Gilding Edges Heta in Matchplay Thriller as Seeds Tumble on Sunday Afternoon

All four seeded players crashed out during a dramatic Sunday afternoon at the World Matchplay. Andrew Gilding and Damon Heta served up a Winter Gardens classic that required extra legs, with Gilding ultimately prevailing in a high-quality contest. Dirk van Duijvenbode mounted an extraordinary comeback to knock out former champion Rob Cross, while Jermaine Wattimena and Mike De Decker held their nerve to fend off late surges from Peter Wright and Dave Chisnall respectively.

Let’s take a closer look at the afternoon’s action…

Andrew Gilding taking in the atmosphere at the Winter Gardens

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Andrew Gilding 12 - 10 (7) 🇦🇺 Damon Heta

The opening two legs were exchanged on throw before Gilding narrowly missed double top for the first break. Heta held firm and then pounced, breaking in 15 darts and following it up with a sublime 12-darter to race into a 4–1 lead at the first interval.

The next three legs after the break went with throw, before Gilding produced a moment of magic, wiring double 12 for a nine-darter before returning to pin it for an 11-dart leg and reduce the gap to 5–4. Heta immediately responded with a brilliant 13-dart break to restore his cushion at 6–4 heading into the second break.

Gilding came out firing, claiming two quality legs to level at 6–6, but Heta replied with back-to-back 12-darters to edge back in front at 8–6. The momentum continued to swing as Gilding hit a 12-dart break of his own and followed it with a 15-darter to tie it up again at 8–8.

Heta missed multiple darts at double in leg 17, and Gilding took full advantage to lead 9–8. But he couldn’t seal the win on throw, as Heta cleaned up 68 with his last dart to break straight back and level once more.

A brilliant 13-dart break from Gilding made it 10–9, only for Heta to dig deep and produce a 76 checkout under pressure to level again at 10–10. Gilding then punished a poor scoring leg from the Aussie, breaking in 16 darts to move 11–10 ahead.

After five consecutive breaks of throw, it was Gilding who finally held when it mattered, closing out with a clinical 13-darter to resist a parting maximum from Heta and seal a thrilling 12–10 win in a Blackpool classic, marking his highest televised average since the 2015 UK Open.

Match Stats:

Gilding: 101.82 average | 180s: 10 | 50% on Doubles (12/24)

Heta: 100.03 average | 180s: 8 | 55.56% on Doubles (10/18)

🇳🇱 Dirk van Duijvenbode 10 - 8 (10) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Rob Cross

The opening four legs were routine holds with little sign of a break. Van Duijvenbode had the first real opportunity in leg five but narrowly missed double top for a 109 checkout, allowing Cross to clean up 62 with his last dart and celebrate holding for 3–2.

‘Voltage’ flew out of the interval, breaking in 14 darts before pinning a 128 finish for a superb 12-dart hold. He then broke again in 13 to surge into a 6–2 lead. Van Duijvenbode responded superbly, firing in an 11-dart break after back-to-back 180s and holding in 15 to claw back to 6–4, signalling to his team he was up for the fight.

The Dutchman carried that momentum into the final session, breaking in 12 darts and holding in 16 to level at 6–6. Cross halted the charge with a composed 14-dart hold, but Dirk immediately replied with a 14-dart leg of his own to tie things up at 7–7.

A pivotal moment followed in leg 15. Cross bust 32 after missing two darts to lead, and van Duijvenbode stepped in with a sensational 137 finish, treble 19 followed by two double tops as he erupted in celebration to take an 8–7 lead.

A scrappy but crucial 19-dart hold pushed him within a leg of victory. Cross responded with a sarcastic celebration after grinding out a 19-darter to make it 9–8. Van Duijvenbode missed a couple of match darts in the following leg but finally found double 4 with his last dart to complete a remarkable comeback, winning eight of the last ten legs to knock out the 2019 champion.

Match Stats:

DvD: 95.33 average | 180s: 8 | 45.45% on Doubles (10/22)

Cross: 96.10 average | 180s: 5 | 47.06% on Doubles (8/17)

🇳🇱 Jermaine Wattimena 10 - 8 (15) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Peter Wright

Peter Wright made a solid start with a hold, but Wattimena responded in style with a 138 checkout and then punished a missed dart at double 16 with a 90 finish on the bull to break. The Dutchman followed it up with legs of 13 and 14 darts to race into a 4–1 lead at the first interval.

A clinical 11-dart hold pushed Wattimena 5–1 up, before missed doubles allowed Wright to stop the rot and close the gap to 5–2. The next three legs went with throw, giving Wattimena a 7–3 cushion heading into the final session.

Wright came out firing with a 16-dart hold, 13-dart break, and 17-dart hold, reeling off three consecutive legs without Wattimena having a dart at double to cut it to 7–6.

Wattimena missed four darts at double in leg 14, but Wright couldn’t capitalise and narrowly missed tops for a 120 checkout. Wattimena then pinned double 1 and roared with emotion to move 8–6 ahead. More missed doubles allowed Wright to take out 93 for 8-7 before breaking throw crucially for 8–8.

Both missed the bull on big combination checkouts in the next leg, but Wright missed two darts at double 16 to lead for the first time since the opening leg. Wattimena stepped in, pinning the double 4 last dart in hand to lead 9–8. He then flew out of the blocks, landing on 58 after nine darts before sealing it in 15 darts, his first win on the Winter Gardens stage, sending another former Matchplay champion packing.

Match Stats:

Wattimena: 91.81 average | 180s: 4 | 34.48% on Doubles (10/29)

Wright: 93.10 average | 180s: 4 | 53.33% on Doubles (8/15)

🇧🇪 Mike De Decker 10 - 7 (12) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Dave Chisnall

Mike De Decker made a confident start, holding in 12 darts before breaking in 18 to take a 2–0 lead. Chisnall replied with an 11-dart break, but the Belgian hit straight back with a 12-dart break and a clinical 116 finish to lead 3–1. A scrappy fifth leg saw both miss chances before Chisnall edged it to close it to 3–2 at the break.

The second session offered few opportunities as all five legs went with throw. Chisnall, though, landed a crucial 118 checkout while De Decker was sitting on 49 to level at 5–5 going into the second interval, letting out a big roar in celebration.

De Decker regained the lead with a sharp 14-dart hold, only for Chisnall to level again with a 16-darter. 'Chizzy' then struck with a 13-dart break to lead for the first time at 7–6, but failed to back it up, missing two darts at tops, and De Decker punished with a pinpoint double 16 to break back instantly.

From there, the reigning World Grand Prix champion stepped up. A gritty 19-dart hold made it 8–7, before a superb 104 checkout under pressure gave him a two-leg cushion. De Decker sealed the win in style, producing an exquisite 148 finish to wrap up his first-ever victory on the Winter Gardens stage, celebrating wildly after another landmark moment in his career.

Match Stats:

De Decker: 93.01 average | 180s: 5 | 55.56% on Doubles (10/18)

Chisnall: 91.87 average | 180s: 5 | 28% on Doubles (7/25)