Blackpool Tower lit up in honour of defending champion Nathan Aspinall at Betfred World Matchplay.
PDC commissioned Blackpool Tower to be turned red to match Aspinall’s traditional shirt colour.
Betfred World Matchplay starts on Saturday July 13, live on Sky Sports
The world-famous Blackpool Tower was lit up red on Friday evening to honour defending champion Nathan Aspinall, as he returns to Blackpool for the 2024 Betfred World Matchplay.
The Professional Darts Corporation turned the landmark red as a nod to ‘The Asp’s’ regular shirt colour which he wears when competing – including when he won in Blackpool last summer.
The Betfred World Matchplay is the summer’s most eagerly-awaited event and runs for nine days in the Lancashire seaside town – having first been staged 30 years ago at the historic Winter Gardens.
The iconic tournament will see 32 top stars battling it out July 13-21 for the Phil Taylor Trophy and £800,000 in prize money. The eight-player Betfred Women’s World Matchplay also takes place on July 21 on a Super Sunday of darts action.
Last July, Stockport’s Aspinall defeated Jonny Clayton in the final to win his maiden World Matchplay title at the Winter Gardens and is back to reclaim the trophy.
Aspinall put together an astonishing display of 11 consecutive legs on his way to completing an 18-6 romp against Clayton on a remarkable night for the local favourite where he also picked up £200,000 for winning the event.
On having Blackpool Tower being turned red in his honour, defending champion Nathan Aspinall said: “It was great to see my colours on such an iconic landmark as the Blackpool Tower. As a local competition for me, it’s a great motivation leading into the event to have this level of support. Lots of friends and family are coming down too which will really help as I look to defend my World Matchplay title.”
Aspinall, currently ranked fifth on the PDC Order of Merit, starts his defence against fellow Englishman Luke Woodhouse on Saturday in what should be a bumper opening night of the Betfred World Matchplay.
2024 Betfred World Matchplay
Saturday July 13 (1930 BST)
Gerwyn Price v Daryl Gurney
Jonny Clayton v Raymond van Barneveld
Luke Humphries v Ricardo Pietreczko
Nathan Aspinall v Luke Woodhouse
The tournament will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, through the PDC’s worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding subscribers based in the UK, Germany, Austria & Switzerland).
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC
