Michael Smith’s World Matchplay position remains under serious strain after the latest live race left the former world champion outside the provisional Blackpool field.
The live World Matchplay Race currently has Ritchie Edhouse occupying the final qualification place, with Smith sitting just below the cut line. That keeps one of the sport’s biggest names in a sharply uncomfortable holding pattern before the July 8 cut-off.
Smith still chasing cut-line shift
The pressure point is obvious. The Betfred World Matchplay field is built from the top 16 on the main Order of Merit plus the next 16 from the ProTour rankings, leaving little room for reputation once the numbers harden.
Smith has already endured a bruising ranking slide, with The Sun reporting that the 2023 world champion has dropped outside the PDC top 32 while managing wrist and ankle issues. For a player who reached the 2019 World Matchplay final, the symbolism is severe.
Blackpool margin narrows
Smith is not detached from the race, but the calendar is no longer generous. Every remaining ranking opportunity now carries heavier consequence because the Winter Gardens field has a fixed 32-player limit.
The wider context is already familiar to NineDartNews readers after Smith’s top-32 ranking drop, but this latest Matchplay picture is more immediate. Unless the gap closes before the cut-off, Blackpool risks becoming another marker of a former world number one’s stalled recovery.
