2019 Betfred World Matchplay – Daryl Gurney vs Keegan Brown Preview & Prediction

THE FACTS

When is Daryl Gurney vs Keegan Brown taking place? Wednesday 24^th July, 2019

Where is Daryl Gurney vs Keegan Brown taking place? Winter Gardens, Blackpool

What channel is Daryl Gurney vs Keegan Brown on? Sky Sports Action

Where can I stream Daryl Gurney vs Keegan Brown? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via Sky Go

Where can I get tickets for Daryl Gurney vs Keegan Brown? Check https://www.pdc.tv/betfred-world-matchplay-tickets for ticket information

THE STATISTICS

All-time meetings: Daryl Gurney 3-0 Keegan Brown
Last meeting: Daryl Gurney beat Keegan Brown 6-2

THE PLAYERS

DARYL GURNEY

• Number three seed Daryl Gurney progressed to round two with a 10-7 win against Ricky Evans on Monday evening. Having won against the throw in the opening leg, the Northern Irishman always had his nose in front throughout the contest.
  
• Gurney’s average of 96.34 against Evans does not show how well he scored; his first-nine average was 109.55 and he hit a total of nine 180s – a total only bettered by Dave Chisnall during round one.
  
• ‘SuperChin’ will be looking for a big improvement on his second-round performance in Blackpool last year when he lost 11-3 to Joe Cullen with an average of 87.69.

KEEGAN BROWN

• Keegan Brown won 10-8 in a tight contest against Welshman Jonny Clayton to book his place in round two of the World Matchplay for the second time in his career.
  
• Some tremendous combination finishing proved to be the difference as Brown registered four ton-plus checkouts during the match – which was more than any other player managed during the opening round.
  
• He is striving to reach his first TV tournament quarter-final since November 2014 at the Grand Slam of Darts and this is only his fifth time in the last 16 of a PDC TV tournament.

THE PREDICTION

Daryl Gurney came into the tournament having lost 8-0 to James Wade on his last TV appearance so he will have been more than delighted to progress from his opening round match against Ricky Evans without too much drama with the Northern Irishman’s consistent scoring always keeping him a step ahead. Gurney will have to show a little bit of improvement on his finishing, but overall there was nothing too concerning.

Keegan Brown has been a player on the rise over the last year and he showed some of his capabilities in defeating Jonny Clayton in round one. Excellent combination finishing was the highlight of his play and his coolness on the stage under pressure was admirable.

There is no doubt Daryl Gurney has the edge in terms of experience and scoring power so it could all boil down to how consistent the number three seed is on the doubles as he will get more chances than Brown. One would expect an improvement in his finishing from round one and Gurney is tipped to progress to the quarter-finals with a hard-fought victory against a very plucky opponent.