The 2015 British Darts Organisation (BDO) World Championships starts at the Lakeside Country Club in Surrey, England, on Saturday, the 3rd January and many players could win, according to the 2013 BDO Champion Scott Waites, 37.
"Scotty 2 Hotty" Scott Waites thrashed Tony "The Silverback" O' Shea 7-1 in the 2013 final to become the BDO World Champion for the first time. He now hopes he would get the title again in 2015.
In the 2014 BDO World Championship Waites lost 3-0 in the first round to eventual runner-up Alan Norris. This was the first time that he lost in the first round of the world championship, which he put down to a lack of preparation due to injuries.
Alan Norris was then defeated by Stephen "The Bullet" Bunting 7-4 in the final, who became the world champion of the 2014 BDO.
However "The Bullet" is absent from the 2015 BDO Championship, as he is currently competing at the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) World Championships at Alexandra Palace this week, which will finish on the 4th January. Bunting is playing Michael Smith tonight for qualifying for the quarter final, to be played on the New Year's Day.
Since 1993 the PDO and the BDO have staged their own versions of the World Championships, and, since the split, there has been a debate among darts followers as to which tournament is the most prestigious.
"Scotty 2 Hotty's" hopes for the second BDO crown are now high.
The man from West Yorkshire is only a semi-professional darts player - he is a full-time carpenter and is happy to play in the BDO; he has no ambition to switch to the PDC or give up his job as a carpenter.
His low - profile season in 2013-2014 continued in 2014-2015, and many are wondering if he would be even better darts player if he played the game full time.
Working as a carpenter not only puts strain on his schedule, but also brings practical hazards for a darts player; his early exit at the 2014 BDO World Championship was due to a sever lower back pain that he experienced prior to and during the tournament.
Waites will be seeded at number six and will play fellow Englishman Sam Hewson in the first round on Saturday.
