The World Matchplays: The Blackpool Hall of Fame

LARRY Butler’s inaugural triumph in 1994 started a chain of World Matchplay champions that now concludes with Luke Littler as the newest name and 14th player to lift the trophy.

Belgian Dimitri Van den Bergh is the only winner to win away from the Winter Gardens and came very close to a unique feat of winning it in Blackpool as well.

With the notable exception of Butler, who by today’s system would have been ranked around 26 in the world, the World Matchplay crown has only been won by those ranked at the very top of their sport and who had already lifted, or would go on to collect, World and/or major titles.

2005 THE FINAL ( PIC; LAWRENCE LUSTIG ) CHAMPION COLIN LLOYD

While there is little doubt that Phil Taylor is the King of Blackpool many regard Colin Lloyd’s 170 to win the title as the single greatest moment. Our contributor JR Lott has written eloquently about the remarkable achievement that was Butler’s triumph as well as Dennis Priestley reaching three consecutive finals and never picking up the trophy.

For sheer drama and against-the-odds spirit surely Andy Hamilton’s comeback against Simon Whitlock (in 2011) and Joe Cullen’s run in 2018 merit a mention, but neither went on to claim the title.

If your looking for a single champion’s performance perhaps Peter Evison’s 8-1 demolition of Taylor in 1996 takes some beating?

In more recent years the efforts of The Power in pulling off a final triumph in 2017 will live long in the memory, especially the peerless removal of MVG at the quarter-final stage.

As for 2021, we wondered if we would see that special double from Dimitri after his win behind closed doors ( in the COVID event of 2020 ) or could Rob Cross upset the form book again and retain his ‘Blackpool title’? Yet, it was Peter Wright who stormed through, playing some imperious darts, to grab the title and thus another leg of the ‘career grand slam’ that he seems to be after.

The summer of 2022 saw MVG return from an operation only weeks previously to claim the title during what was a year of reasserting his position at or near the summit of the game.

There then followed a trio debut winners in Aspinall, Humphries and then the teenage sensation known as The Nuke. Master Littler lifted the Phil Taylor trophy at the second attempt and completed the PDC’s triple crown at the same time

Many questions delight and surprise us each year as we see whose name gets added to the Matchplay honour roll on that legendary stage each year:

The World Matchplay

Roll of Honour – (Winner x 14)

1994 Larry Butler def Dennis Priestley (16-12)

1995 Phil Taylor (def Dennis Priestley 16-11)

1996 Peter Evison (def Dennis Priestley 16-14)

1997 Phil Taylor (def Alan Warriner 16-11)

1998 Rod Harrington (def Ronnie Baxter 19-17)

1999 Rod Harrington (def Peter Manley 19-17)

2000 Phil Taylor (def Alan Warriner 18-12)

2001 Phil Taylor (def Richie Burnett 18-10)

2002 Phil Taylor (def John Part 18-16)

2003 Phil Taylor (def Wayne Mardle 18-12)

2004 Phil Taylor (def Mark Dudbridge 18-8)

2005 Colin Lloyd (def John Part 18-12)

2006 Phil Taylor def (James Wade 18-11)

2007 James Wade (def Terry Jenkins 18-7)

2008 Phil Taylor (def James Wade 18-9)

2009 Phil Taylor (def Terry Jenkins 18-4)

2010 Phil Taylor (def Raymond van Barneveld 18-12)

2011 Phil Taylor (def James Wade 18-8)

2012 Phil Taylor (def James Wade 18-15)

2013 Phil Taylor (def Adrian Lewis 18-13)

2014 Phil Taylor (def Michael van Gerwen 18-9)

2015 Michael van Gerwen (def James Wade 18-12)

2016 Michael van Gerwen (def Phil Taylor 18-10)

2017 Phil Taylor (def Peter Wright 18-8)

2018 Gary Anderson (def Mensur Suljovic 21-19)

2019 Rob Cross (def Michael Smith 18-13)

2020 Dimitri Van den Bergh (def Gary Anderson 18-10)

2021 Peter Wright ( def Dimitri Van Den Bergh 18-9)

2022 Micheal Van Gerwen ( def Gerwen Price 18-14)

2023 Nathan Aspinall (def Jonny Clayton 18-6)

2024 Luke Humphries ( def Michael Van Gerwen 18-15)

2025 Luke Littler (def James Wade 18-16)

Blackpool 9-Darters (8 Players):

2002 Phil Taylor v Chris Mason

2010 Raymond van Barneveld v Denis Ovens

2011 John Part v Mark Webster

2012 Michael van Gerwen v Steve Beaton

2012 Wes Newton v Justin Pipe

2014 Phil Taylor v Michael Smith

2018 Gary Anderson v Joe Cullen

2022 Gerwyn Price v Danny Noppert

2024 Dimitri Van Den Bergh v

2025 Luke Littler v Josh Rock

The Women’s World Matchplay:

Launched in 2022 to, compliment the PDC’s tier tour known as the Womens Series, and provide the first fully TV covered women’s PDC major.

The one- day event in held during the same time period, and in the same venue, as the World Matchplay and proved an immediate success with ‘Queen of the Palace‘ Fallon Sherrock claiming the inaugural title.

The Women’s games’ very own teenage superstar , Beau Greaves, took the next two titles but was denied a hattrick, i 2025, by 4-time Women’s World Champion Lisa Ashton who claimed a remarkable multicode career grand slam aged 54!