There has been no shortage of shocks at the Betfred World Matchplay in Blackpool this week with the three tournament favourites having been eliminated before the quarter-finals stage.
Defending champion Michael van Gerwen (7/2) fell at the first hurdle, being defeated by 250/1 longshot Brendan Dolan in the first round at Winter Gardens with the crowd left in disbelief on the second night of the event.
Michael Smith was 5/1 heading to Blackpool but the world champion was beaten in a sensational 11-7 victory for Chris Dobey in the last 16. And that came hot on the heels of Gerwyn Price (9/2) being knocked out by Joe Cullen in a 13-11 thriller in the previous match. With the three big-hitters taken down, the World Matchplay has been blown wide open for the rest of the field.
Luke Humphries - 4/1 (14/1 pre-tournament)
Luke Humphries is chasing his first victory in a PDC premier event and he has a great opportunity in Blackpool to make that happen. He has never contested a major final but he has looked sharp so far this week and he could be in line to make history before the week is out.
Nathan Aspinall - 11/2 (25/1 pre-tournament)
Nathan Aspinall is no stranger to winning on the big stage after claiming the UK Open title back in 2019. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been a springboard for him to win other major events. However, he has played some strong darts at Winter Gardens and his quarter-final battle with Chris Dobey will be one to watch.
Joe Cullen - 7/1 (50/1 pre-tournament)
After stunning Price on his last outing it is very difficult to bet against Cullen right now. The 34-year-old is looking to build on his first major win at The Masters last year and the form he is in currently would suggest he is on track to win his second PDC premier event.
Chris Dobey - 9/1 (66/1 pre-tournament)
Dobey was the other giant killer of the second round as he dispatched of world champion Michael Smith with an emphatic display at the oche. Like Cullen, Dobey’s first major triumph came at The Masters, where he is the reigning champion. That experience has served him well so far in Lancashire this week.
Jonny Clayton - 10/1 (18/1 pre-tournament)
It’s been two years since Jonny Clayton truly announced himself on the PDC stage by winning four of the premier events, including the Premier League and World Grand Prix. ‘The Ferret’ has a lot of title-winning experience to aid him in Blackpool and his last-16 battle with Dimitri van den Bergh will be a marker of where the Welshman is at in his pursuit of glory on this stage.
Peter Wright - 10/1 (16/1 pre-tournament)
The 2021 champion Peter Wright can never be written off in major events due to his success in recent years, including his two World Championship triumphs. ‘Snakebite’ hasn’t been particularly impressive over the duration of the tournament but even when not at his best he is progressing. If he can rediscover his best form he will be very hard to stop.
Rest of the market:
Damon Heta - 11/1 (50/1 pre-tournament)
Dirk van Duijvenbode - 11/1 (22/1 pre-tournament)
Dimitri van den Bergh - 12/1 (28/1 pre-tournament
Daryl Gurney - 14/1 (125/1 pre-tournament)
Ryan Searle - 16/1 (66/1 pre-tournament)
Brendan Dolan - 66/1 (250/1 pre-tournament)
*18+ | BeGambleAware
