Darts World Matchplay tips: No trouble for Chris Dobey as Luke Littler beats Van Gerwen
- George Dempsey
- 15 July 2024
The first round of the PDC World Matchplay at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool will conclude on Monday night, with a clash of the titans on the cards as Luke Littler faces Michael Van Gerwen.
The World Matchplay at Winter Gardens never fails to disappoint and Monday’s evening session brings us the juiciest of ties, as Luke Littler takes on Michael van Gerwen.
Pantomime villain Damon Heta will raise the curtain against Ryan Searle, whilst fancied outsiders Michael Smith and Chris Dobey also step up to the oche.
Planet Sport has identified the best bet for each of this evening’s matches.
Monday’s World Matchplay tips
Heta vs Searle: Over 16.5 legs
Smith vs Anderson: Over 11.5 180s
Damon Heta vs Ryan Searle
Damon Heta and Ryan Searle have met twice in 2024 with Heavy Metal producing 6-5 and 6-3 wins. Their most recent tour meeting was entertaining, with Heta producing a 100 average and the pair combined to hit nine 180s in 11 legs.
Both players have been in terrific form this season and there’s no reason why they can’t push each other all the way again, so we’ll take a chance on this one going the distance.
Michael Smith vs Gary Anderson
This match may or may not go the distance, but it could be a thriller at the rate at which Gary Anderson is hitting maximums at the moment, and Michael Smith’s tendency to rise to a challenge.
No player is producing a higher per-leg average than Anderson this season but Bully Boy is more than capable of matching him. They’ve produced some ding-dong battles over the years and this could be another.
Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen
You can never write the Green Machine off, but his form on the tour has been worrying. Since losing to Rob Cross in the Poland Masters, MVG lasted just two rounds of the most recent European Tour event, crashing out 6-3 against Ryan Searle.
Premier League winner Luke Littler beat Cross to claim the Poland Masters and has won World Series and Players Championship events this season.
Phil Taylor warned The Nuke not to ‘poke the bear’ last week but there’s little evidence that Van Gerwen can cause an upset based on current form.
Chris Dobey vs Ritchie Edhouse
Last but not least, ‘Hollywood’ Chris Dobey takes on the man ranked 46 in the world, Ritchie Edhouse, who deserves immense credit for reaching this stage given his ranking.
That said, we expect Dobey to make light work of this tie. While he tends to turn it up a notch for the TV cameras, debutants have a habit of shrinking on the Winter Gardens stage.
The leg handicap is set at -2.5 at an average price of 7/10. If Dobey can seize an early advantage there’s no reason he can’t pull away and win at a canter, so we’ll risk -3.5 at better odds.
