| World Matchplay: De Sousa voor het eerst naar kwartfinale, Price verslaat Chisnall

The 2022 Betfred World Matchplay begins in Blackpool on Saturday, equally the iconic Winter Gardens plays host to the showpiece event of the darting summer.

World Champion and globe number i Peter Wright is bidding to defend the title he sensationally sealed 12 months ago, with Gerwyn Price and Michael Smith making up the meridian three seeds in the 32-player field.

The 29th staging of the Earth Matchplay will feature ten sessions of activity across nine days from July 16-24, as the sport'southward biggest names compete for a tournament-tape £800,000 in prize coin and the coveted Phil Taylor Trophy.

The first circular pits the elevation 16 players from the PDC Order of Merit against the xvi qualifiers from the ProTour Order of Merit, and Wright will take on Latvian debutant Madars Razma in his opener.

"Yous cannot beat being at Blackpool," said Wright, who finished concluding twelvemonth's tournament with an incredible 104.91 average.

"It's a fleck like the World Championship. When you walk into the arena, I become goosebumps. So many astonishing people have performed at that place. You're in a special place."

The Scot has struggled for class at times since landing his second World Championship crown in January, merely after posting 8 ton-plus averages across iv days of ProTour action in Barnsley last week, he'due south in bullish mood heading to Blackpool.

"I believe I'm hit grade but at the correct time, but at that place is still room for improvement," added the 52-year-onetime.

"My class has been terrible this year, but my head is in a good place now, and I'm going to go and win information technology again."

Wright defeated Belgium's Dimitri Van den Bergh in final year'southward last, and the 2020 champion volition also feature on a thrilling opening night, every bit he faces World Title quarter-finalist Callan Rydz.

Krzysztof Ratajski - a Blackpool semi-finalist last year - takes on Stephen Bunting in the tournament'due south curtain-raiser, while Jonny Clayton meets enigmatic Austrian debutant Rowby-John Rodriguez to complete Saturday's session.

Onetime Premier League champion Clayton has only registered a solitary victory in his four previous World Matchplay appearances, and is desperate to make his mark in Blackpool.

Jonny Clayton (Lawrence Lustig, PDC)

"I am determined. The World Matchplay is my favourite tournament," said the Welshman, who will have on Van den Bergh or Rydz if he progresses to round two.

"I'thousand going to take every game as it comes, and I've got a massive job to do on Sabbatum night, considering Rowby is playing actually well.

"Winning the Globe Matchplay would be right up there with my best achievements, because you take to play your socks off to beat the world's best dart players."

Sun afternoon'southward action features a clash between 2018 champion Gary Anderson and two-time Idiot box championship winner Daryl Gurney, with former World Grand Prix finalist Dirk van Duijvenbode opening proceedings against Ryan Searle.

Elsewhere, 2019 runner-up Smith and this year's U.k. Open up champion Danny Noppert boot off their campaigns against Andrew Gilding and Brendan Dolan respectively.

Two-time World Matchplay winner Michael van Gerwen and 2013 runner-upward Adrian Lewis then lock horns in a blockbuster clash on Sunday evening, with 2007 champion James Wade also part of a stellar line-up.

Wade, who has appeared in six Earth Matchplay finals, has a special affinity with the Winter Gardens, and is relishing his annual pilgrimage to the Winter Gardens, where emerging star Martin Lukeman awaits in round one.

James Wade (Lawrence Lustig, PDC)

"I can't believe it's 15 years since I won in Blackpool. It's a long fourth dimension merely it doesn't feel similar it," joked Wade, seeded fifth this year.

"I actually desire to win another World Matchplay. I want to win every tournament I play in, but this one means a fiddling flake more to me. It's e'er meant more to me.

"It is definitely my favourite venue. The first time I played in that location in 2006 was amazing and I got to the final. Information technology is special for me."

Luke Humphries - a 4-time European Tour winner in 2022 - will aim to go along his baking class when he meets former UK Open champion Nathan Aspinall, while Lord's day evening's action gets underway with Premier League runner-up Joe Cullen locking horns with World Cup winner Damon Heta.

Heta steered Australia to a maiden Earth Cup of Darts success alongside Simon Whitlock in Frankfurt concluding month, and he headlines the list of 16 ProTour representatives post-obit his impressive course on the circuit.

"This is my 2d time here, then I know what the Globe Matchplay is virtually now. It'south obviously very iconic," said Heta, who was beaten by Van Gerwen on his Blackpool bow 12 months agone.

"I'm hungry for success and anyone who plays me will exist in for a real battle. I feel I've been very consistent this twelvemonth, so if I turn upwardly it volition have a lot to vanquish me.

"I've learned a lot over the past couple of years, both on the TV stage and on the ProTour. Now I feel ready to take the next pace, which is winning a TV ranking issue."

2021 World Champion Price enters the fray on Monday night as the first round draws to a shut, and the world number two faces Martin Schindler, who is making his first Winter Gardens appearance.

Price averaged 117.88 in dispatching Schindler at last month's Earth Cup of Darts over a shorter format, and the Welshman is hoping for a repeat performance as he eyes a first Globe Matchplay title.

Price has a point to prove at this year's World Matchplay

"I want to win every major this year," said the Welshman, who volition reclaim the world number i spot if he lifts the prestigious trophy on July 24.

"The Earth Matchplay is the second biggest ranking outcome of the whole agenda, so to win that 1 would be special.

"I need to play my A-game all the fashion through if I want to win it, because everybody is playing well, and everyone tin crush anybody these days.

"I'g on the practice board, I'm playing well and I'yard looking forward to Monday night."

Meanwhile, 2019 champion Rob Cross faces Chris Dobey in Mon's opener, before seventh seed Jose De Sousa and v-fourth dimension quarter-finalist Dave Chisnall play Gabriel Clemens and Kim Huybrechts respectively.

The second round takes place across Tuesday July nineteen and Wed July xx, with the quarter-finals staged on Thursday July 21 and Friday July 22.

The semi-finals will take place on Saturday July 23, before the final is held post-obit the inaugural Betfred Women's Globe Matchplay on Sunday July 24, when the champion will elevator the Phil Taylor Trophy and scoop the new £200,000 top prize.

Van Gerwen is Betfred's 6/1 pre-tournament favourite, with Price the 7/one second favourite and Wright joined past Clayton equally 8/1 chances to claim the Phil Taylor Trophy.

Click here for Betfred Globe Matchplay ticket information.

The tournament will exist circulate alive on Heaven Sports in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding Great britain, Deutschland, Republic of austria & Switzerland based subscribers).

2022 Betfred Globe Matchplay
Schedule of Play
Saturday July xvi (1900 BST)
4x Outset Circular
Krzysztof Ratajski v Stephen Bunting
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Callan Rydz
Peter Wright v Madars Razma
Jonny Clayton v Rowby-John Rodriguez

Sunday July 17
Afternoon Session (1300 BST)
4x Start Circular
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Ryan Searle
Danny Noppert v Brendan Dolan
Gary Anderson v Daryl Gurney
Michael Smith 5 Andrew Gilding

Evening Session (1930 BST)
4x First Circular
Joe Cullen v Damon Heta
James Wade v Martin Lukeman
Michael van Gerwen v Adrian Lewis
Luke Humphries v Nathan Aspinall

Mon July 18 (1900 BST)
4x First Circular
Rob Cross v Chris Dobey
Jose de Sousa v Gabriel Clemens
Gerwyn Price v Martin Schindler
Dave Chisnall v Kim Huybrechts

Tuesday July xix (1900 BST)
4x 2d Round

Wednesday July twenty (1900 BST)
4x Second Circular

Th July 21 (2000 BST)
2x Quarter-Finals

Friday July 22 (2000 BST)
2x Quarter-Finals

Saturday July 23 (2000 BST)
Semi-Finals

Dominicus July 24
Afternoon Session (1300 BST)
Women'south Earth Matchplay – Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals & Terminal

Evening Session (2100 BST)
Final

Draw Bracket
(one) Peter Wright v Madars Razma
(sixteen) Krzysztof Ratajski v Stephen Bunting
(8) Jonny Clayton v Rowby-John Rodriguez
(nine) Dimitri Van den Bergh v Callan Rydz
(4) Michael van Gerwen v Adrian Lewis
(thirteen) Joe Cullen 5 Damon Heta
(5) James Wade v Martin Lukeman
(12) Luke Humphries v Nathan Aspinall
(2) Gerwyn Cost five Martin Schindler
(15) Dave Chisnall v Kim Huybrechts
(7) Jose de Sousa v Gabriel Clemens
(10) Rob Cross v Chris Dobey
(3) Michael Smith v Andrew Gilding
(14) Dirk van Duijvenbode v Ryan Searle
(six) Gary Anderson v Daryl Gurney
(11) Danny Noppert 5 Brendan Dolan

Format
First Rounds - Best of 19 legs
Second Round - Best of 21 legs
Quarter-Finals - Best of 31 legs
Semi-Finals - Best of 33 legs
Final - All-time of 35 legs

Prize Fund
Winner - £200,000
Runner-Up - £100,000
Semi-Finalists - £l,000
Quarter-Finalists - £30,000
2nd Round Losers - £fifteen,000
First Round Losers - £10,000
Total - £800,000

Betfred Outright Winner Odds
6/i Michael van Gerwen
7/1 Gerwyn Price
8/i Peter Wright, Jonny Clayton
ix/1 Michael Smith
12/1 Dimitri Van den Bergh, Luke Humphries
xvi/1 Rob Cross
25/1 Danny Noppert, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Damon Heta
28/1 Joe Cullen, Nathan Aspinall
33/1 Gary Anderson, Dave Chisnall
xl/1 James Wade
50/1 Ryan Searle
66/1 Krzysztof Ratajski, Jose De Sousa, Chris Dobey
80/1 Martin Schindler, Callan Rydz, Stephen Bunting, Adrian Lewis, Daryl Gurney, Andrew Gilding, Brendan Dolan, Gabriel Clemens
125/i Kim Huybrechts
150/i Rowby-John Rodriguez
200/one Martin Lukeman
250/1 Madars Razma
Odds courtesy Betfred.com and correct at time of writing. Subject to fluctuation.