The first two days of PDC World Matchplay action have proved that no seed is safe.
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Granted, only two seeds have gone out so far. But one of the two was the PDC world number one, . Gerwyn Price is gone. and hung on by the skin of their teeth. Even Gary Anderson, now the World Matchplay favourite, needed to come from behind. The next four ties in Blackpool, on Monday evening, certainly aren't foregone conclusions. Kim Huybrechts definitely is no clear favorite. In 2012, he went to the Winter Gardens and lost in the first round. In 2013, he repeated the trick. Then again in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. With six appearances and six defeats, he's a loss away from having the worst World Matchplay record of all time. He could be facing a more formidable foe than John Henderson. Yet a lot of people have written off the Highlander at their peril. In his last two major appearances, Henderson has seen off Michael van Gerwen, Alan Norris, Raymond van Barneveld and Daryl Gurney. The rocking Scot could well rock Huybrechts and make unwanted history for his Belgian foe. The second tie features a man Huybrechts helped into the Matchplay. A European Darts Matchplay win over Chris Dobey for the Hurricane all but secured Richard North's place. He ended up sitting through a nerve-wracking final between William O'Connor and Michael van Gerwen, but the Irishman's loss was his gain. First up for Northy is Simon Whitlock, who reached the semi-finals in 2010 and 2014. Perhaps a pattern is emerging for the Wizard.
One more for Wade?
James Wade is the one player left in the Matchplay who has won it before. The 2007 champion faces a debutant, Jermaine Wattimena. The fast-flinging Dutchman has been building up steam on the European Tour. Wade, too, has played well in Europe, and has taken that form to the World Series. There are a lot of people backing the Machine to make the final. With van Gerwen gone, his hopes of a second title in Blackpool have grown exponentially. With Mighty Mike gone, Peter Wright is now the highest seed left in the tournament. Last year's finalist will want to go a step further, but first he'll have to deal with Jelle Klaasen. The 2010 quarter-finalist has lost in the first round on his other five trips to Blackpool. The odds are definitely against him here. But if the Black Cobra can cause a shock, perhaps the Cobra can too.
Monday session schedule:
19:10 Kim Huybrechts v John Henderson
20:10 Simon Whitlock v Richard North
21:10 James Wade v Jermaine Wattimena
22:10 Peter Wright v Jelle Klaasen
Click here for more information about the World Matchplay. The prize fund breakdown for this tournament can be found here.
20:10 Simon Whitlock v Richard North
21:10 James Wade v Jermaine Wattimena
22:10 Peter Wright v Jelle Klaasen
Click here for more information about the World Matchplay. The prize fund breakdown for this tournament can be found here.
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- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026
- Littler lost to crabtree in the youth/junior/whatever you call it. He had no point in being there. He's unfortunately now got to the stage,he feels all he has to do is get on the stage to win. Well,I hope he realises part of his fear factor has gone. Happened to Taylor,then van gerwen,and it's causing him to realise pretty sharp,he isn't unstoppable. It's good for the sport,not 1 single player in my 60 years has ever,or will ever be, unbeatable.rick6725-10-2026
- I think it's great to see Mark Webster looking good,good ladrick6725-10-2026