Chris Dobey is looking to make amends for his World Matchplay record these last few years by aiming to go all the way this week at the Winter Gardens.
The former Masters winner wants to add further silverware to his professional darting portfolio with a win in the second biggest TV tournament of the year.
The Bedlington maestro overcame a 5-3 and 6-5 deficit to debutant Ritchie Edhouse to win his opening round match 10-7, with a final average just shy of 94.
Dobey will be back for Wednesday evening’s order of play against his close friend Michael Smith for a place in the quarter-finals. If he wins, it will match his best run from 12 months ago.
Dobey’s confidence due to winning and support in the crowds
It took Dobey four attempts to get that elusive win on the boiling Blackpool stage, but once he got over the line in the first round against James Wade in 2023, the floodgates opened.
In 2023 he defeated both James Wade and Smith, with the latter hoping to enact revenge on ‘Hollywood’ Wednesday evening.
In his post-match interview with Online Darts, Dobey suggested that getting over the line last year has allowed him to become better accustomed to the stage for this year’s edition.
The 34-year-old thinks this relieves pressure, enabling him to throw with freedom while putting on a great performance for the vast number of supporting members accompanying him throughout the week.
“It’s been a place [Winter Gardens] where I struggled in the past, but last year changed; I got a couple [of] wins then,” he said.
“I feel at home up there now, a lot of support there, so I didn’t want to let them down. I think that’s a bit more pressure on my shoulders as well, but to get a win in front of a lot of friends out there meant a lot.”
“It’s one of the ones where I have struggled in the past but last year getting the monkey off me back kinda kicked us on. I know I can win here now.
“It’s a great venue as well. It’s probably my favourite tournament and favourite venue, and I get a lot of support here because friends from back home where I play in local leagues, they come and they buy season tickets [whole week of season tickets].
“They’ve been doing that for years as well and to have their friend on that big stage means a lot to them. For me, to get a win in front of them, it means everything.”
What would a World Matchplay win mean for Dobey?
The World Matchplay certainly has sentimental value to the North East talisman, with the close-knit North East community vocally supporting him all the way.
He has proven before that he can win a TV tournament, where he won the 2023 Masters by defeating Joe Cullen, Luke Humphries, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Michael Smith and finally Rob Cross in the final.
This success put him into the 2023 Premier League of Darts, meaning a title at the Matchplay would certainly put him in the conversation for a return on the PDC’s biggest exhibition tour.
That conversation would halt altogether as he could rise to fourth in the world at the end of the week thanks to the £200,000 cheque, provided external results go in his favour, which would present him with an automatic Premier League place.
If he reached the final or went one win better, he would successfully qualify for the Grand Slam as a result, too.