Ladbrokes Masters Darts 2021 Day Three preview and order of play: First silverware of the season up for grabs

The first televised title winner of the new season will be crowned at the Ladbrokes Masters on Sunday as the final eight players battle it out.

The newly-expanded 24-player invitational has already delivered drama aplenty in Milton Keynes and is set for a fascinating conclusion over two sessions.

The afternoon session plays host to the Quarter-Finals, with three World Champions among the stars left standing at the Marshall Arena.

Gerwyn Price marked his first outing as the new World Champion and world number one with a thumping 10-3 victory over Joe Cullen on Saturday, averaging 104.3 in picking up from where he left off at Alexandra Palace 27 days ago.

The Welsh star is targeting his fifth televised title in as many months as he looks to become the third consecutive reigning World Champion to also win the Ladbrokes Masters in the same year.

Price, making his fourth straight appearance in the Ladbrokes Masters, has never been beyond the Quarter-Final stage and faces a box office show-down with his old foe Adrian Lewis.

The pair will contest their first televised meeting in five years after Lewis avenged his defeat to Price from the previous year at the 2016 World Matchplay.

Lewis branded Price “A nobody” in his Sky interview after the match but the pair have since buried the hatchet and have met several times on the ProTour.

Lewis has enjoyed a remarkable return to form this weekend, edging out Michael Smith 6-5 before defeating Gary Anderson 10-8 with a 98.5 average.

He is now vying to reach his first televised Semi-Final since the 2017 World Matchplay and become the first player to defeat the newly-crowned World Champion.

Reigning Ladbrokes Masters champion Peter Wright continues the defence of his crown with a tie against World Championship semi-finalist Dave Chisnall.

Wright averaged 101.5 in a strong start to the campaign on Saturday, defeating Simon Whitlock 10-8 despite a 106 average from the in-form Australian.

World number three Wright is yet to defend a televised title but boasts a dominant recent record over Chizzy, losing just one of their last ten meetings.

Chisnall will be out to avenge his brutal 10-0 whitewash at the hands of ‘Snakebite’ at this stage of the competition 12 months ago and remain in pole position to secure the final Premier League spot.

The St Helens ace, who whitewashed Michael van Gerwen 5-0 in the Last Eight at Ally Pally, held his nerve to edge past Daryl Gurney in a last-leg decider on Saturday.

James Wade steps up his pursuit of a second Masters title when he comes up against the ever-dangerous Jonny Clayton.

Wade, the 2014 champion, is also in contention for a Premier League return, having reached two major finals last year, and began strongly by dispatching Chris Dobey 10-4 with a 97.8 average.

Clayton, meanwhile, made it back-to-back victories over MVG in this event, landing two 180s in the deciding leg on his way to a superb 10-9 success.

The World Cup of Darts winner will be determined to go at least one step further than last year, when he bowed out at the Quarter-Final stage, and has won both of his previous televised meetings with ‘The Machine’.

The opening match of the afternoon sees Premier League finalist Nathan Aspinall take on Players Championship Finals runner-up Mervyn King.

Aspinall survived five match darts from Mensur Suljovic before falling over the line in a deciding leg in the Last 16 and is now looking to make it successive Semi-Final appearances at The Masters.

King has seemingly picked up from where he left off last season, thrashing Glen Durrant 6-1 and Rob Cross 10-5 to continue his red hot resurgence.

The 2014 Masters runner-up has averaged above 101 in both outings so far this weekend and is looking to make a late charge for the Premier League by challenging for more major silverware.

The action gets underway from 1pm GMT, with Quarter-Final matches to be contested over the best of 19 legs and Semi-Finals and final best of 21.

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Ladbrokes Masters 2021 Schedule

Sunday January 31

Afternoon Session (12.45pm-5pm)

Quarter-Finals

Mervyn King v Nathan Aspinall
Gerwyn Price v Adrian Lewis
Peter Wright v Dave Chisnall
Jonny Clayton v James Wade

Evening Session (7pm-11pm)

Semi-Finals

Price/Lewis v King/Aspinall
Clayton/Wade v Wright/Chisnall

Final