There is a little bit of similarity between this 2018 BDO World Championship final and the one in 1999.
The latter was the last time the top two seeds met in the final at the
Lakeside. The top seed, who had won his first
BDO world title the year before, claimed the title again. He went on to win two more world titles, switch to the PDC and win another. The loser, in his first world final, would be the runner-up again the year after.
Glen Durrant and
Mark McGeeney certainly fit the roles that Raymond van Barneveld and Ronnie Baxter did 19 years ago. But what happens next for them is entirely up to them.
Whatever happens, they're about to make Lakeside history.
Glen Durrant vs Mark McGeeney
It could be argued that Glen Durrant's 6-2 semi-final win over Scott Waites was his least impressive Lakeside performance so far. It certainly never lived up to the brilliance of his comeback win over Jim Williams. The match against Waites was fierce and attritional, with almost every leg decided by fine margins. Yet it was Durrant who tilted the balance in his favour, time and time again. Becoming world champion added a whole new level of composure to his game. His scoring is so excellent that the 96.61 managed against Waites was, by his standard, not up to it. Duzza was the clear favourite to retain his title from the moment he arrived in Frimley Green. The only question asked of his chances was whether rumors of switching to the PDC would put him off. For a while, Durrant refused to fan the flames. Then, before his second round match with Darryl Fitton, he laid a wet blanket down on it. Reach the semi-finals, he said, and the PDC dream would be laid to rest. The semi-final has been and gone. Now we know that Durrant will be back at Lakeside in 2019. Middlesbrough's favourite darting son could be about to build himself a dynasty in the BDO - even if he claims he only has five years left. Van Barneveld's tally of titles could yet be surpassed.
Photo: David Gill/DG Media
But that isn't accounting for Mark McGeeney.
There's a reason that the Gladiator is the BDO world number one - and not just because other top players don't bother to turn up to the same number of tournaments. He is consistent in every way. His scoring, finishing, even his facial expressions don't tend to change. Averages have remained in the 86 to 92 bracket throughout. Somewhere around a third of his attempts at a double go in. But it has only just been enough this year. McGeeney scraped past Martin Adams by the finest of margins. Wayne Warren and Michael Unterbuchner will still be ruing missed opportunities. Durrant, if given a chance, will romp clear.
If he is to win, McGeeney needs to draw on his second round performance. Danny Noppert was one of the favourites for the title, and the Gladiator dispatched him. The 92.13 average he managed was his best at Lakeside this year. Though, it should be said, a full three points behind Durrant's worst. His brand of solid darts doesn't stand up to batterings, but means he is always well-placed to pick up on errors. Duzza has been a slow starter this week. McGeeney will feel he can pull off an incredible win if he can build a foundation, and then refuse to let the top seed steamroller him. In a week packed with drama, it would be the perfect treat if the pair serve up a 13-set classic.
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.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.