The big names continue to adorn the Winter Gardens stage at Blackpool as the World Matchplay continues on Sunday night with two of the main favourites for the title in action in Jose de Sousa and Peter Wright.
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With the usual double session on a Sunday providing stunning wins for Luke Humphries, Krzysztof Ratajski as well as Callan Rydz and Rob Cross moving through, it serves d'oeuvre for a tantalising schedule of tungsten this evening.
Recent title winner Dobey to face ProTour standout Cullen
Starting off proceedings is the latest addition to the PDC Roll of Honour from the North East in Chris Dobey who saw his friend and neighbour, Callan Rydz move through this afternoon.
Coming off the back of a brilliant Super Series foray which saw his form steadily improve until a title was finally his he has been producing stunning averages and displays with his throw looking as good as ever.
On paper, mere months ago, Joe Cullen his opponent would have been made surefire favourite for this clash after finishing inside the top 16 seeds following his ProTour prowess.
But he recently withdrew from the Super Series citing personal reasons and saying his head was elsewhere and he was aiming to refocus ahead of the World Matchplay.
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A tournament since that brilliant run to the Quarter-Finals losing to Gary Anderson in a quality clash that has seen him leave before the second round twice. Will it be red-hot Dobey or will Cullen return to the form which has seen him heavily touted in 2021?
Searle to test his metal against Bully Boy
Making his debut in the 2021 World Matchplay is Ryan Searle who will take to the Winter Gardens stage in some of the form of his life on Sunday evening.
'Heavy Metal' claimed his maiden title in 2020 and has been one of the most consistent performers on the floor even since unlucky to not add more to his resume with a recent final at Players Championship 15 seeing him lose out to Jose de Sousa.
Only recently, he also broke his highest average ever recorded two games running before again coming under a sort of mental block against De Sousa.
In Smith, he is of course playing a former finalist two years ago who will be defending a lot of money this year as a result so will be under pressure.
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A winner himself on the ProTour this season, his performances have been hit and miss in spells but this could be a serious contender for match of the night with both possessing huge 180 prowess.
'Snakebite' aims to 'Freeze' in-form Dutchman Noppert
One of the leading attractions of the second night of action comes from the former World Champion, Peter 'Snakebite' Wright who comes off the back of yet another Super Series win.
He made the bold claim in Coventry that he would win both the World Matchplay and the World Championship again this year.
Not only will eyes be on the World No.2's outfit and walk-on but also his darts and whether he will stick to the Gold element darts he won the ProTour with in such empathic fashion.
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If he is to win the Matchplay though, a first round win against 'The Freeze' Danny Noppert will need to be acquired.
The Dutchman has been steadily improving for a long time and has long been one of the best players on the ProTour without picking up the titles worthy of his victories. He will provide a tough test for 'Snakebite' first up.
De Sousa set for Blackpool debut against Clemens
Speaking of best players on the ProTour, two of them will collide in the final game of the night as Premier League finalist and Grand Slam champion, 'The Special One' Jose de Sousa will grace the Winter Gardens for the first time.
A first round exit last year for the Portuguese Man O Scores but since then, his game has gone to new heights with three titles this season so far and now being part of the darting elite.
He faces Gabriel Clemens who similar to Danny Noppert has long been a consistent performer and has now grabbed the German No.1 mantle away from Max Hopp. 'The German Giant' is now the highest ranked player without a title and will be hoping to topple the Portuguese ace in the opening round this year.
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Evening Session (1930 BST)
4x First Round
19:10 Joe Cullen v Chris Dobey
20:10 Michael Smith v Ryan Searle
21:10 Peter Wright v Danny Noppert
22:10 Jose de Sousa v Gabriel Clemens
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Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- 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