Vintage Price Dazzles while Littler and Rock Survive Thrillers on Day 5 at the Matchplay

The final four Last 16 ties were played out at the Winter Gardens on Wednesday evening, and what a night it was. Four more names booked their spots in the quarter-finals, with drama, emotion, and brilliance at every turn.

Andrew Gilding produced another ton-plus average to brush aside Dirk van Duijvenbode, while Luke Littler and Josh Rock mounted extraordinary comebacks to win thrillers against Jermaine Wattimena and Michael van Gerwen, respectively. But it was Gerwyn Price who stole the show, threatening to break the tournament's record average in a spellbinding performance against Chris Dobey.

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

Chris Dobey congratulating Gerwyn Price after victory against him (Photo by: Taylor Lanning/PDC)

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Andrew Gilding 11 - 5 🇳🇱 Dirk van Duijvenbode

Andrew Gilding flew out of the traps in clinical fashion, rattling in three consecutive 13-darters to race into a 3–0 lead. He followed that with a 17-dart break and another comfortable hold to sweep the opening session 5–0, with van Duijvenbode yet to register a dart at double.

Dirk finally got off the mark with an 18-dart hold, but ‘Goldfinger’ responded instantly with a 13-darter to restore the cushion at 6–1. The Dutchman held in 14, but Gilding fired back again with a 15-dart hold for 7–2. With Gilding waiting on tops, Dirk produced a spirited 70 checkout to make it 7–3, roaring to his corner in defiance.

Gilding resumed control after the interval with a 16-dart hold, but a 16-dart reply from Dirk made it 8–4. When Gilding missed three darts at double, van Duijvenbode pounced, taking out 68 in two darts to grab his first break and close the gap to 8–5.

That was as good as it got for ‘The Titan’. Gilding punished a single miss at tops with a break of his own via a 103 checkout, then backed it up with a clinical 82 finish for 10–5. Dirk missed two darts to prolong the tie, and Gilding sealed the deal on double 5 for a 17-dart hold and a place in the quarter-finals.

Match Stats:

Gilding: 100.50 average | 180s: 6 | 52.38% on Doubles (11/21)

DvD: 93.78 average | 180s: 4 | 33.33% on Doubles (5/15)

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (11) Gerwyn Price 11 - 3 (6) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Chris Dobey

‘The Iceman’ made a flying start, breaking in 13 and 14 darts before producing a magical third leg, hitting a magnificent 162 setup followed by a 146 out to complete a 12-dart break for 3–0. A 13-dart hold made it 4–0, and though Dobey responded with a 14-dart hold, Price had already laid down a blistering marker.

Dobey showed real spirit after the interval with a sublime 142 checkout to reduce the gap to 4–2, but it only poked the bear. When Dobey missed two at tops in the next leg, Price stepped in with a 90 finish to break straight back. He followed with an 11-dart hold, then went even better, producing back-to-back 12-darters with successive 180s in both legs, taking out 57 and 83 to roar into an 8–2 lead. At this point, Price’s average was above Phil Taylor’s historic single-game Matchplay record.

After the second break, Price broke again in 14 darts, then punished another Dobey double miss with a 17-dart break for 10–2. Dobey added a consolation leg, but Price wrapped it up on double top in a 16-dart hold to complete a sensational 11–3 victory. Even with a slight dip in the final session, it was a near-flawless display, a performance that left Dobey applauding and the Winter Gardens in awe.

Match Stats:

Price: 108.73 average | 180s: 8 | 73.33% on Doubles (11/15)

Dobey: 96.50 average | 180s: 1 | 27.27% on Doubles (3/11)

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (2) Luke Littler 13 - 11 🇳🇱 Jermaine Wattimena

The contest began chaotically as Littler comically busted 127, missed multiple darts at double, and was punished by Wattimena, who broke in 17 darts. The Dutchman then unleashed a brilliant surge, holding in 12 before firing in back-to-back 14-darters to storm 4–0 ahead. Littler finally got going with a sublime 12-dart hold featuring a 100 checkout via two double tops, cutting the gap to 4–1 at the first interval.

After the break, a scrappy sixth leg saw Littler break back in 16 darts, only for Wattimena to immediately hit back, punishing two missed darts at double 8 with a 13-dart break. ‘The Machine Gun’ then held with a 97 finish and produced a stunning 11-darter to surge into a shock 7–2 lead. Littler clung on, taking out 62 last dart in hand to avoid an 8–2 deficit, visibly emotional as he signalled to his team he wasn’t done yet.

True to that message, ‘The Nuke’ went into overdrive. A five-leg burst followed in 12, 14, 14, 15, and 12 darts featuring 107 and 120 checkouts to turn the match on its head and lead 8–7, with Wattimena unable to land a dart at double during that blitz.

Wattimena stopped the rot with a 15-dart hold to level at 8–8, before Littler responded in 16. Both players held again, Wattimena in 17 after Littler missed three darts to break. Littler then held in 13 darts for 10–9 and missed a match dart at double 19 in the next leg, which Wattimena capitalised on to force a tiebreak at 10–10.

The trend of holds continued. Littler pinned double 16 for 11–10 but missed two more match darts in the next leg, allowing Wattimena to level once again. Unfazed, Littler roared back with back-to-back 180s and an effortless 11-dart hold to lead 12–11. In the deciding leg, Wattimena missed four clear darts at double, and his resolve was finally broken. Littler, on his seventh match dart, finally landed double 10 to win it, collapsing into a flood of emotion after an all-time Matchplay battle.

Match Stats:

Littler: 99.28 average | 180s: 9 | 31.71% on Doubles (13/41)

Wattimena: 96.39 average | 180s: 7 | 42.31% on Doubles (11/26)

🇬🇧 Josh Rock 13 - 11 🇳🇱 (3) Michael van Gerwen

Van Gerwen stormed into the match with three consecutive 15-darters, including 150 and 95 checkouts, to open up a 3–0 lead. Rock responded with a 103 finish in 15 darts, but MvG then threw a blistering 10-darter to lead 4–1 at the first interval.

MvG held in 16 darts for 5–1, but then his doubles deserted him. Three missed darts in each of the next two legs allowed Rock to close to 5–3, before he held in 14 to make it three on the spin. MvG missed more doubles in leg 10, narrowly surviving a dart at the bull from Rock to scrape an 18-dart hold for 6–4.

They exchanged holds to 8–6 before Rock missed multiple darts at double in leg 15, and MvG broke on double 1 with a roar. But from 9–6 down, Rock launched a remarkable comeback. He held, then stunned MvG with a clutch 152 checkout after the Dutchman left double 6 following 12 darts. That turned the tide.

Rock then produced back-to-back 14-darters to lead 10–9, marking four legs on the bounce. MvG showed class to respond with a 138 checkout to force a tiebreak at 10–10.

Rock edged ahead with a 16-dart hold. In leg 22, MvG missed three to level, but Rock also missed a match dart at tops. MvG returned to take out double 10 for 11–11. Rock missed three more darts in the next leg, but MvG couldn't punish, and Rock nailed double 5 last dart in hand to move 12–11 in front.

In a gripping conclusion, Rock produced a superb 14-dart break to seal a career-defining 13–11 win, his first at the Winter Gardens. Overcome with emotion, he nearly broke into tears as the moment sunk in.

Match Stats:

Rock: 95.16 average | 180s: 9 | 44.83% on Doubles (13/29)

MvG: 97.31 average | 180s: 5 | 31.43% on Doubles (11/35)