World Matchplay (darts)
The World Matchplay, also known as the Betfred World Matchplay for sponsorship purposes, is a professional and one of three legs of the Triple Crown. It is played in a legs format, and is run by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Peter Wright is the current champion after winning the 2021 edition. History. The World Matchplay has been played annually since 1994 in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool. The first ever winner was Larry Butler, who beat Dennis Priestley 16–12, and the current holder is Peter Wright. It is regarded as the second biggest  PDC Tournament, status shown by the fact the whole tournament was sold out within three days of the tickets being on sale. The 1995 World Matchplay turned out to be Jocky Wilson's last appearance in a major televised event. Wilson had reached the quarter-finals of the inaugural tournament in 1994 and he beat Rod Harrington in the 1st round in 1995, but a 2nd round defeat against Nigel Justice was effectively the end of his career. From 1994 to 2012, matches at the World Matchplay had to be won by two clear legs. For example, the first round  was usually played over the first to 10 legs, but if the score reached 9–9, play continued until either player gained a two-leg lead. Starting with the 2013 World Matchplay, if a two leg-lead hadn't been established after six extra legs, then a sudden death leg is played, so sudden death would come into play in a first round match at 12–12. Over the course of the tournament's 26-year existence, there have been eleven different winners: Phil Taylor (16), Rod Harrington (2), Michael van Gerwen (2), Gary Anderson (1), Larry Butler (1), Rob Cross (1 ), Peter Evison (1), Colin Lloyd (1) James Wade (1), Peter Wright (1) and Dimitri van den Bergh (1). Dennis Priestley was also runner-up for three consecutive years. From 2018 onwards, the World Matchplay champion will receive the Phil Taylor Trophy, as was announced by the PDC following the retirement of the sixteen-time winner of the tournament. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, the 2020 World Matchplay was held at the Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes, behind closed doors. Records and statistics. Nine-dart finishes. Seven nine-dart finishes have been thrown at the World Matchplay. The  first one was in 2002. Averages. An average over 100 in a match in the PDC World Matchplay has been achieved 142 times, of which Phil Taylor is responsible for 62. In 2010, Phil Taylor became the first player to average over 100 in all five rounds of the tournament. He repeated this feat in 2011 and 2013. An average of over 105 in a match in the World Matchplay has been achieved 35 times, of which Phil Taylor is responsible for 24. The highest match average ever in the World Matchplay is 114.99 by Phil Taylor in his Last  32 victory over Barrie Bates in 2010. The highest match average ever in the World Matchplay Final is 111.23 by Phil Taylor against Adrian Lewis in 2013. Format. From the beginning of the tournament in 1994, the World Matchplay has always been a legs only event. The length of matches for each round has changed several times over the years, as shown below. Media coverage. The World Matchplay has been broadcast in the UK by Sky Sports since the first tournament. Sponsors. There have been seven different sponsors for the World Matchplay: