The thirteenth edition of the World Matchplay is held from 23 to 29 July, at The Empress Ballroom in the Winter Garden in Blackpool.
After the Canadian John Part had surprised Phil Taylor in 2005, The Power regains control a year later. In the second round he takes revenge for the defeat of a year earlier, he beats John Part 13-2. Only Dennis Priestley can push Taylor a little bit on his way to the final.
It is the year of the new faces. In the upper half of the schedule, qualifier Andy Hamilton impresses with a 10-2 win over number four in the world, Peter Manley in the first round. He also beats world-class players Adrian Lewis and Wayne Mardle only to lose to his training buddy Phil Taylor in the semi-finals. But defeat is certainly not large, 17-11.
On the other side of the schedule, it is another newcomer who is making a name for himself. James Wade was unseeded but reaches the final, his first in a major TV tournament. In the semi-finals, he beat Roland Scholten who has one of his last great results on TV before he gets a nasty shoulder injury. Scholten loses the semi-final 19-17 after he has lead early in the match with 5-1 and 11-8. In the final Taylor proves a bit too strong for Wade, the score line is 17-11.