There's no doubting that the PDC World Matchplay is a truly special event. Below a short summary about five very special World Matchplay matches!
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Since its inaugural showing in 1994, the PDC World Matchplay has provided non-stop drama. The venue, Blackpool's illustrious Winter Gardens, adds lustre to an event players and fans point to as one of the year's big highlights. Arguably, it's also the biggest PDC title behind the World Championship.
There have been myriad magical moments through its 25-year history; here are five of the best.
There have been myriad magical moments through its 25-year history; here are five of the best.
Harrington magic edges thrilling final
There have only been seven Matchplay winners. Only one of them has needed to win more than 18 legs to take the triumph. Incredibly, it's the same person. Rod Harrington was taken all the way in 1998, and again in 1999. It was the former triumph, against Ronnie Baxter, that sticks in the memory.
Baxter was a surprise finalist; still a BDO player at the time, the Blackpool-born thrower had seen off John Lloyd in the first round and stunned Phil Taylor in the quarter-finals. Yet the local lad took the initiative and led for most of the match, even holding a 17-14 lead. That was converted into just one missed match darts at tops. The Prince of Style, suitably waistcoated, bounced back. He even survived the drama of a pivotal dart at double nine dropping out of the board.
At 17-17, with Baxter on tops for a hold, Harrington produced a special moment. He began an attempt at 125 with treble 15, before striking tops. After taking a moment to compose himself, the third dart joined the second. The brilliant checkout proved decisive; double ten in the next leg secured the title for the Essex man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6VO8lU21tE
Baxter was a surprise finalist; still a BDO player at the time, the Blackpool-born thrower had seen off John Lloyd in the first round and stunned Phil Taylor in the quarter-finals. Yet the local lad took the initiative and led for most of the match, even holding a 17-14 lead. That was converted into just one missed match darts at tops. The Prince of Style, suitably waistcoated, bounced back. He even survived the drama of a pivotal dart at double nine dropping out of the board.
At 17-17, with Baxter on tops for a hold, Harrington produced a special moment. He began an attempt at 125 with treble 15, before striking tops. After taking a moment to compose himself, the third dart joined the second. The brilliant checkout proved decisive; double ten in the next leg secured the title for the Essex man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6VO8lU21tE
Jaws rips up record books
Back in January, Rob Cross checked out 140 to secure the highest finish ever to seal the World Championship title. But it doesn't come close to the highest major-winning checkout ever seen. No player will ever be able to outdo Colin Lloyd, who reeled in the big fish at the Winter Gardens.
Lloyd, then the world number one, battled past Adrian Lewis and 1998 finalist Baxter to reach the final. There he met John Part, who had seen off second and third seeds Phil Taylor and Peter Manley. Jaws opened up a 3-0 lead early on, and never surrendered that lead. At 17-12 up, a maiden Matchplay title was inevitable. But Lloyd still managed to take the trophy in style, piling in the two treble 20s and bullseye for a 170 checkout.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pokRO1FFTPY
Lloyd, then the world number one, battled past Adrian Lewis and 1998 finalist Baxter to reach the final. There he met John Part, who had seen off second and third seeds Phil Taylor and Peter Manley. Jaws opened up a 3-0 lead early on, and never surrendered that lead. At 17-12 up, a maiden Matchplay title was inevitable. But Lloyd still managed to take the trophy in style, piling in the two treble 20s and bullseye for a 170 checkout.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pokRO1FFTPY
'Rod Harrington's wet himself!'
Celebrity cameos in the darts commentary box can work in many different ways. In one example, Stephen Fry's pithy observations was paired brilliantly with Sid Waddell's energy. Then on the other end of the scale, there was Andrew Flintoff in 2012, screaming down the house in Blackpool.
The cricket cult hero was a well-known fan of the arrows, and ramped the Lancashire vibe up a notch by joining John Gwynne in the gantry. They settled down to watch Michael van Gerwen's first round tie with Steve Beaton. What happened next was a moment of sheer joy. Van Gerwen notched back-to-back 180s. Flintoff begged the Dutchman to convert the nine-darter, and he didn't disappoint.
Click here to witness that moment in all its glory. If you're in public, check the volume levels...
The cricket cult hero was a well-known fan of the arrows, and ramped the Lancashire vibe up a notch by joining John Gwynne in the gantry. They settled down to watch Michael van Gerwen's first round tie with Steve Beaton. What happened next was a moment of sheer joy. Van Gerwen notched back-to-back 180s. Flintoff begged the Dutchman to convert the nine-darter, and he didn't disappoint.
Click here to witness that moment in all its glory. If you're in public, check the volume levels...
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Machine shuts down the Power
In 15 finals between 2000 and 2014, 13 featured Phil Taylor. He won them all. In 2015 the Power returned to Blackpool looking to make it a frankly ridiculous eight wins on the spin. John Henderson couldn't stop the 16-time world champion. Neither could Andy Hamilton or Dave Chisnall. In the semi-finals, he met one of the two players who had disturbed his almighty winning streak, James Wade.
Wade kept his cool to become the first player since Terry Jenkins, who beat Taylor in the 2007 semi-finals only to lose to the Machine, to turn off the Power. The left-hander burst clear after close opening exchanges, but contrived to miss a full eight match darts and allow Taylor a route back into the match. It proved not to be a fatal blip, however, and Wade kept his cool to hit tops and reach the final. He ended up losing to Michael van Gerwen in the final, but the famous victory meant Taylor would only end up having two more attempts to taste Blackpool glory.
But Taylor can never be written off...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sGsG-6qLAY
Wade kept his cool to become the first player since Terry Jenkins, who beat Taylor in the 2007 semi-finals only to lose to the Machine, to turn off the Power. The left-hander burst clear after close opening exchanges, but contrived to miss a full eight match darts and allow Taylor a route back into the match. It proved not to be a fatal blip, however, and Wade kept his cool to hit tops and reach the final. He ended up losing to Michael van Gerwen in the final, but the famous victory meant Taylor would only end up having two more attempts to taste Blackpool glory.
But Taylor can never be written off...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sGsG-6qLAY
Taylor's special farewell
Last year's event was dominated by Taylor talk, with his retirement confirmed. Could he roll back the years and claim a magical 16th World Matchplay title?
Of course he could. Gerwyn Price and Raymond van Barneveld provided little resistance. Then came a magical 16-6 win over Michael van Gerwen, and a semi-final defeat of Adrian Lewis put him one win from a last hurrah. Peter Wright bowed down to Taylor's ruthless brilliance, and title number 16 was confirmed.
Now Taylor will adjudicate from the commentary box, as the field of 32 look to make more history at the Winter Gardens.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh20D4-HHSo
Of course he could. Gerwyn Price and Raymond van Barneveld provided little resistance. Then came a magical 16-6 win over Michael van Gerwen, and a semi-final defeat of Adrian Lewis put him one win from a last hurrah. Peter Wright bowed down to Taylor's ruthless brilliance, and title number 16 was confirmed.
Now Taylor will adjudicate from the commentary box, as the field of 32 look to make more history at the Winter Gardens.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh20D4-HHSo
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- 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
- I agree,I can't believe the lack of coverage of this sad loss. Always enjoyed watching him,but I guess now it's all about littler,well it seems that way. Darts has sadly lost a good manrick6717-10-2026
- In the absence of a report regarding the death of Stefan Lord, I'll assist. An excellent player in the late 70s and early 80s, he actually won the now defunct 3rd place match at two World Championships and a couple of the News of the World Championships. A fabulous player and easily the best Swedish player ever. Rest peacefully Stefan.richieburnettrocks16-10-2026