The big names continue to tumble at the 2025 World Matchplay albeit perhaps not as big of a shock as last night as Peter Wright and Rob Cross led the exile of top names from Blackpool.
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Wright produced a spirited comeback but in the end, 'Snakebite' was well beaten by Jermaine Wattimena who of course reached a major final last year and has been part of a spate of resurgent talents as of late. Wright has not found his form in some time.
Wright began the tie leading the way but Wattimena rallied superbly with a 138 checkout to draw level against 'Snakebite'. From there it was a dominant run as Wattimena took control reeling off four legs on the spin to lead 4-1 at the first interval.
He continued to extend that out as he held throw with a 74 checkout for 6-2. Wright hit back though and asked the question, he hit double 16 for 7-5 down and Wattimena narrowly held throw for 8-6.
Wright asked the question making it 8-8 pinning double 16 but Wattimena broke straight back to curtail the comeback with Wright missing darts to hold and lead. Wattimena from there hit double eight to seal the win.
| Peter Wright | VS | Jermaine Wattimena |
|---|---|---|
| 93.1 | Average (3 Darts) | 91.81 |
| 21 | 100+ Thrown | 21 |
| 10 | 140+ Thrown | 15 |
| 4 | 180 Thrown | 4 |
| 93 | Highest Checkout | 138 |
| 0 | Checkout 100+ | 1 |
| 53.3 | Checkout percentage | 34.5 |
| 8 / 15 | Checkout | 10 / 29 |
Defiant Dirk downs Cross
Dirk van Duijvenbode also paid heed to Rob Cross's time in Blackpool in a superb recovery mission from 'The Titan' who came from 6-2 down to dump out Cross 10-8.
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Cross led early producing a superb 128 checkout to lead 5-2 with a 107 average. But amid the darting clinic saw Van Duijvenbode clipping on his heels. He headed into the next break at 6-4 down as Van Duijvenbode asked the question of Cross who was still averaging 104.
A question he couldn't answer as Van Duijvenbode roared back to hit a 180 to leave 33 which he took to make it 7-7. The catalyst towards victory was in fact an incredible tops tops 137 checkout to lead for the first time going 8-7 up.
From there he averted a potential decider hitting double four to claim the win and he joins Wattimena, Van Veen, Nijman and Noppert from Holland in the next round.
Prior to that it was Glory Glory Goldfinger as Andrew Gilding crashed in a superb 10 maximums to defeat Damon Heta in a tie-break tussle.
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It was a 12-10 win for Gilding in a match that initially saw Heta go 4-1 and 5-2 up on the former UK Open champion but his lead continued to narrow. A juncture in the middle section of the tie saw them both break each other constantly as they jostled for position.
Gilding thought he had the break as he went 6-5 down and levelled at 6-6. But Heta hit a sublime 130 to go 8-6 down. Gilding had a repost of his own with a 104 checkout to go 8-7 down and broke again for 9-8 but just as it looked like victory beckoned.
Back came Heta as they both exchanged break after break into a thrilling tie break but averaging 101, Gilding prevailed breaking for 11-10 then holding for a 12-10 win.
Delightful De Decker denies Chisnall
To conclude the session, it was World Grand Prix champion Mike de Decker fresh from being confirmed on the World Series in Australia who lived up to his billing as he took down Dave Chisnall 10-7.
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De Decker surged into a 3-1 lead to begin proceedings but Chisnall broke back to bring it back on throw at 3-3 and it was a war of atrition from there as both continued to hold.
Chisnall looked to have the impetus as he made it 7-6 with a break but De Decker cancelled it out after two darts were missed and he held from there from 8-7.
De Decker hit a 104 checkout to go one away, broke throw to go to the brink and then from there won supremely with a 148 checkout. This means that so far all Dutch speaking players are through to the next round - the World Dutchplay if you will.
| Dave Chisnall | VS | Mike De Decker |
|---|---|---|
| 91.87 | Average (3 Darts) | 92.35 |
| 12 | 100+ Thrown | 15 |
| 13 | 140+ Thrown | 10 |
| 5 | 180 Thrown | 5 |
| 118 | Highest Checkout | 116 |
| 1 | Checkout 100+ | 2 |
| 28 | Checkout percentage | 52.9 |
| 7 / 25 | Checkout | 9 / 17 |
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Milly ThomsonLive Darts Blogger
Milly Thomson is an aspiring journalist with a deep-rooted passion for a wide range of sports, including football, darts, and cricket. She recently completed her university studies, earning a BA (Hons) in Football Business and Media—a degree that has given her a solid foundation in both the commercial and communications aspects of the sporting world.
Milly combines her academic background with her genuine enthusiasm for sports to produce engaging and insightful coverage across multiple disciplines. Her writing reflects a strong understanding of the games she follows, as well as a keen interest in the stories behind the athletes and events.
As she continues to grow in the field of journalism, Milly is committed to using her voice to inform, entertain, and connect with fellow sports fans. With a clear focus on developing her skills and expanding her portfolio, she is excited to contribute meaningful content to the wider sporting community.
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