BDO World Championship Preview - Day Four, evening session

The first round of the 2018 BDO World Championship is now near its conclusion, with just five games to go.

Lorraine Winstanley and Tricia Wright will have to wait until tomorrow, though. There are four matches this evening, featuring three Englishmen, a Russian, a German, a Welshman, a Dutch woman and a Scot. I think I've heard this one before...

Martin Phillips vs Daniel Day

After Rob Cross showed how well a debutant can do, Daniel Day thought he'd give it a go. The Englishman thrashed the talented Craig Caldwell 3-0 in the preliminary round on his first Lakeside outing. His 86.24 average would have been higher, had some more doubles gone in. Not that they weren't flying in for Day, who notched up checkouts of 136 and 132. But Martin Phillips will be more of a challenge than the misfiring New Zealander. Phillips is at the complete opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to experience. The ninth seed first appeared at the World Championship in 1991, and this is his 16th visit to the Lakeside. Bar consecutive semi-finals in 2010 and 2011, and a 1992 quarter-final (some bloke called Phil Taylor knocked him out), Phillips has not had much success in this tournament. With the winner of Jamie Hughes and Michael Unterbuchner awaiting in the second round, another run doesn't appear to be on the cards. But the 57-year-old, nor his young opponent, can be written off.

Anastasia Dobromyslova vs Anca Zijlstra (Women's)

Not that long ago, Anastasia Dobromyslova was considered both the present and future of women's darts. She became world champion in 2008. After a hiatus, she returned in 2012, and won it again. Just to prove it wasn't a fluke, Dobromyslova won it again in 2013. But the last four attempts at glory have brought three semi-final defeats. The only time the Russian ace has not got to the semi-finals was in 2016, when she lost to Anca Zijlstra in the first round. The chance for revenge has arrived two years on, with Zijlstra her opponent. In her two appearances at the Lakeside, the Phoenix safely navigated her first round tie. The pair each won one ranking title in 2017, so this game could not be more even. Dobromyslova will not be able to trade on her reputation alone if she wants to meet Winstanley or Wright in round two.

Cameron Menzies vs Conan Whitehead

Cameron Menzies has made himself very popular with darts fans this year. The effervescent Scot entertained and delighted the crowds at the 2017 Grand Slam, missing out on a knockout spot in heartbreaking circumstances. That said, it was a useful learning curve, and a lesson in stage management. Menzies goes into the World Championship on debut as the eighth seed. He is nothing if not patriotic - the two ranking titles he won in 2017 were the Scottish Open and the Scottish Classic. A clash with an Englishman will be right up his alley, then. Nothing I can say about Conan Whitehead is more entertaining than his Wikipedia entry:
"Whitehead is a bricklayer by trade. When asked post-match in an interview how we juggles his bricklaying with his darts, he asserted to the interviewer that "bricklaying is a lot like darts". There was a brief pause as the interviewer and those watching at home assumed Conan would elaborate on his comparison. The explanation did not come about and Conan winked at the camera as it panned out and back to studio where a puzzled panel mutually denounced Conan for having offered up such a contrived comparison with zero evidence to back it up."
Wondrous.

Jamie Hughes vs Michael Unterbuchner

In 2016, Jamie Hughes reached the semi-finals of the World Championship. He lost to Scott Waites, who went on to win the title. In 2017, Jamie Hughes reached the semi-finals of the World Championship. He lost to Glen Durrant, who went on to win the title. Either someone in his half of the draw is about to have a great week, or Hughes will buck the trend. The third seed consistently makes runs in high-profile tournament, without having enough to cross the line. His only major win, in the Finder Masters, was in 2014. The Brummie ace will hope this is his time. First up for him is Michael Unterbuchner, the WDF World Cup singles quarter-finalist. The German put in a solid performance to beat David Cameron in the preliminary round, but will need to step up to beat Yozzer.
Click here for more information about the schedule for the first round. The TV schedule for Lakeside can be found here. Click here for more information about the Lakeside 2018 prize fund.