"I believe that I will win... the bookies made a mistake" - Carl Wilkinson bullish after opening round win at Lakeside

Carl Wilkinson has made an excellent start to the 2024 WDF World Championship at Lakeside. The 40-year-old Englishman defeated Jacob Taylor 2-0 in his opening match and is now set to take on eighth-seeded Slovenian Benjamin Pratnemer in the next round.

Wilkinson, making his World Championship debut this year, was especially relieved after his match. "I've been lucky enough to play at the top level in the PDC and also as an England international, but that is the best feeling I've ever had in my life," Wilkinson reflected afterwards the WDF YouTube channel.

"It was probably one of the most mediocre games I've played in my life as well, but it's irrelevant isn't it. People talk too much about averages. Don't tell me that that wasn't worth watching," continues the fired up Englishman. "I probably got one of the toughest draws that I could have got. It was a terrible draw for me but you've got to get on with it. I've got that game under my belt now and that's it, here we go!"

Wilkinson, as mentioned earlier, did previously have a PDC Tour Card. "About six years ago Scott Waites and a friend of mine sponsored me to go on the BDO Tour, at least that was the plan," he recalls. "But in January, Scott said he's going to go to Q school and he said 'I'll take you to Q School'. Scott didn't get his Tour Card and I got mine. I feel as though I got my Tour Card in the PDC too early. I wasn't ready for it and I had two years of batterings most of the time, if I'm being honest."

After losing his Tour Card in early 2021, Wilkinson is active with the WDF, culminating in this first crack at Lakeside. "I can win this and I genuinely believe that if I play my a-game, I believe that I will win... the bookies made a mistake.''