"I'm coming out the right end now": Mark Webster retains PDC World Championship hopes

Mark Webster has had a packed career - and it's still nowhere near its end.

The Welshman first burst onto the scene by reaching the semi-finals of the BDO World Masters in 2006. Two years later, he was Lakeside world champion. It would take just two more years to make his mark at the PDC World Championship. Webster finished third then, but the following years have been ravaged by dartitis and inconsistent form. 2018 hasn't been the best year so far for the Spider, whose World Championship hopes are on the line. But in an interview with Sky Sports, Webster expressed confidence in an Ally Pally return. "It was a real slow start, a poor start to be fair so I've been playing a lot of catch-up," he admitted about his early season form. I'm playing a bit better now, I've picked up some results and my aim now is just to make the World Championship because I've obviously started so slowly."

The race to Ally Pally

A semi-final at Players Championship 15 marks an upturn in Webster's form. It puts him within the provisional Ally Pally spots, a position he wants to remain in.
"I think in terms of the World Championship spots I was £6,500 behind about six weeks ago and I've made all that up already; obviously there's a lot more to do but I was just starting to have a good spell," he said.
"I qualified for my first European Tour but I've got to wait until September to play in it. I would have taken that beforehand, but there's a little break now so I've got to keep on top of the practice and make sure I'm ready when I go back."

Talking the talk

The Welshman did a stint as a commentator at the World Matchplay in July. Despite enjoying his time on Sky, Webster isn't keen for a repeat any time soon - taking part is higher on his list of priorities. "We all want to play but I got into darts as a fan - I used to like watching it. I'd have watched it at home anyway, so why not be there and get to work with the guys, watch it closely and analyse it a bit more? "I think it just blends into itself, commentary - you talk about what's there, what's previous and I'm always keen to learn off these people. Having said that, I enjoyed playing there and I've missed qualifying for it two years on the trot, so I need to get back involved next year."

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