UK Open Review: How did Northern duo Callan Rydz and Chris Dobey get on?

The UK Open is one of the biggest events of the year and is one of the three ranking competitions that almost everyone enters – alongside with the World Championship and Players Championship Finals.

Both Dobey and Rydz came into this tournament with high hopes, but for different reasons.

Dobey’s UK Open last year was a successful one making it to the sixth round whereas Rydz’s confidence was high due to his start to 2021 – winning the second Super Series event.

Due to their difference in rankings both players entered the competition at different stages with Rydz’s opening match being a third round tie against Ross Smith – which he won 6-5 in a deciding leg.

In the fourth round Rydz had the challenge of playing world number 27 Jermaine Wattimena while Dobey opened his UK Open against John Henderson – Henderson beat Matthew Edgar in Round Three 6-5.

From round four onwards matches became best of 19 legs, first to 10, and the first winner of the round was Callan Rydz.

Rydz came from 6-2 down to win eight successive legs to win the match 10-6.

A close game came when Henderson and Dobey clashed heads at the oche but when Dobey broke Henderson’s throw to take a 7-5 lead the floodgates opened eventually winning the game 10-6.

The fifth round draw saw both Dobey and Rydz playing players ranked below them in the World Rankings.

The fifth round is where Rydz would crash out of the tournament losing 10-6 to world number 68 Martijn Kleermaker – taking home £4,000 from his best televised dart event.

Dobey, on the other hand, played world number 101 John Brown and made lightwork of the encounter losing one leg in the process eventually winning 10-1 to set up a last 16 match against the World Champion and World Number One Gerwyn Price.

Dobey started slowly letting Price break his throw then hold his throw in the first two legs before Dobey hit a 12 dart leg to get a foothold in the game but Price was a man on a mission….

The ‘Iceman’ led 5-1 even though Dobey was averaging a huge 108.72 but still only having one leg on the board before almost creating some magic in the ninth leg.

At 7-1 down Dobey needed something special which he nearly did just missing D12 in the hunt for a nine darter – a very nearly perfect leg that was acknowledged with a fist bump from his opponent.

Dobey then picked up some form but only hitting a quarter of his doubles in the game proved to be the difference with him eventually losing the match 10-5, even with the higher average of the two players.