The Sports Guru
James Wade has finished runner-up at the World Matchplay six times without ever adding a second title. This article looks at what his scrappy first-round win over Jermaine Wattimena in Blackpool actually tells us about his chances this year, and sets it against Gary Anderson's best-ever performance on the same stage. By the end, you will understand why surviving round one and looking like a genuine contender are two very different things at this tournament.
James Wade has been runner-up at the World Matchplay six times. Not once. Six. So when he ground out a 10-7 win over Jermaine Wattimena on his 21st appearance at Blackpool's Winter Gardens on Sunday, the result mattered far more than the manner of it. Wade called his own performance "rubbish". He is still in the draw.
An ugly win, and Wade knows it
Wade's 2007 Matchplay triumph remains his only title from this event, despite runner-up finishes in 2006, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2025. That record hangs over every appearance now, and his opening match against Wattimena did little to settle nerves before it eventually settled the result.
Wade took four legs in a row in the first session to move 4-1 ahead, with Wattimena's level described as sub-par for the TV stage. The Dutchman then found a flurry of strong legs and two breaks of throw to level things at 5-4, only for his form to fade a second time. Wade seized the opening, reeling off three straight legs for an 8-4 lead. From there it turned scrappy, breaks of throw traded back and forth, before Wade finally closed it out on tops for the 10-7 win.
"I was really, really lucky. I didn't do what I normally do," Wade told Sky Sports. He explained the slower pace against Wattimena was "not purposely" done, but a response to an opponent who "pushes and pushes": "I slowed myself down and walked around rather than speeding up... I'm going to do what I want to do, not what you want me to do." It is not the language of a man who expects to be remembered for this performance. It is the language of a man who has learned that Blackpool punishes anyone who assumes style matters more than survival.
Wade now faces Ryan Searle in round two, after Searle beat William O'Connor 10-6 in the debutant's first Matchplay appearance. Searle raced into a 6-1 lead behind clinical doubling and two breaks of throw before O'Connor rallied to 8-6; Searle then found his trebles again and closed it out on tops.
Anderson's best Blackpool display in 18 years
If Wade's win was about damage limitation, Gary Anderson's was the opposite statement entirely. The Scotsman thrashed Ryan Joyce 10-2, averaging just under 110 - his best figure in 18 years of playing at the Winter Gardens - with finishes of 144 and 141 along the way. It was, by any measure, the standout individual performance of the tournament's opening days.
Anderson now meets Jonny Clayton, who came through 10-7 against Damon Heta after holding off a fightback with a 121 checkout on the bullseye followed by a 144 finish. Two very different examples of first-round darts sit side by side here: one player producing career-calibre scoring, another simply finding enough to survive. Both are through. Only one currently looks like a genuine threat to the trophy.
Van Veen's finishing papers over the scoring cracks
Gian van Veen's 10-6 win over Krzysztof Ratajski carried its own subplot. Ratajski had beaten the world No 3 less than a week earlier on his way to a third Euro Tour title in Leverkusen, and Van Veen went into Blackpool by his own admission "up and down" in recent months.
Two early 144 checkouts set the tone, and a 160 checkout in the 13th leg broke Ratajski's throw and swung the momentum decisively Van Veen's way. Ratajski kept competing throughout but was never allowed closer than three legs, as Van Veen defended his own throw relentlessly. It was the finishing, not the scoring, that carried him through.
"Everyone knows I have been struggling the last few months, and I just needed that win today," Van Veen told Sky Sports. He added that his finishing "got me through that game today", while conceding his scoring "needs to be up there the next round". It is a candid assessment for a top-three seed, and it sets up a second-round meeting with Wessel Nijman that now looks like the tie of the round.
Nijman's floor form finally lands on the big stage
Nijman arrived in Blackpool having won eight titles in 2026, and his 10-5 win over Dave Chisnall was the moment that record started translating to a major TV stage. He took the first four legs, moved 6-1 ahead, saw Chisnall claw back a handful of legs before nullifying his break of throw, then closed with a 108 checkout.
The framing from Sky Sports was that this was the tournament at which Nijman needed to convert prolific floor circuit form into a big-stage result. On this evidence, round one did exactly that. Whether it repeats against a finisher as sharp as Van Veen is the question round two now poses.
Van Gerwen survives, Dobey pays for missed doubles
Michael van Gerwen also advanced, beating Andrew Gilding 10-6 despite averaging less than 95 against an opponent who refused to yield in the first half of the contest. Van Gerwen narrowly missed a double 12 for a nine-darter in the sixth leg but was able to see the funny side of the miss afterwards - the underlying number is the story: a below-par average that still got the job done against a dogged opponent.
Chris Dobey's exit tells the harsher version of the same lesson. The 13th seed missed four match darts and lost 13-11 to Dirk van Duijvenbode, having missed 29 doubles across the contest. In a tournament already showing that finishing wins first-round matches more reliably than scoring, Dobey's afternoon was the clearest cautionary tale of all.
What Monday brings
The first round continues on Monday with four more matches live on Sky Sports from 7pm. Ross Smith opens against Kevin Doets, before Gerwyn Price faces German No 1 Martin Schindler. 2024 Matchplay champion and world No 2 Luke Humphries then headlines the evening against Cameron Menzies, with Danny Noppert closing the session against Rob Cross.
None of Sunday's winners produced anything close to a complete performance bar Anderson. That, more than any single scoreline, is the honest state of round one in Blackpool: a tournament where surviving and thriving remain two entirely separate achievements, and where James Wade - six-time runner-up, self-described "rubbish" on the night - is somehow still both alive and honest about exactly why.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wade beat Jermaine Wattimena 10-7 on his 21st World Matchplay appearance in Blackpool.
Wade has finished runner-up six times, in 2006, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2025, with his sole title coming in 2007.
Van Veen, who beat Krzysztof Ratajski 10-6, faces Wessel Nijman, who beat Dave Chisnall 10-5.
Anderson won 10-2 while averaging just under 110, his best average in 18 years of playing the World Matchplay, with finishes of 144 and 141.
Monday's fixtures feature Ross Smith vs Kevin Doets, Gerwyn Price vs Martin Schindler, Luke Humphries vs Cameron Menzies, and Danny Noppert vs Rob Cross.
Research: Our wider editorial research consults online reporting from BBC Sport, Sky Sports, The Guardian and other reputable sources. Story inspiration: Sky Sports' original report.
