have an instant impact.
But don’t rule the Bullet
out, he has phenomenal
scoring power and
there will be plenty of
seeds hoping to avoid
him in the first round.
Andrew Gilding too will
be making his debut, should
he remain in a qualification
spot. Following a few seasons
of hovering around the World’s
top 64 the Suffolk-based thrower has
had a fantastic season this year, reaching
two Pro Tour finals which should see him
qualify for the Matchplay for the first time.
Old Hands
Terry Jenkins, Mervyn King and Steve Beaton have
all made their mark on Matchplay’s past and all
three of the ‘old hands’ will be returning to action
on the Blackpool stage this year, where they will be
joined by crowd favourite Ronnie Baxter, who hails from
Blackpool.
All of these men possess a great deal of experience and are
more than capable of doing some damage in the tournament.
Jenkins in particular is having a good year, having reached the
final of the UK Open and claimed victory in a recent Pro Tour
event.
Close Matches
Last year’s tournament served up no fewer than three matches that
were settled in a tie-break situation and a further six that were decided
by only two legs, and this year could provide even more close matches.
There are at least nine-players ranked inside the World’s top sixteen
who are in the form to win a major, combine this with a wealth of
talent amongst the non-seeds and I can see the tie-break coming into
effect from the earliest stages of the tournament.
The Dutch
What can I say? The Dutch are dominating televised darts at the moment,