Darts World Matchplay heading for Blackpool
Tomorrow the StanJames.com World Matchplay will kick off in Blackpool, and there is only one man who everyone wants to beat.
Phil Taylor is gunning for an 11th World Matchplay title and for three in a row.
The Power, who beat Terry Jenkins in last year’s final, will open his title defence against former UK Open finalist Barry Bates, and is looking forward to coming back to one of his favourite venues on the darts calendar. “I love Blackpool and the Winter Gardens,” he said. “It's my favourite without a doubt.”
Taylor has taken darts to another level. When everyone believes the 49-year-old from Stoke-on-Trent is vulnerable, he raises the bar just that little bit more and shows his class. He began the year by winning his 15th world championship at the Alexandra Palace, beating Australia’s Simon Whitlock in the final. Then, he suffered a defeat to Paul Nicholson at the Circus Tavern in the semi-finals in the Players Championship.
This was when he raised his game, and he bounced back to winning form by reclaiming the Premier League crown in devastating fashion, defeating James Wade 10-8. On his way to beating Wade, he hit two nine-dart finishes, something that has never been done before in the history of the sport, and he almost hit a third.
Last month, he won his fourth UK Open, beating Gary Anderson, and lifting his 67th major televised darts title. Along the way, he set a new televised world record three-dart average of 118.66 against Kevin Painter.
The Blackpool field is made up of the top 16 players in the world, along with 16 other players who have qualified through the Players Championship Order of Merit.
Five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld will make a return to the big stage here, after he failed to qualify for the UK Open. The world No.2 will play Denis Ovens, who made it to the semi-finals of the UK Open, and with a three-dart average of 100 still lost to Taylor.
Nicholson clinched the last place in the top 16, and he takes on 1996 world champion Steve Beaton, while Anderson plays takes on 13th seed Robert Thornton in an all-Scottish affair.
Along with Nicholson, Jelle Klaasen, Steve Brown and Mark Webster will be making their Blackpool debuts. All have tough encounters, with Dutchman Klaasen taking on fourth seed Mervyn King, Brown playing last year’s finalist Jenkins and Webster against Jackpot Adrian Lewis.
Premier League runner-up Wade won the title here in 2007, and he will play Andy Smith, with No.9 seed Colin Lloyd playing the Artist Painter.
Dennis Priestley, who celebrates his 60th birthday today, will be the oldest player in the event, but he doesn’t plan to have a major celebration. “It's not going to be a big celebration, like my 50th was. We're planning to go out as a family for a meal and then maybe to the local pub for a drink, and I'll probably even have a practice in there,” he said.
Priestley will play Vincent van der Voort in the opening match of the night in a battle of contrasting styles of play. “Vincent is probably the fastest player on the circuit and I'm classed as very sedate,” he said.
“He's going to have to adapt and play at my pace, because it's not going to bother me one bit. I won't be rushing about because you can soon get into that rhythm and it's no good to me - I'd be out of breath,” Priestley added.
Priestley has hopes of winning the title, but he will have to get past Taylor.
Another World Matchplay for The Power? It would be extremely difficult to say no.
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