the Matchplay, and I guess there's a lot of interest in me to be back there after five years, and I love it. I can't wait to get back there, it's been a long time because in the last couple of years before I finished I didn't qualify. But this was one of the big goals, to get back there."
We saw during last year's incredible Grand Slam of Darts run just how Barney can still roll back the years and rise to the occasion when the spotlight is firmly on him, so don't expect to wilt under the all the attention. These are the type of evenings he's always been made for.
Ever since he came out of retirement, van Barneveld seems to be enjoying these chances to entertain big crowds much more than in previous years and the Winter Gardens crowd really will roar him on against Ryan Searle.
They've both been performing to a similar level in recent months but Barney won their most recent meeting at the European Matchplay earlier this month with an average of 101. He reached the quarter-final that weekend and also defeated Michael van Gerwen so he certainly has plenty to draw upon.
Scoreline prediction: 7-10
Peter Wright (4/7) v Andrew Gilding (5/4)
- Overall H2H: 6-1 (TV: 1-0)
2023: 0-0 (TV: 0-0) - Seasonal Average
Wright: 93.87
Gilding: 94.23 - 180s per leg in 2023
Wright: 0.24
Gilding: 0.19 - Checkout % in 2023 (Stage events only)
Wright: 39.12%
Gilding: 39.44% - Match Treble % (Win, most 180s & high checkout)
Wright: 6.90%
Gilding: 19.23%
Peter Wright's season can be described as inconsistent at best and worrying at worst. So either way, he's certainly a vulnerable favourite against Andrew Gilding.
Snakebite is a shadow of the player who won the 2021 World Matchplay with a staggering tournament average of 104.37 but despite all of his troubles, he's still managed to pick up a couple of titles this year; the Nordic Darts Masters in January and the Czech Darts Open as recently as May.
His seasonal average in all competitions of 93.87 is among the bottom seven in the entire 32-player field while he was producing a string of sub-90 averages when we last saw him in Pro Tour action last month.
Gilding cemented his cult hero status back in March when defeating Michael van Gerwen in a deciding leg of the UK Open final and since then he's enjoyed several lengthy runs to the latter stages of Pro Tour and European Tour events.
Goldfinger's only victory on this stage came way back in 2015 before Wright knocked him out in round two but this is only the second time he's qualified since then and there's no doubt he's got a lot more confidence now to finally earn his revenge.
Scoreline prediction: 6-10
Jonny Clayton (4/9) v Gabriel Clemens (13/8)
- Overall H2H: 10-1 (TV: 2-1)
2023: 0-0 (TV: 0-0) - Seasonal Average
Clayton: 96.81
Clemens: 93.87 - 180s per leg in 2023
Clayton: 0.22
Clemens: 0.25 - Checkout % in 2023 (Stage events only)
Clayton: 41.48%
Clemens: 31.76% - Match Treble % (Win, most 180s & high checkout)
Clayton: 18.80%
Clemens: 12.31%
Jonny Clayton is one of my outright tips to win the World Matchplay so obviously I'm going to side with him to defeat a player he's defeated 10 times out of 11 previous meetings.
The Ferret is Mr Consistent this season and recently became the first player since the Dart Connect system began around 2018 to record 50 successive averages over 90 - many of which also exceeded three figures.
His seasonal mark of 96.81 is among the top six and if he can maintain his levels then I can't see anything other than a fairly routine victory for the Welshman.
Scoreline prediction: 10-6
Darts: Related content
- 2023 Premier League results
- 2023 PDC Darts calendar and results
- Troubles and triumphs
- Tournament ideas for darts
- 'What If' moments in darts
- Agony of missed match darts
- Good, Bad, Ugly: Nicholson on darts shirts
- Referees in darts
- Calling the shots in darts
- Weird actions in darts
- Hidden talents in darts
- Superstitions in darts
- Routes to glory
- Paul Nicholson's five darts drills
- Paul Nicholson's five mental tips
- Paul Nicholson's five practice games
- Worst losers in darts
- World number ones in darts
- Best players never to be number one
- Do averages lie?
- Paul Nicholson's Ally Pally tales
- Watch all the Ally Pally nine-darters
- Players everyone hates to face
- Players everyone loves to face
- How to make it as a pro?
- How much money do players earn?
- Greatest darts rivalries
- Rivalries to cherish
- Be canny with counting
- Phil Taylor's greatest display
- World Cup of Great Darts performances
- Sky Bet's darts odds
MOST READ
Next Off
Fixtures & Results
