Betfred World Matchplay 2023 | Day Six Preview and Order of Play
The Quarter-Final action commences at the 2023 World Matchplay on Thursday with four players vying to remain on course for glory in Blackpool.
A tournament of shocks has seen the world’s top four players crash out prior to the halfway stage, with all former champions having also departed the Winter Gardens.
A new name is now guaranteed on the Phil Taylor Trophy come Sunday night in what is shaping up to be the most open staging in the event’s 30-year history.
None of the remaining quartet in the top half of the draw have appeared in a World Matchplay final and will lock horns for a place in the Semis over the extended format this evening.
The opening match of the night sees former Masters champion Joe Cullen take on two-time major winner Daryl Gurney.
Cullen, last year’s Premier League runner-up, is making his eighth consecutive World Matchplay appearance, and has equalled his best run to date from 2018 – when he lost out to eventual champion Gary Anderson in a 36-leg epic.
The world number 13 opened up with a 10-7 victory over Belgian debutant Mike De Decker with an average of 100.7, before pulling off a sensational 13-11 scalp of last year’s runner-up Gerwyn Price in the Last 16.
Cullen survived a match dart along the way and converted 60 per cent of his attempts at doubles in a sublime display of finishing to reach his ninth major televised ranking Quarter-Final.
Gurney, meanwhile, finds himself through to a first major ranking Quarter-Final since the 2021 Players Championship Finals after recapturing his brilliant best form in Blackpool this week.
The former world number three, unseeded in this year’s draw, battled past his former nemesis Rob Cross 12-10 in Round One, before enjoying a contrastingly straightforward Second Round outing.
The Northern Irishman thrashed Gary Anderson 11-4 with a 104.4 average to complete a hat-trick of wins over the Scotsman on this stage and is looking to reach the Semi-Finals here for the third time since 2017.
Two Premier League stars then collide as ninth seed Nathan Aspinall takes on Chris Dobey.
The duo are sharing a house this week but will put their close friendship to one side as they bid to break new ground in Blackpool.
Aspinall is appearing in this third consecutive World Matchplay Quarter-Final, but faces a fresh opponent after suffering back-to-back defeats at the hands of Michael van Gerwen.
Twice a major finalist last year, ‘The Asp’ came through tough opener against Krzysztof Ratajski 10-7 before digging deep again to edge out Danny Noppert 11-9 with a second successive 98 average.
Dobey had never won a match in this event in his three previous appearances but has finally found the winning formula at the Winter Gardens, kicking off with a hard-fought 10-8 success over 2007 champion James Wade.
The reigning Masters champion then dumped out world number one and World Champion Michael Smith 11-7 with a 98.2 average and a prolific checkout rate of 68 per cent.
Aspinall won two of his three Premier League fixtures against Dobey this season en route to finishing fifth in the table, while ‘Hollywood’ ended his debut campaign in seventh.
The action gets under way from 8pm BST, with Quarter-Final matches to be contested over the best of 31 legs.
All matches must be won by two clear legs, with a match being extended if necessary for a maximum of six extra legs before a sudden death leg is required. For example, in a Quarter-Final match, if the score reaches 15-15 then the 37th leg will be the sudden death decider.
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World Matchplay 2023 Day Six Schedule
Thursday July 20
Quarter-Finals
8.15pm Joe Cullen v Daryl Gurney
9.45pm Chris Dobey v Nathan Aspinall
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