THE FACTS
When is Nathan Aspinall vs Mervyn King taking place? Saturday 20th July, 2019
Where is Nathan Aspinall vs Mervyn King taking place? Winter Gardens, Blackpool
What channel is Nathan Aspinall vs Mervyn King on? Sky Sports Arena
Where can I stream Nathan Aspinall vs Mervyn King? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via Sky Go
Where can I get tickets for Nathan Aspinall vs Mervyn King? Check https://www.pdc.tv/betfred-world-matchplay-tickets for ticket information
THE STATISTICS
All-time meetings: No Previous meetings
Last meeting: N/A
THE PLAYERS
NATHAN ASPINALL
- Nathan Aspinall has enjoyed a rapid rise up the rankings over the last year and is making his World Matchplay debut as the number 13 seed. Despite his inexperience at the Winter Gardens, he has to be considered as a serious contender to win the tournament.
- He showed his talent on the big stage when he reached the semi-finals at the World Championship last December and proved it was no fluke when he captured his first PDC major at the UK Open in March.
- Aspinall shone again on his World Series debut in early July at the US Masters when he defeated Peter Wright, Rob Cross and Michael Smith on his way to winning the title with a tournament average of over 102.
MERVYN KING
- The vastly experienced Mervyn King is featuring at the World Matchplay for the 13th time; he reached the semi-finals in 2009 but has lost in the first round in seven of the last nine years.
- Since reaching the quarter-finals at the Matchplay in 2016 he has not been beyond the last 16 in any TV tournament and he has in fact only been further than the last 32 in three of his last 17 appearances in TV tournaments.
- An impressive 10-6 victory against the formidable Michael van Gerwen at the UK Open in March showed that King still has the ability to perform on the big stage; his run came to an end when he was defeated by eventual runner-up Rob Cross in the following round.
THE PREDICTION
Rising star Nathan Aspinall is in red-hot form having backed up his UK Open triumph with a win at the recent US Darts Masters. The Stockport man has his eyes on the big prize and will fear nobody. Mervyn King has plenty of experience but does not have the consistency of years gone by and Aspinall’s supreme belief due to his recent success should propel him through to round two.
