BDO World Darts Championship 2019 preview: Men's Final

Glen Durrant and Scott Waites have won at the Lakeside twice before. One of them is about to become the fifth man to claim three titles; only Eric Bristow, John Lowe, Raymond van Barneveld and Martin Adams have come before. It means there's not just a trophy and a £100,000 top prize at stake. Bona fide legend status could be earned on that famous oche.

As the number two seed, Durrant is the favourite to win on Sunday evening. In doing so, he could carve out a particularly large slice of history for himself. Only three people - Eric Bristow, Phil Taylor and Trina Gulliver - have won three World Championships consecutively. The Middlesbrough thrower could join that pantheon of greats. And with PDC Q-School on the horizon, this could be his Frimley Green farewell. The 2017 and 2018 champion kicked off his title defence with a win over Mark McGrath. After a 3-0 success over the New Zealander, and at 3-0 up versus Scott Baker, Duzza was looking like good value for a casual romp to glory. But Baker had other ideas. A rousing comeback had Durrant on the ropes, and an all-time great fightback was in the offing. But champions can always find the route to victory. Durrant did just that. Having averaged just short of 94 and 96 in the first and second rounds respectively, Durrant wanted to reach three figures. He wasn't able to do that in his next two games, either. But 98.02 was enough for a 5-2 win over Kyle McKinstry, and 96.05 was the average that took Duzza to the final. . He was made of tougher stuff. Now it's final number three for Durrant. Could it be title number three?

The thing about Scott Waites is that when he wins, he does so in style. In 2013, he dropped a mere five sets. Only nine were conceded three years later - seven of them against Geert de Vos and Durrant.
It has been a cruise for the ninth seed again this year. Jeffrey van Egdom was swiftly dumped out, as was Richard Veenstra, for the concession of just a set apiece. Conan Whitehead managed three sets. But Waites outmuscled the Barbarian, winning 5-3. A woeful showing from Michael Unterbuchner then allowed Scotty 2 Hotty to stroll to a 6-1 success.
What we've seen from the Yorkshireman is an ability to raise his level depending on the challenge he faces. It's no coincidence that his best performance came when pushed against Whitehead, and the averages against van Egdom and Unterbuchner were negligible. Experience is no issue for Waites; this is final number three, and Lakeside visit number 12.
The pair have promised fireworks. With the quality they have, and with what's at stake, that is almost a certainty. It may not reach the dramatic heights of Durrant's remarkable win over Mark McGeeney 12 months ago. But it could be. At the end of a long and fruitful World Championship season, it's exactly what we need to wrap it up in style.
Click here for more information about the 2019 BDO Lakeside World Championship.

17:00 - Glen Durrant vs Scott Waites