The Winter Gardens in Blackpool – take a bow. A venue that always delivers drama and quality once again served up a banquet fit for a State visit. Gerwyn Price rained fire, Luke Littler summoned the spirit of champions, Josh Rock took down a darting giant, and Andrew Gilding quietly bulldozed his way into another quarter-final.
The World Matchplay is roaring into its final days – and if this is the standard, no lead is safe and no favourite can breathe easy.
Local chip-shop owner and full-time darts wrecking ball, Gerwyn Price will now face young Josh Rock in the quarter-finals after casually blitzing his way past Chris Dobey.
From the very first dart, The Iceman was ferocious. Averaging 108.73, smashing in eight 180s, and requiring just 15 attempts on the outer ring to wrap up an 11-3 demolition job, Price wasn’t just better – he was brutal.
Chris Dobey didn’t play badly, he just played like someone caught in a hurricane. Especially when it came to doubling – where Price was a Welsh marksman, and Dobey was just well below his clinical best.
This wasn’t just dominance – it was domination with flair. The match was finished in just over 24 minutes. Blink and you missed two legs and one of those guttural roars that reminds everyone who’s boss. With one half of Northern Ireland’s World Cup-winning duo already dealt with, Price now turns his icy glare toward the other.
Speaking afterwards, Gezzy said:
“I don’t think Chris played badly at all. I felt like I was on top of my game in the middle part of that match. I was in the zone and I managed to keep my focus.”
Luke Littler didn’t just survive Jermaine Wattimena – he rose from the brink, shook off the cobwebs, and turned a humiliation into a headline. At 7-2 down, it looked like Littler’s Matchplay dreams were being bundled into the back of a Blackpool Uber. Wattimena was cruising – full of bounce, belief, and bang-on scoring. He strutted around like a man who’d finally cracked the Littler code. Sadly for him, his download corrupted around leg ten.
From that point, the wheels fell off – followed by the doors, engine, and chassis. Littler, who hadn’t really got going, suddenly burst into life like a firework someone sat on. He rattled off six straight legs in a blitz of 180s and icy finishing, turning the Empress Ballroom into a mosh pit and Wattimena into a spectator.
The Dutchman rallied, to hold on the The Nuke’s coattails for a while, but the inevitable was soon upon him.
And when the chance finally came, Luke didn’t blink – returning to the trusty double ten to close out a 13-11 win and send a warning to anyone hoping to out-tough him.
Still sweating but very much smiling, Littler said afterwards:
“I’m a World Champion for a reason. I find these gears when I need it. Jermaine kept putting me under pressure. He was always right behind me, but when I got into the lead I was determined not to let it slip away.”
As for Wattimena, it’ll be hard to look at a scoreboard for a while. A 7-2 lead. A chance to knock out the most talked-about man in darts. Gone. Vanished. This one will sting for a long, long time.
Meanwhile, Josh Rock is finally showing the world of darts what everyone expected him to a couple of years ago – and he is now the proud owner of a Michael van Gerwen World Matchplay scalp. Again.
The 24-year-old recovered from a heavy early deficit, digging deep – and presumably a bucket of adrenaline – to produce a 13-11 masterpiece and send the three-time champion home.
Van Gerwen started like a man who had dinner plans – zipping into a 5-1 lead, hitting big scores and bigger stares. At 9-6, he looked in control. Then Rock reached into the clouds, stealing the throw then took out a ridiculously impressive 152 checkout that shifted everything. Confidence, momentum, gravity – all now pulling his way.
He followed it with four straight legs, upped his aggression, and started out-MVGing MVG. The Dutchman responded with a brilliant 138, but it wasn’t enough. Rock had the final say, and the final roar, in a victory that was as gutsy as it was glorious.
“That’s one of the best games I’ve ever been involved in, without a doubt. Michael always seems to turn up against me, but I’m so happy to get the win.” said the World Cup winner afterwards.
Andrew Gilding might not win many points for flair and style, but try telling that to Dirk van Duijvenbode after this one. The man in gold brought cold-blooded efficiency to the oche, landing three 13-darters before most of the crowd had sat down and keeping his foot on the pedal throughout.
With a ton-plus average and ruthlessly consistent finishing, Gilding dismantled his usually exuberant Dutch opponent with a mix of quiet menace and top-drawer arrows. It wasn’t loud, but it was lethal – and it booked his place in a second straight quarter-final at the Winter Gardens.
Gilding later had this to say:
“I came up here today feeling absolutely awful, but somehow it happened for me tonight. It was amazing to see all the Goldfinger scarves in the crowd. I can’t believe it!”
No-frills, no fuss, just formidable. Next up: Luke Littler. Gilding’s going to need more than scarves this time. Those with scarves in the middle of July – have a word!
RESULTS
Wednesday 23 July
Second Round
Andrew Gilding 11-5 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Gerwyn Price 11-3 Chris Dobey
Luke Littler 13-11 Jermaine Wattimena
Josh Rock 13-11 Michael van Gerwen
Thursday 24 July
Quarter-Finals
James Wade v Gian van Veen
Stephen Bunting v Jonny Clayton
Friday 25 July 25
Quarter-Finals
Luke Littler v Andrew Gilding
Gerwyn Price v Josh Rock
Looks pretty good hey?
—–ENDS—–
Images: T Lanning / PDC
