World Matchplay (darts)
| World Matchplay | |
|---|---|
| Tournament information | |
| Venue | Winter Gardens |
| Location | Blackpool, Lancashire |
| Country | England |
| Established | 1994 |
| Organisation(s) | PDC |
| Format | Legs |
| Prize fund | £450,000 (2014) |
| Month(s) Played | July |
| Current champion(s) | |
 Michael van Gerwen
|
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The World Matchplay, also known as the BetVictor World Matchplay for sponsorship purposes, is a professional darts tournament. It is played in a legs format, and is run by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Michael van Gerwen is the reigning champion.
The World Matchplay has been played annually since 1994 in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool. The first ever winner was Larry Butler, who beat Dennis Priestley 16-12, and the current holder is Michael van Gerwen. It is regarded as the second biggest PDC Tournament, status shown by the fact the whole tournament was sold out within three days of the tickets being on sale.
The 1995 World Matchplay turned out to be Jocky Wilson's last appearance in a major televised event. Wilson had reached the quarter-finals of the inaugural tournament in 1994 and he beat Rod Harrington in the 1st round in 1995, but a 2nd round defeat against Nigel Justice was effectively the end of his career.
From 1994 to 2012, matches at the World Matchplay had to be won by two clear legs. For example, the first round was usually played over the first to 10 legs, but if the score reached 9-9, play continued until either player gained a two-leg lead. Starting with the 2013 World Matchplay, if a two leg-lead hadn't been established after six extra legs, then a sudden death leg is played, so sudden death would come into play in a first round match at 12-12.
The list of finals:
Over the course of the tournament's 22-year existence, there have only been seven different winners: Phil Taylor (15), Rod Harrington (2), Michael van Gerwen (2), Larry Butler (1), Peter Evison (1), Colin Lloyd (1) and James Wade (1). Dennis Priestley was also runner-up for three consecutive years.
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