THROWBACK VIDEO: Nathan Aspinall wipes the floor with Jonny Clayton and wins the 2023 World Matchplay
PDC
Next weekend the 31st edition of the World Matchplay gets underway. Nathan Aspinall will try to defend his title from last year in Blackpool.
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'The Asp' impressed last year by beating successively Krzysztof Ratajski (10-7), Danny Noppert (11-9), Chris Dobey (16-12) and Joe Cullen (17-9) on his way to the final. There he faced Jonny Clayton, who in turn had defeated former winner Dimitri van den Bergh and Luke Humphries, among others, to reach the final.
In the final, Aspinall went into the first break with a 3-2 lead after Clayton missed three break chances in the fifth leg. 'The Asp' broke his Welsh opponent in the sixth leg with a finish of 108, but Clayton came back strong with a 141 check-out and a 12-darter to level the score to 4-4.
Aspinall then threw another 108 check-out, but Clayton answered with a 101 finish, once again tying the score at the second break. The third session eventually proved crucial, as Aspinall won five legs in a row partly through an 11-darter and a 12-darter to run out to a 10-5 lead. After the break, Aspinall continued to increase his lead. He managed to throw out finishes of 170 and 115 to bring the score to 13-5, effectively giving him the scent of victory.
He extended his lead to 14-5 after Clayton lost two chances in the nineteenth leg and Aspinall hit tops to win the leg. Clayton also had chances to win the 20th but missed twice on double 16. Aspinall took advantage and reached 15-5 via double 8.
In the 22nd leg, Clayton finally managed to get back on the board via a 16-darter, making it 16-6. Aspinall immediately replied with a 16-darter, putting him just one leg away from the title. Clayton had five more chances to extend the match, but failed to capitalize on them. Aspinall then hit his sixth matchdart via double 5 to crown himself the winner of the World Matchplay for the first time in his career.
'The Asp' will face his compatriot Luke Woodhouse in the first round next Saturday night in the last match of the evening. Should he advance to the second round, a showdown against the winner of the match between Danny Noppert and James Wade awaits him there.
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- 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
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