BDO World Championship Preview - Lakeside Friday afternoon session

Scott Waites v Andy Baetens 12.30
Trina Gulliver v Anastasia Dobromyslova 14.00
Glenn Durrant – Jim Williams 14.45
Richard Veenstra – Michael Unterbuchner 20.00
Mark McGeeney – Wayne Warren 21.45
There are only three days of Lakeside action left. In that time, either Glen Durrant or Scott Waites will win another world title. It's that, or one of their seven rivals will win the title for the first time. There will be no maiden winner in the women's event, unless Deta Hedman finally wins at the Lakeside. Anastasia Dobromyslova, Trina Gulliver and Lisa Ashton have claimed 16 of the last 17 titles. In the afternoon session on day seven, either Dobromyslova or Gulliver will reach yet another final. This session will decide Glen Durrant's future, while Mark McGeeney faces a massive test of his credentials.

Mark McGeeney has enjoyed a fruitful year on the circuit, but has often been questioned. Is he BDO world number one because better players have not played as many events? Can he cut it at the Lakeside? And can he beat the opponents people claim to be superior? His win over Danny Noppert went some way to answering those questions - even if Noppert was thinking more about Q-School than the Lakeside. Reaching the semi-finals and a potential meeting with Scott Waites would give him the perfect chance to silence the critics. But Wayne Warren will provide a massive challenge. In beating Wesley Harms and Willem Mandigers, the Welshman has already ended the hopes of two players who felt they could go on a run. He will not mind ending McGeeney's Lakeside dream here. With plenty of big scores likely, this could go down to who can hit the doubles and claim the five-leg sets. Photo: David Gill/DG Media

A 'double-bagel' win over Anca Zijlstra was not surprising. But doing the same to Lorraine Winstanley certainly was. Winstanley wasn't at her best by a long shot, but this fine form is testament to how good Anastasia Dobromyslova really is. The third seed was distracted by the thought of playing a close friend on stage; Dobromyslova wasn't. The three-time world champion next takes on the only player to win more Lakeside titles. Trina Gulliver ended Sharon Prins' hopes with some efficient darts. She might need something more spectacular to defeat the Russian, whose 85 average would have been greater, had she not finished with a 22-dart leg. The bottom half of the draw, so the winner will be the favourite in the final - on paper, at least. Neither would expect the other, nor Deta Hedman and Lisa Ashton, to be a pushover.

He may have competed in a world final, two World Masters finals, two Finder Masters finals and a Grand Slam quarter-final. But this Lakeside quarter-final could be the most pivotal of Glen Durrant's career. Win, and he stays in the BDO until he retires. Lose, and he will give Q-School a shot. Danny Noppert, Cameron Menzies and Ross Montgomery have already declared an interest in switching to the PDC straight after losing. Darryl Fitton was already known to be up for it. And there will naturally be questions over the future of Scott Mitchell, Jamie Hughes and Geert de Vos. Should Durrant stay, he may find that many of his main challengers have disappeared. But when top stars leave, others take their place. Jim Williams could be one of them. Had Conan Whitehead hit either of his match darts, Williams would not even have the chance to decide Glen Durrant's fate. But now, the Welshman will capture the attention of all the darting world. He will only be focused on sealing a win that would pave his way to a semi-final against Waites or Andy Baetens.
The TV schedule for Lakeside can be found here. Click here for more information about the Lakeside 2018 prize fund. View the tournament bracket here.