World Matchplay final tips: Classic on the cards as Nathan Aspinall squares off with Jonny Clayton
- Seb Sternik
- 23 July 2023
Planet Sport looks at some of the best bets ahead of Sunday's World Matchplay final between Jonny Clayton and Nathan Aspinall.
Just like that, the World Matchplay has reached its final day as Nathan Aspinall and Jonny Clayton battle for one of the most prestigious titles in darts.
Both men thoroughly deserve to be in the showpiece after putting on sensational performances throughout the earlier rounds.
Jonny Clayton has been particularly impressive, with the Welshman posting extraordinary checkout percentages.
The Ferret hit 17 from 28 shots at double in his semi-final against Luke Humphries, and 16 from 26 against Ryan Searle in the round prior.
Hitting doubles is not the only area in which the Welshman has excelled at during this year's edition of the Matchplay.
Clayton is also consistently averaging around the three-figure mark, boasting numbers of 101.9, 97.55 and 98.92 in his last three matches at the Winter Gardens.
With the former Premier League winner averaging well and rarely missing doubles, the 48-year-old looks almost unbeatable.
However, what makes this final difficult to call is the fact Aspinall is also enjoying some of his best darts this season.
The Asp hit 21 maximums during his previous two matches and also boasts 60 scores of 140+.
Power scoring has not been a problem for the former UK Open champion and if he can replicate some of his recent numbers in the final, we could be in for a classic.
Looking at the betting, there are a number of markets which catch our eye.
Firstly, under 18.5 maximums at around the 10/11 mark is our recommendation.
While Aspinall has been hitting 180s for fun, Clayton's figures have been far more moderate with the Welshman finding 11 maximums across his last two matches.
Secondly, over 31.5 legs at around even money is the next tip.
Clayton's semi-final win over Humphries crossed that margin and considering both the Welshman and Aspinall are hard to break, the final could very well go to the wire.
To make matters more interesting, the showpiece will be played in a best of 35 legs format - two more than in the previous round.
Lastly, we're backing the highest match checkout to be over 140.5. Aspinall has already hit a 151 in the tournament, while Clayton boasts a tournament big fish.
