Tops! It’s a Black Country darts double
The Black Country will have a double dose of darts fever ahead of the festive period as two of their own prepare to compete in the 2018 BDO World Championship.
Tipton’s two-time semi-finalist Jamie Hughes will be joined by emerging debutant Scott Baker, who hails from the same town and even went to the same primary school, when the actions begins in the new year.
For the first time in the competition’s history, the two 31-year-olds from the town will vie for the Lakeside title for the first time and the locals are showing their support.
They attended the now defunct Princes End Primary School together, first meeting at the age of four.
Baker makes his worlds bow after finishing 23rd in the BDO rankings for 2017, which lands him a place past the preliminary phase and into the first round.
He’s won the Welsh Masters and Lincolnshire Open this year and has also reached the final of the Romanian Classic. He’ll be going up against Belgium’s Andy Beatens in a first-to-three sets tie.
The match will open the evening session on Monday January 8. Third seed ‘Yozza’ Hughes, a two-time worlds semi-finalist, enters the fray for the evening’s line-up on Tuesday January 9 in the last game of the day’s schedule.
Down the line, ‘Yozza’ could face a potential final four rematch with reigning world champion Glen Durrant, who beat him at the same stage last time.
