Superstars of Darts regular gives us his view

As we enter yet another chapter in the history of the darting Mecca that is the Lakeside, Frimley Green, it is with great uncertainty that we do so.  Amidst the countless rumours flying around of what the future will hold for the BDO, there is only one certainty; that we can be certain of nothing. Into all this speculation comes the most open World Championship in the history of the Lakeside.

This year Frimley Green will find itself without one of its most recognisable faces, as Raymond van Barneveld will not be returning to try and add to his four crowns here. Into the space left by the Dutch maestro has crowded a large number of players of very equal capabilities, leaving us with a fascinating tussle for supremacy which may run down to the very last dart. Darts fans attempting to predict the winners of this tournament have come up with solid cases for at least half a dozen names, if not more. Even more significantly, most of these lists are devoid of the defending champion.

Put simply, 2006 has been a near disaster for Jelle Klaasen. Fated in Holland as a national hero following his triumph twelve months ago, the 21-year old found himself ill-equipped to deal with a barrage of publicity and media attention, with the result that his campaign this time around has consisted of a number of high watermarks in a sea of disappointment. Balanced against a win over Phil Taylor at the IDL and a good run in several minor tour events has been a slew of 1st round exits, including at Bridlington where he failed to even make the televised stages, and at the WDT. One thing may count in his favour, though: this lack of form means he enters Frimley Green firmly as the outsider, and as we saw last year, that seems to be just the way he likes it.

So if Klaasen is firmly an underdog for the championship, who can we expect to see at the sharp end of things? There is no doubt who all the attention in the darting world this year has been focussed on, and once again he comes from over the channel bearing the standard of Holland. 17-year old Michael van Gerwen has been a revelation this year, as he finally brought all his promise as a youth player to the senior ranks in a barrage of quite extraordinary performances. From the 107 average against Martin Adams at the IDL, to the two thrilling shoot-outs with Raymond van Barneveld (one won, one lost, lest we forget), to the incredible comeback to seal the World Masters and write himself into the history books as the youngest champion in that illustrious tournament’s history, van Gerwen has blazed quite some trail across the world of darts this year. If he plays to his full capability, we are in for quite some thrill ride watching his progress.

His main opponent for the title this year will possibly be a man who couldn’t be more different from the young Dutchman if he tried. Celebrating the half century this year, Martin Adams will embark on yet another quest for the major titles that have eluded him on so many occasions in the past. He has been at his brilliant best at times this year, yet still managed to fall short at the crucial moments. If we see the former from Adams without the latter, it should be a good long run at Frimley Green for the likeable veteran.

Also at the front rank of England’s challenge come a couple of men who have also combined the devastating with the ordinary this year. Possessed of almost as big a fan club as Adams, “The Dazzler” Darryl Fitton will once again bring his own blend of Madness to the TV screens of the nation, and hope to back it up on the oche, whilst Mervyn King is as much of an enigma as ever. He is highly tipped to do well in some circles, yet has had a horrible year both on and off the oche. He has been embroiled in numerous public spats with other players and the authorities, dragged the game of darts through the mud with despicable behaviour and found himself on the receiving end of a huge number of totally deserved fines. At the time of writing King’s future is extremely unclear, and rumours abound as to the verdict of the authorities upon him. If he can somehow put aside this whirlwind of controversy around him and get his darts back on track, he can never be discounted.

On the opposite side of the coin comes the man who seemed a shoe-in for at least a final berth during the first half of the year; Scotland’s Gary Anderson. After a simply outstanding year on the floor tournaments in which at times he was totally unbeatable, he goes into Frimley Green highly ranked. However, doubts still exist about his play on the big tournament stages under the lights and with the glare of TV cameras fixed on him, an experience he doesn’t seem to enjoy particularly. If ever there was a time for him to put aside this and show everyone what he is truly capable of, then after the year he has had, this is unquestionably it.

Also in with a chance is the unmistakeable Australian Simon Whitlock, who has also had an excellent year, which peaked in May during the IDL with an amazing win against Phil Taylor. Though he may have dipped a little since then, we have seen glimpses this year of the true ability of The Wizard, and he is a dangerous opponent for even the very best. The draw abounds with players of this kind, and particularly notable in this category are the likes of Steve Farmer, who played a great deal better at Bridlington than the final score line against Martin Adams of 6-0 would suggest, and Mark Webster, the young Welshman whose comparatively lowly ranking belies prodigious ability and an excellent recent run of form. After last year’s debacle, it will be nice to hear the red dragon roar again at Frimley Green, with the vastly experienced Martin Phillips taking his place in the draw as well.

The evenly matched nature of this year’s 32 hopefuls can easily be seen by a list of some of the other players who will be taking their place who have not even been mentioned in this preview – Tony O’Shea, Co Stompe, Tony Eccles, Vincent van der Voort, Paul Hanvidge, Mike Veitch – all of whom have played at this stage numerous times and all of whom are capable of beating each other. Throw in extra names such as the other young Dutchman Niels de Ruiter, who recorded some excellent wins at the WDT which, it can be hoped, will finally bring him out of his shell on the biggest stages, and we are clearly in for an excellent week and a bit of darts. There may not be spectacularly high averages this year (though it is certainly not outside the realms of possibility), but what Lakeside can offer this year will be a large number of very close matches, too difficult to call beforehand, with nothing between the players and the outcome in doubt right up until the very last double. Unpredictability is certainly the watchword at Frimley Green this year, and it will be fascinating to see how it all unfolds. If you don’t believe me try and pick a winner out of these ties: Co Stompe vs Jelle Klaasen, Mark Webster vs Tony Eccles, Martin Adams vs Tony O’Shea, Paul Hanvidge vs Martin Phillips. And that’s only a quarter of round 1.

Game on!

Centurion is SoD regular Andrew Nowell