Gerwyn Price Reaches World Matchplay Quarter-Finals as Menzies Withdraws

What happened: Gerwyn Price booked his place in the World Matchplay quarter-finals with an 11-5 win over Rob Cross at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, according to Sky News. The result was described as comprehensive, and it puts Price into the last eight of one of darts’ major summer events.

Watch the highlights:

The same session also shifted because Cameron Menzies withdrew through illness. That withdrawal sent Gian van Veen into the quarter-finals without the match being played as scheduled. Sky’s report also names James Wade among the players through to the quarter-finals, though the supplied summary does not include Wade’s scoreline or match details.

Result up top: Price 11, Cross 5. In a race-format match, that margin matters because it suggests Price controlled enough legs to avoid a tense closing stretch. The source does not provide averages, checkout percentages or leg-by-leg detail, so the clean read is limited to the scoreboard: Price advanced clearly, Cross exited, and the bracket moves on with Price still alive.

Tournament impact: Price’s progression gives the quarter-final lineup a heavyweight presence. At the World Matchplay, where the Winter Gardens setting can turn momentum quickly, avoiding a long grind in the last-16 stage is useful. Price did not just survive the round; by the confirmed score, he created separation and spared himself a deciding-leg finish.

Van Veen’s route is more unusual. A withdrawal through illness is not a form indicator in the same way as an on-stage win, but it is still a tournament fact: he is in the quarter-finals. The competitive uncertainty is how that affects rhythm. One player gets extra rest and avoids match pressure; the trade-off is entering the next round without the same live-stage workload as other qualifiers.

What to watch: Price’s next match will be judged against the standard implied by an 11-5 win, but the source summary does not identify his quarter-final opponent. Van Veen’s quarter-final will carry a different question: whether the unexpected advancement leaves him fresher or under-tested. Wade’s qualification adds another experienced name to the last-eight mix, but the supplied facts do not support a deeper read on his form from this story alone.

Confidence: Confirmed by the source: Price beat Rob Cross 11-5, Menzies withdrew through illness, Van Veen advanced, James Wade is through, and the event is the World Matchplay at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. Still needs follow-up: quarter-final matchups, detailed match statistics, and the severity or duration of Menzies’ illness.