Nine days of World Matchplay coverage from the Marshall Arena gets underway from Saturday and will run through until the final on Sunday, July 26
The World Matchplay represents one of the highlights of the darting calendar and despite the unfamiliar circumstances surrounding this year's showpiece, Wayne Mardle still expects nine days of drama in Milton Keynes.
After the five-day Summer Series signalled darts' safe return following the coronavirus pandemic, all eyes remain on Milton Keynes where the sport's biggest names will reconvene for nine days of top-level darts.
It will be the first time since the tournament's inception that the iconic Winter Gardens in Blackpool will not host proceedings, but as Rob Cross bids to defend his title, Sky Sports expert Wayne Mardle returns to preview what promises to be a fascinating event....
I think the quality of the play will be amazing like it normally is. The Matchplay produces; purely because of the format, you get comebacks, you get the odd shock here and there, but it is such a brilliant event because it is leg in leg out.
It will be different because there's a lack of atmosphere. Gerwyn Price has already said that he needs an atmosphere to fire himself up, so they are thinking about it the players, but the players play in a similar environment week in week out.
You are going to see the odd big celebration, because players like Van Gerwen and Price - they need that. There will be others that will be so pleased that there is not anyone there, like maybe Ian White, Justin Pipe and Danny Noppert.
I think we have seen enough of Price and Van Gerwen to know that they do not need an atmosphere to produce their best, but they like an atmosphere. They will get used to it.
I remember playing in Atlanta. We were playing in a tiny room off a Holiday Inn reception that was soulless, and I beat James Wade there in the final of a Pro Tour event. There was no atmosphere there at all, you could hear people checking in!
Then you start to become engrossed in a game and then the atmosphere does not matter, because you know at the end of the match or that particular tournament, you have either won it, or you are through to the next round.
The game takes over the importance of everything else. They will miss the atmosphere initially but they will soon get over it, like the people watching at home. เว็บพนันบอลต่างประเทศ
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