Peter Wright is the defending World Matchplay champion (Picture: Lawrence Lustig/PDC)

World Matchplay darts: Day one predictions, odds, betting tips, accas, order of play & TV times

By Chris Hammer

Darts

Sat July 16, 2022 · 3y ago

The 29th staging of the World Matchplay gets under way in Blackpool on Saturday night so here's our match-by-match preview and best bets.

Defending champion Peter Wright gets his campaign under way against Winter Gardens debutant Madars Razma on opening night while 2020 winner Dimitri Van den Bergh, who was runner-up to Snakebite 12 months ago, and the highly-fancied Jonny Clayton are also in action.

Here, we look ahead to all four matches with seasonal statistics, predictions, best bets and an acca...

Darts betting tips: World Matchplay day one

2pts Wright to win, hit most 180s and have the highest checkout at 11/10 (Sky Bet, Ladbrokes)

1pt Clayton to win and Rodriguez to hit most 180s at 9/4 (Sky Bet)

SL Acca: Bunting, Van den Bergh, Wright (-2,5), Clayton (-2.5) at 13/2 with Sky Bet

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Also Watch: World Matchplay tournament predictions

Former major winner and leading pundit Paul Nicholson joins Sporting Life darts expert Chris Hammer and show host Dom Newton to run through each quarter of the draw with statistics and facts to predict who will reach the semi-finals and then the eventual finalists and champion.

Predicting the 2022 World Matchplay - the second biggest major in darts!

World Matchplay: Saturday July 16

Venue: Winter Gardens, Blackpool
TV Coverage: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
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

Krzysztof Ratajski (8/11) v Stephen Bunting (1/1)

Overall H2H: 0-2 (TV: 0-1)
2022: 0-0 (TV: 0-0)
Seasonal Average
Ratajski: 95.21
Bunting: 94.60
180s per leg in 2022
Ratajski: 0.22
Bunting: 0.28
Checkout % in 2022 (Stage events only)
Ratajski: 39.47%
Bunting: 33.93%
100+ checkouts per leg won
Ratajski: 14.02%
Bunting: 11.89%
Match Treble % in all comps (Win, most 180s, highest checkout)
Ratajski: 22.37%
Bunting: 22.73%

Will appear here...

Also Read: Chris Hammer's quarter-by-quarter betting preview

CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR OUR OUTRIGHT BETTING PREVIEW

Scoreline prediction:

Dimitri Van den Bergh (4/9) v Callan Rydz (13/8)

Overall H2H: 1-1 (TV: 0-0)
2022: 0-0 (TV: 0-0)
Seasonal Average
Van den Bergh: 96.22
Rydz: 94.32
180s per leg in 2022
Van den Bergh: 0.32
Rydz: 0.26
Checkout % in 2022 (Stage events only)
Van den Bergh: 40.94%
Rydz: 38.92%
100+ checkouts per leg won
Van den Bergh: 10.56%
Rydz: 10.35%
Match Treble % in all comps (Win, most 180s, highest checkout)
Van den Bergh: 29.07%
Rydz: 25.35%

It's quite baffling how these two players haven't met since their youth days way back in October 2016 - first in a Development Tour encounter, which Callan Rydz won 4-3, and then in the opening round of the World Youth Championship, which Dimitri Van den Bergh edged 6-5.

Seasonal stats for the players in quarter one of the World Matchplay draw

Six long years later their paths cross in the second biggest major of the calendar, with the 2020 champion a very fair favourite to progress.

Although Van den Bergh lifted this trophy behind closed doors in Milton Keynes on his debut, he took to the Winter Gardens like a duck to water by defeating the likes of Dave Chisnall, Gerwyn Price and Krzysztof Ratajski en route to the final, where he lost 18-9 to Peter Wright despite an average of 101.

Rydz reached the quarter-finals on debut before a heavy defeat to Ratajski and proved that was no fluke with a fabulous run at the World Championship, where he narrowly lost an epic with Wright in the last eight.

He hasn't really built on that in a headline-making way whereas Van den Bergh's relatively quiet 2022 burst into life by landing back-to-back World Series titles in Denmark and the Netherlands.

The Belgian will have the pressure of defending £150,000 in ranking money but I fancy him to book his spot in round two.

Scoreline prediction: 10-7

Peter Wright (2/9) v Madars Razma (3/1)

Overall H2H: 6-0 (TV: 0-0)
2022: 0-0 (TV: 0-0)
Seasonal Average
Wright: 97.05
Razma: 94.60
180s per leg in 2022
Wright: 0.30
Razma: 0.15
Checkout % in 2022 (Stage events only)
Wright: 39.36%
Razma: 37.44%
100+ checkouts per leg won
Wright: 15.96%
Razma: 9.80%
Match Treble % in all comps (Win, most 180s, highest checkout)
Wright: 25.23%
Razma: 9.76%

There's no easy games in major darts tournaments but if Peter Wright could have secretly hand picked an opponent, then Madars Razma would probably have been high up on his list.

Snakebite has won all their previous six encounters and even in a relatively lean and inconsistent year for him, his seasonal statistics are considerably superior to the Latvian. Then there's the not so small matter of the Blackpool factor. Wright is the defending champion, the 2017 runner-up and also a two-time semi-finalist. He knows what it takes to cope with the unique atmosphere of the Winter Gardens while Razma is making his debut.

Wright's biggest threat in this match is himself. Should he endure one of his off days - which we saw a few too many of during the Premier League campaign - then it will leave the door ajar for Razma, whose best may well be enough to cause a shock in such a scenario.

That said, I'm going for him to achieve the Match Treble of the victory, most 180s and highest checkout. He's done so in over 25% of his matches this season and the rate he hits maximums and 100+ checkouts is significantly higher than Razma.

http://m.skybet.com/go/event/29873049?aff=1197321778&dcmp=SL_ED_DARTS_MATCHPLAYBOOST

Scoreline prediction: 10-5

Jonny Clayton (1/4) v Rowby-John Rodriguez (11/4)

Overall H2H: 5-2 (TV: 1-1)
2022: 1-1 (TV: 0-1)
Seasonal Average
Clayton: 97.27
Rodriguez: 92.81
180s per leg in 2022
Clayton: 0.24
Rodriguez: 0.26
Checkout % in 2022 (Stage events only)
Clayton: 41.19%
Rodriguez: 33.83%
100+ checkouts per leg won
Clayton: 14%
Rodriguez: 10.12%
Match Treble % in all comps (Win, most 180s, highest checkout)
Clayton: 13.82%
Rodriguez: 26.51%

Anyone who has read my outright preview - or indeed watched the video with Paul Nicholson - will know why I've gone for Jonny Clayton to win the title, so obviously I'm siding with him to overcome Rowby-John Rodriguez.

I'm not underestimating the rising Austrian star, who reached his maiden PDC final at the recent European Darts Matchplay only to lose a deciding leg to Luke Humphries, but the Ferret will be relishing the prospect of embarking on his first big Winter Gardens run.

He has a poor record here but this is effectively just the second time he's appeared here as a major-winning star so I'm not sure the Blackpool factor applies to him in the same way it does to other experienced players.

Rodriquez, however, is a superior 180 hitter than Clayton and for that reason I like the look of backing the Welshman to win but his opponent to hit most 180s at 9/4 with Sky Bet.

Scoreline prediction: 10-6