2016 World Matchplay quarters: Taylor and Anderson headline Friday frays in Brit battles
Published:
Holly Thackeray | July 21, 2016
2016 World Matchplay
- Quarter-finals
- Friday, July 22nd
- Session from: 19:15 BST
- Winter Gardens, Blackpool
- Live on Sky Sports 1
Taylor must challenge The King to reach semis
Three English arrowsmiths and a Scottish superstar feature in Friday’s quarter-final fixtures for the 2016 World Matchplay.
Blackpool is Brit heavy at the business end of the competition, with current champion and Dutch force Michael van Gerwen the only non-Home Nation hero in the last eight.
Phil Taylor is the most prominent name of course, and the all-time great is now a 4/1 chance with Coral to reclaim a title he has won 15 times before.
The Power must first find a way past fellow veteran and former Winter Gardens semi-finalist Mervyn King, before thinking about a potential battle in the last four against Gary Anderson.
World champion The Flying Scotsman also has work to do before he can eye a tussle with Taylor, as he faces another one-time semi-finalist in cult figure Steve Beaton.
So, whet your oche appetite as Coral present the best bets and preview the arrow action from Friday’s quarters…
Mervyn King v Phil Taylor
Now positioned in the latter end of the tournament, third seed The Power has a generous draw with compatriot King, though the 50-year-old thrower from Suffolk should be underestimated at Taylor’s peril.
The King has made the final four in Blackpool before and will be seeking to claim another shock scalp after ousting a former winner in James Wade at the first hurdle, before also bettering Raymond van Barneveld’s conqueror Brendan Dolan.
King is an outsider at 6/1 to knock The Power off his perch, having lost to the sporting legend in both of their previous World Matchplay wrangles and in 30 of 40 meetings overall, not including two draws.
Value can be had on Taylor, who did run into trouble against The King in the recent Players Championship in Barnsley but tends to bring swagger to the bigger Majors stages, to triumph at 17/2 by a clear six legs and a 16-10 scoreline. The Power has, more often than not, done better against this opponent in longer formats.
Gary Anderson v Steve Beaton
The Bronzed Adonis, a former BDO world champion and World Masters winner, appeared to have passed his peak in the PDC after the early 2000’s, but is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance in the Winter Gardens.
Beaton proved that class is permanent by beating younger upstarts Jelle Klaasen and Michael Smith with decent match margins of 10-6 and 10-7 respectively, and now has world number two Anderson in his sights.
Yet, the popular Englishman, backed by the Bee Gees in his walk-on, last lost to his Scottish Borders-based foe in this very competition in the final 32 last year.
Anderson boasts a 10-5 winning record versus The Bronzed Adonis, with many of the latter’s victories arriving before the current PDC world champ became such a force in the sport. So, The Flying Scotsman makes sense at 1/10 for the match spoils, and can also be backed at 8/1 to win by a dominant 16-6 scoreline.
Related
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Coral’s top tip: Anderson is excellent at 8/1 to win 16-6.
