"I've probably played better than him this year" - No fear for Jim Williams ahead of Peter Wright clash at the World Darts Championship

Winning all nine legs, Jim Williams was comfortably the better player in his first round match-up with Norman Madhoo at the 2024 PDC World Darts Championships.

Despite the ease of his victory, Williams didn't hit the level he's been showing consistently this year, averaging just 87.84. "I was thinking about Peter Wright. Chance of playing him, I really wanted to win and as any dart player knows, if you try too hard you make it difficult for yourself," he analyses in his post-match press conference. "I didn't know the guy but he's obviously not a bad player if he's qualified for this. It was difficult not knowing what he was going to do but yeah, I got through."

Balancing his darting career with his job, Williams is sometimes forced to skip Pro Tour events. With this somewhat holding back his career, will we be seeing the Welshman going full-time soon? "I probably don't put the time in that I should, but when I'm here I don't want to lose and I've always got the winning attitude," he explains. The Pro Tour switches permanently to midweek in 2024, causing extra difficulties. "I guess I'll have to deal with it. It's kind of the same as what's been happening, I pick and choose events to go to depending on what's happening."

As he touched upon, two-time world champion Peter Wright lies in wait for Williams in round 2. A tough challenge no doubt, but one that the Welshman is looking forward to.

"When the draw came out, all I was thinking was 'please play Peter Wright, please play Peter Wright,'" Williams admits. "I've probably played better than him this year, but it's Peter Wright. He's genuinely one of the people I look up to. It's a dream draw for me."