By Charlie Elliott
Tonight saw the second batch of the World Matchplay’s second round, with four games played at the Winter Gardens across the course of the evening. There was a good mix of household names and outside bets competing, making it another brilliant session of darts in Blackpool.
SECOND ROUND DAY 2
MATCH 1: ANDREW GILDING V DIRK VAN DUIJVENBODE
The first match of the evening saw two of the more unfancied players left in the competition up against each other, with Gilding ranked 28th and Van Duijvenbode 32nd in the Order of Merit. Goldfinger opened the match in style with a 180 and a 13-dart leg, a sign of things to come from the 2023 UK Open champion.
He followed it with another 13-darter to break, then repeated the feat to storm into a 3-0 lead, averaging 115. Van Duijvenbode struggled to find the treble 20 as Gilding calmly extended his lead to 5-0 at the first break, before his opponent had even had a shot at the double.
The Dutchman finally got on the board in leg six, holding throw after a nervous four missed darts at double. Gilding responded with another clinical leg, making it 6-1. The Titan then began finding his range, improving his scoring and holding throw twice to reduce the deficit to 7-3 by the second break.
Momentum looked to be shifting as Van Duijvenbode held again and broke for the first time to make it 8-5. But Gilding quickly hit back with a 103 finish to break back before closing out with finishes of 82 and double 5, securing his second Matchplay quarter-final in as many years with a confident 11-5 victory.
MATCH 2: CHRIS DOBEY V GERWYN PRICE
The second match of the night featured the closest-ranked players of the four games, with 2021 World Champion and nineth in the Order of Merit Gerwyn Price taking on world number six Chris Dobey. But any sense of balance was quickly blown away by a relentless display from Price.
The Iceman started with a 13-dart break of throw, then raced to a 2-0 lead in under two minutes. A huge 162 from the Welshman in leg three pressured Dobey into missing the bull for a 164 finish, and Price ruthlessly punished with a 146 out. A missed 135 checkout didn’t stop him in leg four, as he cleaned up double 12 for 4-0, letting out a trademark roar in celebration.
Dobey finally got on the board before the break with a 73 finish, but Price was averaging 114 and looking unstoppable. The sixth leg saw a brilliant 142 break from Hollywood, but Price responded immediately. A 90 checkout made it 5-2, and a clinical 92 finish followed in leg eight.
From there, Price turned up the heat. He hit back-to-back 180s twice, produced two 12-darters, and dominated with a 108 average and 73% on doubles. An 11-3 demolition put him into the quarter-finals in style and marked his best-ever Matchplay performance.
MATCH 3: LUKE LITTLER V JERMAINE WATTIMENA
Match three of the night saw reigning world champion Luke “The Nuke” Littler edge past Jermaine Wattimena in a thrilling 13-11 tiebreak, in what turned out to be a far closer contest than many expected.
Wattimena, still chasing his first PDC title, stunned the Winter Gardens early on. He punished a shaky start from Littler to break throw in the first leg and raced into a shock 4-0 lead with clinical finishing and heavy scoring. Littler finally found his rhythm with five perfect darts to start leg five to stop the rot, trailing 4-1 at the first break.
The teenager clawed back to 4-2, but Wattimena hit back strongly to move 7-2 in front with an 11-dart leg. It looked like a major upset was brewing. However, Littler, chasing the Matchplay title to complete a historic Triple Crown, showed remarkable composure to win six straight legs and take the lead for the first time at 8-7.
The Dutchman refused to fold, levelling at 8-8 then again at 10-10 to force extra legs. But Littler found his scoring power late on, eventually sealing the match 13-11 after a topsy-turvy contest. It was a true escape act from The Nuke, who lives to fight another day.
MATCH 4: MICHAEL VAN GERWEN V JOSH ROCK
The final match of the evening saw a blockbuster clash between Michael van Gerwen and rising Northern Irish star Josh “Rocky” Rock. It was expected to be a high-quality affair, but few predicted the dramatic comeback that unfolded.
Might Mike came out firing with a 150 checkout to break throw in the opening leg, quickly racing into a 3-0 lead as Rock struggled to settle. A 103 finish from the 24-year-old gave him a spark, but MVG answered with a sublime 10-darter to make it 4-1. By the first break, the Dutchman looked in control.
But Rock slowly began to capitalise on Van Gerwen’s growing double trouble. A scrappy leg win made it 5-3, and Rock then strung together three on the bounce to pull it back to 5-4. Despite MVG finding double 9 to lead 6-4, Rock’s confidence was rising.
A nerveless 106 finish and a massive 152 checkout helped Rocky draw level at 9-9 after being 9-6 down, before he edged ahead for the first time at 10-9. Van Gerwen responded with a classy 138, but it was Rock who held his nerve in the closing legs. After missing match darts, he finally sealed a 13-11 victory. Things won’t get easier for the World Cup winner, who will now face Gerwyn Price in a mouthwatering quarter-final.
EDITORS PICKS:
- “More pressure on Luke Littler” – Chris Dobey thinks ‘The Nuke’ is favourite for World Match Play
- “Coldplay Cam” – 5 Things You Missed: World Match Play Darts Round 1 in Blackpool
- World Match Play 2025: Day 4 – Bunting vs Anderson ignites Round 2 in Blackpool
- “The Youngsters are Boring!” – Gary Anderson takes jab at new generation: ‘always on their phones’
- “Van Gerwen out Early” – 5 Bold Predictions: 2025 World Match Play Darts