The second round of the 2025 Betfred World Matchplay concludes at the Winter Gardens on Wednesday so check out Chris Hammer's match-by-match predictions, best bets and a suggested acca.
World Matchplay day five: Wednesday July 23
- ·TV Coverage: Sky Sports, 1900 BST
- ·Format: Second round, best of 21 legs
SL Acca: 1pt Dirk Van Duijvenbode Win and Most 180s, Josh Rock Win and Most 180s & Gerwyn Price to Win at 5/1 (Sky Bet) *Four of our five accas have come in so far at 6/1, 16/5, 3/1 and 5/2!
Andrew Gilding (13/8) v Dirk van Duijvenbode (4/9)
- Head-to-head: 1-2
- Three-Dart Average (2025): 93.85 - 97.56
- 180s per leg (Last 12 months): 0.22 - 0.42
- Checkout % (Last 12 months): 39.18% - 39.13%
Andrew Gilding may well be one of the quietest and understated players on the circuit but he nearly blew the roof off the Winter Gardens with a nine-darter against Damon Heta on Sunday.
More importantly for Goldfinger, he averaged over 100 in a fine performance to run out a 12-10 winner and shouldn't be underestimated against the heavy scoring of Dirk van Duijvenbode.
The former UK Open champion may have one of the lower seasonal averages in the tournament but he's been steadily climbing in recent months and his improvement was rewarded with a run to a European Tour final back in May.
However, van Duijvenbode has enjoyed a superb season from a statistical point of view and is firing 180s at such a high rate so if he finds his range early, it might be too much for Gilding to handle.
Scoreline prediction: 7-11
Chris Dobey (7/4) v Gerwyn Price (2/5)
- Head-to-head: 4-20
- Three-Dart Average (2025): 96.97 – 97.89
- 180s per leg (Last 12 months): 0.36 - 0.30
- Checkout % (Last 12 months): 39.08% - 41.18%
Gerwyn Price hit the headlines in true blockbusting fashion thanks to a dramatically fiery victory over Daryl Gurney the other night but his temper won't be tested by the mild mannered Chris Dobey.
The Iceman just about kept his cool enough to average 100.21 and run out a 10-7 winner and it's actually the fifth time in his last seven outings in all competitions that he's surpassed three figures.
This camera angle of Gerwyn Price and Daryl Gurney. How can you not love dartspic.twitter.com/x9Kc57vRoV
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) July 21, 2025
Price, who has also won two of the last four tournaments on the circuit, also has a commanding 20-4 head-to-head record over Hollywood despite one of his few defeats being that cracker at this year's World Championship.
Their most recent meeting came in the semi-finals of the last European Tour event which Price won 7-3 en route to the title and I do feel the logical conclusion is another victory for the Welshman.
Dobey, who surprisingly only managed a 90 average last time out in a scrappy clash against Ricardo Pietreczko, can be expected to edge the maximum battle as he boasts a noticeably higher 180 per leg rate even though he 'only' fired in six in 15 legs in the aforementioned first-round match.
Scoreline prediction: 7-11
Luke Littler (1/14) v Jermaine Wattimena (13/2)
- Head-to-head: 4-0
- Three-Dart Average (2025): 100.93 - 95.37
- 180s per leg (Last 12 months): 0.46 - 0.26
- Checkout % (Last 12 months): 42.18% - 41.83%
Jermaine Wattimena said he wasn't afraid of the prospect of facing Luke Littler during his post-match interview on Sunday afternoon but a few hours later Luke Littler unleashed a trademark Nuke-like performance on Ryan Searle on Sunday night that could well have put the fear of God into his next opponent.
The Nuke was only on stage for around 15 minutes as he averaged 108 in a 10-2 demolition job and afterwards stressed just how hard he'd been practicing in the build up to the World Matchplay.
Littler did jokingly concede his hard work behind the scenes may have contributed to him failing his driving theory test for the fourth time but that will matter not if he goes on to complete a remarkable career Triple Crown at the age of 18 on Sunday.
The world champion battered Wattimena in last year's triumphant run at the Grand Slam and also in this year's route to UK Open glory and I can see a similar kind of result tonight.
Scoreline prediction: 11-3
Michael van Gerwen (11/8) v Josh Rock (8/15)
- Head-to-head: 7-2
- Three-Dart Average (2025): 96.84 – 98.74
- 180s per leg (Last 12 months): 0.27 - 0.38
- Checkout % (Last 12 months): 41.99% - 40.91%
SELECTION: 1pt Josh Rock to win and hit most 180s at 6/5 (Sky Bet)
Josh Rock proved why he's considered a genuine challenger for his maiden major title in Blackpool after a breathtaking 10-5 victory over Ross Smith in which he averaged 104.32.
The Northern Irishman, who won the World Cup of Darts with Daryl Gurney back in June, has been riding a crest of a wave in recent months and possesses one of the highest seasonal average on the circuit.
Much has been made of Michael van Gerwen's struggles and while he did manage a European Tour title back in April, he's not averaged over 100 since beating Rock in the semi-final of that event and it's no surprise to see him underdog tonight.
The rate at which Rock is hitting 180s means I'd be confident about him not only winning the match but also completing a double with most maximums.
Scoreline prediction: 7-11
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