Betfred World Matchplay 2025 | Day Two Preview and Order of Play
The First Round action continues at the 2025 Betfred World Matchplay on Saturday with a bumper double session in Blackpool.
The opening night of the sport’s summer showpiece saw defending champion Luke Humphries and 2023 champion Nathan Aspinall both crash out of the tournament at the hands of Dutch opposition as Gian van Veen and Wessel Nijman produced inspired displays to earn their first wins on the Winter Gardens stage.
No fewer than five World Champions are in action on Day Two, with eight matches to be held across two unmissable sessions.
The afternoon’s action includes a tie between 2019 champion Rob Cross and a resurgent Dirk van Duijvenbode.
Cross secured the second of his four major titles to date on this iconic stage but has failed to make it beyond the quarter-finals in each of five subsequent appearances.
The number ten seed began the season in style by winning the Dutch Masters and Players Championship One and also landed a nine-darter in the Premier League, but ended the campaign second from bottom of the table.
Runner-up in the recent Nordic Masters, Cross faces a tough opener against two-time major finalist Van Duijvenbode – who returns to Blackpool after failing to qualify last year amid injury problems.
Peter Wright, the 2021 World Matchplay champion, looks to ignite his season by overcoming European Championship finalist Jermaine Wattimena.
Wright dethroned Luke Humphries en route to the quarter-finals of the World Championship but has struggled for consistency on both floor and stage since, with a Players Championship final his season highlight so far.
The two-time World Champion suffered his first opening round exit for a decade at the Matchplay last year and will be determined to recapture his brilliant best form in Blackpool.
Wattimena, a ProTour event finalist earlier this season, is bidding for his first World Matchplay win at the fifth time of asking, having suffered consecutive first round exits from 2018-2021.
The opening fixture of the day sees seventh seed Damon Heta take on former UK Open champion Andrew Gilding.
Nine-dart hero at the World Championship, Heta has racked up two Players Championship titles in 2025, while also finishing runner-up in the European Darts Open.
The Australian number one reached the quarter-finals in Blackpool two years ago and starts out against European Darts Grand Prix finalist Gilding – who has also reached four Players Championship semi-finals this year.
Dave Chisnall looks to improve on his miserable recent record at the Matchplay when he comes up against World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker.
Chisnall has suffered first round exits in four of his last six appearances in Blackpool, averaging just 85 in a 10-2 rout at the hands of Krzysztof Ratajski 12 months ago.
The world number 12 has also lost his opening match in each of his last four European Tour outings, but did reach a Players Championship final back in May.
De Decker is making only his second World Matchplay appearance, having lost in Round One two years ago, and started the season by finishing runner-up in the Belgian Darts Open before suffering a string of early exits in televised competition.
The evening session sees reigning World Champion Luke Littler aiming to record his first win at the Winter Gardens when he meets six-time ProTour event winner Ryan Searle.
Littler was beaten by Michael van Gerwen on debut 12 months ago, a rare blip in what has been an otherwise astonishing first 18 months on the PDC circuit.
The world number two claimed the Premier League, Grand Slam and World Series Finals titles in 2024, before adding the World Championship and UK Open to his haul this calendar year.
Runner-up in the Premier League, Littler also triumphed at the Belgian Darts Open and has subsequently skipped the majority of European Tour and ProTour events in order to focus his schedule around televised competition.
The 18-year-old will be poised for a stern test from world number 19 Searle – who reached the quarter-finals here in 2023 and has picked up a Players Championship title this season.
Gary Anderson, the 2018 World Matchplay champion, takes on European Championship semi-finalist Luke Woodhouse.
Anderson has been an ever-present at the Matchplay since 2009 and was also runner-up behind closed doors in 2020, though has failed to surpass the Second Round since returning to the Winter Gardens.
The 54-year-old has picked up both a European Tour and Players Championship title this year and warmed up for this event by finishing runner-up in last weekend’s Baltic Sea Darts Open, notably averaging 108 in his quarter-final win over Jonny Clayton.
Woodhouse returns for his second appearance at the Winter Gardens, having lost 10-8 to Nathan Aspinall on debut last year, and has reached a semi-final on both the European Tour and ProTour this season.
Jonny Clayton, runner-up in 2023, is tasked with a formidable opening tie against German number one Martin Schindler.
Clayton has enjoyed a terrific season so far, finishing runner-up in both the World Masters and World Cup of Darts, while also claiming the Dutch Championship title and a Players Championship title.
The Welshman is defending £100,000 in prize money from his run to the final two years ago and starts out against an opponent who is yet to register a win on this stage.
Schindler has suffered a hat-trick of first round exits in Blackpool but comes into this year’s event in undoubtedly his most clinical form to date, with a third European Tour title under his belt and a Players Championship in Hildesheim.
The final match of the evening sees fourth seed Stephen Bunting take on two-time major semi-finalist Ryan Joyce.
Semi-finalist at the World Championship, Bunting finished bottom of the table on his Premier League return but has enjoyed a superb season otherwise, winning two World Series titles, as well as the International Darts Open.
However, his record in the World Matchplay makes for ominous reading, with seven first round exits in his ten previous appearances.
Joyce finished runner-up in March’s European Darts Trophy and is aiming to make it third time lucky at the Matchplay following first round exits in 2020 and 2024.
The action gets under way from 1pm BST, with First Round matches to be contested over the best of 19 legs.
Matches will be extended if necessary for a maximum of six extra legs before a sudden death leg is required. For example, in a first to ten First Round match, if the score reaches 12-12 then the 25th leg will be the sudden death decider.
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Betfred World Matchplay 2025 Day Two Schedule
Sunday July 20
First Round
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)
Damon Heta v Andrew Gilding
Rob Cross v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Peter Wright v Jermaine Wattimena
Dave Chisnall v Mike De Decker
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Gary Anderson v Luke Woodhouse
Jonny Clayton v Martin Schindler
Luke Littler v Ryan Searle
Stephen Bunting v Ryan Joyce
