First blood to Gary Anderson who makes an impressive start to the the opening leg, sealing it with a double top on his third dart after Michael Smith stumbled.

Mark Webster
Former BDO world champion on Sky Sports

This game won't take long. They both like to get on with it.

The crowd are pumped up at the Winter Gardens as Gary Anderson and Michael Smith go through their warm-up throws.

Smith to throw first. Game on.

Image source, Getty Images

Next up it's a battle between Gary Anderson, who won the World Matchplay in 2018, and world number three Michael Smith.

The pair have met 21 times with Smith just about edging it in terms of wins with 11 to Anderson's 10.

Smith and Anderson know each other as well as their Matrix namesakes, though, with the former citing the latter as one of the biggest influences on his career.

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So Ryan Searle's victory over Damon Heta leaves us with three exciting matches to look forward to.

We'll turn our attention to Michael Smith v Gary Anderson next and that will followed by the big one: Michael van Gerwen v Luke Littler.

Chris Dobey then rounds off the night against Ritchie Edhouse.

So Ryan Searle goes through to the second round where the 53-year-old from Somerset will play English compatriot Rob Cross, who scraped past Dutchman Gian van Veen 13-12 in the first round on Sunday.

Glen Durrant
Former Premier League champion on Sky Sports

I couldn't separate them before the match but that is what Ryan Searle can do. It was a sensational performance.

Ryan Searle gets the 'walking along, singing a song, living in a Searle wonderland' from the fans inside the Winter Gardens after a 101 average in his victory over Damon Heta.

A demolition from Ryan 'Heavy Metal' Searle who is left with a checkout of 63 and sends Damon Heta packing.

Searle, one of the best double-toppers around, lands his second dart right in double 20 and punches the air.

A reminder that the format this evening is slightly different to most other darts tournaments.

Since the World Matchplay started in 1994 it has always been a legs-only event, with the number required to win a match going up the deeper the tournament goes.

Tonight's first-round matches will be the first to 10 legs and, crucially, players need to win by two clear legs. However, we will go to sudden death should the two players not be separated at 12 all.

A 180 start from Damon Heta to start the 12th leg but Ryan Searle pegs him back with some consistent arrows.

Searle leaves himself double top and nails it at the third time of asking. He's one leg away from taking the match.

Image source, Getty Images

We might be at the, ahem, height of summer, but tonight it's all about what's going down in the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.

The final few matches in the first round of the World Matchplay are being played at the iconic venue.

We will have Michael van Gerwen v Luke Little in a short while, but without further ado we are going to go straight into the action.

England's Ryan Searle is currently 8-4 up against Australian Damon Heta.