Relieved Richard North pleased to have World Matchplay opportunity

His hopes of making it to the Winter Gardens almost unraveled at the last moment. William O'Connor's storming run to the European Darts Matchplay final meant the Irishman could have taken North out of the running with victory. But Michael van Gerwen saved the world number 46's skin, and he admitted that he was very relieved. "It was very nerve-wracking. I was watching all the comments on Twitter, everyone was saying how worried I was. Yes, I was very worried!" he said in a interview. At the end of his dramatic route to Blackpool is a meeting with Simon Whitlock. "It could've been a lot worse, but it could've been better as well. I'll see how I go, really," he said. Should he beat the Wizard in Blackpool, North could meet James Wade in round two. "People who say they never look at who they're playing next, I think that's rubbish," North asserted. "You don't expect to go through but you do look at who you could play in the next round."