THE field for The 2015 BetVictor World Matchplay

TAKEN FROM – THE PDC WEBSITE

THE field for the 2015 BetVictor World Matchplay has been confirmed following the completion of Players Championship 14 in Wigan on Sunday, Now in its 22nd year, the PDC’s second oldest major tournament will take place at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool from July 18-26, with 32 players competing for the prestigious title, The top 16 players from the PDC Order of Merit qualify by right to compete in Blackpool, and are seeded for the first round where they are drawn against the 16 ProTour Order of Merit qualifiers, Michael van Gerwen will be the top seed heading into the tournament as he aims to go one better this year after losing out in the final to Phil Taylor in 2014, Reigning champion Taylor will be seeded second as he bids to win an eighth successive Matchplay crown and continue his spectacular unbeaten run at the Winter Gardens, with World Champion Gary Anderson third seed, Adrian Lewis completes the top four seeds, with Peter Wright, Dave Chisnall, Simon Whitlock and 2007 winner James Wade all inside the top eight, Premier League star Kim Huybrechts tops the ProTour Order of Merit qualifiers, with the Dutch trio of Vincent van der Voort, Jelle Klaasen and debutant Benito van de Pas placing just behind the Belgian, There will also be Winter Gardens debuts for Gerwyn Price, World Youth Champion Keegan Brown, Players Championship Ten winner Joe Murnan and Australia’s Kyle Anderson, whose impressive form over the weekend saw him narrowly overtake Mark Webster to seal the final qualifying place.

The draw for the BetVictor World Matchplay will be made on Monday July 6 at 10.30am (BST) live on Sky Sports News, with the schedule of play to follow later this week - stay logged on to www.pdc.tv for full details.

Tickets for the BetVictor World Matchplay are still available for some sessions and can be purchased in person at the Winter Gardens Box Office, by calling 0844 856 1111 or via www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk .

2015 BetVictor World Matchplay
PDC Order of Merit Qualifiers
Seeded for First Round Draw

1. Michael van Gerwen
2. Phil Taylor
3. Gary Anderson
4. Adrian Lewis
5. Peter Wright
6. James Wade
7. Dave Chisnall
8. Simon Whitlock
9. Ian White
10. Robert Thornton
11. Brendan Dolan
12. Mervyn King
13. Michael Smith
14. Terry Jenkins
15. Raymond van Barneveld
16. Justin Pipe

ProTour Order of Merit Qualifiers

1. Kim Huybrechts
2. Jelle Klaasen
3. Vincent van der Voort
4. Benito van de Pas
5. Stephen Bunting
6. Mensur Suljovic
7. Gerwyn Price
8. Steve Beaton
9. Jamie Caven
10. John Henderson
11. Keegan Brown
12. Andrew Gilding
13. Jamie Lewis
14. Joe Murnan
15. Kyle Anderson
16. Andy Hamilton

Taken From - THE PDC WEBSITE

THE schedule of play has been confirmed for the 2015 BetVictor World Matchplay with Michael van Gerwen, Adrian Lewis and Peter Wright all in action on the opening night, The BetVictor World Matchplay – now in its 22nd year – will be held at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool from July 18-26 and broadcast live on Sky Sports, World Championship runner-up Simon Whitlock and Lakeside champion Jelle Klaasen will kick off the tournament before Wright takes on Premier League rival Kim Huybrechts in the second game of the evening, World number one van Gerwen will then face fellow Dutchman Benito van de Pas before 2013 runner-up Lewis takes on another Blackpool debutant Joe Murnan in the final game of the opening night, The first round continues on Sunday afternoon, with Mervyn King taking on Andrew Gilding, Ian White facing Stephen Bunting and youngsters Jamie Lewis and Michael Smith meeting Justin Pipe and Gerwyn Price respectively, World Champion Gary Anderson and 2007 Matchplay winner James Wade will open their tournaments on Sunday evening against Steve Beaton and Kyle Anderson respectively, with Brendan Dolan taking on Vincent van der Voort and Terry Jenkins playing Mensur Suljovic in the same session, Reigning World Matchplay champion Phil Taylor will play John Henderson on the final day of first round action on Monday as he aims to win a sensational eighth consecutive title at the Winter Gardens, Raymond van Barneveld will also be in action on Monday evening as he takes on Andy Hamilton, with fellow Premier League star Dave Chisnall playing Jamie Caven and World Youth Champion Keegan Brown matching up with Robert Thornton, Second round matches will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the quarter-finals split across Thursday and Friday and semi-finals and final taking place on Saturday and Sunday respectively, BetVictor Head of Communications Charlie McCann said: “In the immediate aftermath of yesterday’s draw we cut Michael van Gerwen to 7/4 from 2/1, but we have now pushed the world number one back out to 2/1 and cut holder Phil Taylor from 7/2 to 10/3. Mighty Mike has never won in Blackpool and until he does we are keen to take him on, “It is rare for a World Champion to be priced at 6/1 but Gary Anderson might have to beat both The Power and MvG if he is to add the BetVictor World Matchplay title to his world crown. It promises to be another magnificent tournament and those opening night first round ties should ensure we get off to a cracking start!”

* See www.betvictor.com for all the latest prices from our title sponsors.

Tickets for the BetVictor World Matchplay are still available for some sessions and can be purchased in person at the Winter Gardens Box Office, by calling0844 856 1111 or via www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk.

2015 BetVictor World Matchplay
Saturday July 18
Evening Session (7pm – 11pm)
First Round
Simon Whitlock v Jelle Klaasen
Peter Wright v Kim Huybrechts
Michael van Gerwen v Benito van de Pas
Adrian Lewis v Joe Murnan

Sunday July 19
Afternoon Session (1pm – 5pm)
First Round
Mervyn King v Andrew Gilding
Ian White v Stephen Bunting
Justin Pipe v Jamie Lewis
Michael Smith v Gerwyn Price

Evening Session (7pm – 11pm)
First Round
Brendan Dolan v Vincent van der Voort
Terry Jenkins v Mensur Suljovic
Gary Anderson v Steve Beaton
James Wade v Kyle Anderson

Monday July 20
Evening Session (7pm – 11pm)
First Round
Robert Thornton v Keegan Brown
Dave Chisnall v Jamie Caven
Phil Taylor v John Henderson
Raymond van Barneveld v Andy Hamilton

Tuesday July 21
Evening Session (7pm – 11pm)
Second Round
Wright / Huybrechts v King / Gilding
Whitlock / Klaasen v White / Bunting
Van Gerwen / Van De Pas v Pipe / J Lewis
A Lewis / Murnan v Smith / Price

Wednesday July 22
Evening Session (7pm – 11pm)
Second Round
Chisnall / Caven v Thornton / Brown
Wade / K Anderson v Dolan / Van Der Voort
Taylor / Henderson v Van Barneveld / Hamilton
G Anderson / Beaton v Jenkins / Suljovic

Thursday July 23
Evening Session (7pm – 11pm)
Quarter-Finals x2

Friday July 24
Evening Session (7pm – 11pm)
Quarter-Finals x2

Saturday July 25
Evening Session (7pm – 11pm)
Semi-Finals x2

Sunday July 26
Evening Session (7pm – 11pm)
Final

Format
First Round - Best of 19 legs
Second Round - Best of 25 legs
Quarter-Finals - Best of 31 legs
Semi-Finals - Best of 33 legs
Final - Best of 35 legs
* Each game must be won by two clear legs, with up to a maximum of five additional legs being played before the sixth "extra" leg is sudden-death. There will be no re-throw for the bull in this instance.
For example, should a First Round game (best of 19 legs) reach 12-12, then the 25th leg would be the final and deciding leg.