Madars Razma has felt like he’s on the verge of doing something quite special for a while now.
The Latvian number one may be ranked 36th in the world, but, on his day, he can give the best of the best a game.
Razma has qualified and played at some of the biggest tournaments in darts, and while he’s unlikely to get there this year, he has played at the World Matchplay before, qualifying in 2022.
Unfortunately, Razma was eliminated by Peter Wright in round one of that tournament, but he does have fond memories from the Winter Gardens.
Speaking on the Weekly Dartscast, Razma spoke about his sole appearance at the Matchplay, and he says that he was actually very surprised by how small the venue was in Blackpool.
Madars Razma shocked by how small World Matchplay venue is
Razma spoke about his appearance at the Winter Gardens.
“The Winter Gardens, what I remember is that on the tele the Winter Gardens looks bigger than it is in real life, that was a surprise for me in Blackpool.”
World Matchplay could move
The World Matchplay is, alongside the World Championships, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the PDC calendar.
The tournament has been played at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool for 30 years now, but with the sport continuing to grow, you have to wonder if it’s time for a change.
The Winter Gardens is a very historic venue, but it holds just 3,000 spectators and that really isn’t that many in this day and age.
We see the Premier League sell out 10,000+ seater arenas every single week, and a tournament like the Matchplay could perhaps attract similar crowds if it moved venues and was marketed correctly.
Moving away from the Winter Gardens wouldn’t be a popular choice, but as Razma says, it is a strikingly small venue for second-biggest tournament of a sport that is only growing bigger and bigger.