BDO World Championships: Bobby George on contenders

Last updated on 5 January 2013.From the section Darts133

The BDO World Championships begin on Saturday, with Christian Kist looking to defend the title he won on a remarkable Lakeside debut last year.

Rookie Kist seals Lakeside triumph

Kist entered the tournament as a rank outsider but defeated Tony O'Shea 7-5 in a thrilling final to win the £100,000 prize.

Among the other 31 players looking to claim this year's crown are three-times champion Martin Adams, number one seeding Stephen Bunting and 2011 World Masters champion Scott Waites.

BBC Sport pundit Bobby George, twice a finalist at the Lakeside, gives his view on some of the leading contenders.

SCOTT WAITES

Age: 35

Seeded: 3

Last year: Second round

Nickname: Scotty 2 Hotty

Bobby's view: "He played really, really well in the Grand Slam. He is the sort of guy who should have won this by now, but never has.

"He is a great darts player, plays really well in tournaments but as soon he gets to the Lakeside, he doesn't perform.

"Scott is the favourite though as far as I am concerned."

Did you know? Away from the dartboard, Scott likes to play five-a-side football, but one of his biggest passions is watching 'Emmerdale'. Every time he is away from home his partner Sally has to record every episode for him.

STEPHEN BUNTING

Age: 27

Seeded: 1

Last year: did not compete

Nickname: The Bullet

Bobby's view: "Bunting has played really well this last year. He has come all the way through the youth, didn't do particularly great but all of a sudden he has hit the right button and he is the number one seed.

"He has done really well - he has won the World Masters and been good in tournaments.

"He is playing well and has really improved his game. He does not have an easy first round though against James Wilson."

Did you know? A darts player since the age of 12, Bunting's first appearance at Lakeside was in 2004 at the age of 18.

TONY O'SHEA

Age: 51

Seeded: 4

Last year: Runner-up

Nickname: Silverback

Bobby's view: "Tony has been runner-up at this tournament before, as well as the Masters, so he is always near enough there.

"His first-round opponent, John Walton, has won the World Championships before but he can be dodgy.

"I think Tony will have enough to beat John, but it will be a really tight game."

Did you know? O'Shea is an avid Stockport County fan and has written in their home programme under the alias "Stocky on the Oche".

CHRISTIAN KIST

Age: 26

Seeded: Unseeded

Last year: Winner

Nickname: The Lipstick

Bobby's view: "He is not seeded because he has not done anything. He is world champion but I think he has been lying in bed for a year! He has won a couple of tournaments but he has not done that much.

"However, he played well in the Grand Slam, he played well against Raymond van Barneveld - there was not much in it. He is capable of winning this again. He is a dark horse, that guy.

"The first game is always the hardest and if he can overcome Robbie Green, he is in the running."

Did you know? Bobby George gave Kist his nickname. The reasons behind it being that he's a great scorer in the treble-20 bed (known as the lipstick), he has a habit of opening his mouth each time he throws, and because his name sounds like 'Kissed'."

ROSS MONTGOMERY

Age: 50

Seeded: 6

Last year: Second round

Nickname: The Boss

Bobby's view: "Ross is playing steady darts, he is a very military player - he is nice to have with you in the army. He plays the same all the time, although he struggles a little on his finishing sometimes. If he hits those doubles though he will do well.

"His first-round opponent, Paul Jennings, is a good player, very tidy, but I fancy Ross to just get through."

Did you know? A handy man by trade, Montgomery cites DIY jobs as a hobby, as well as playing computer games online.

ALAN NORRIS

Age: 40

Seeded: 9

Last year: Quarter-final

Nickname: Chuck

Bobby's view: "Alan is playing really well. This bloke only just missed a nine-darter last year. He was so unlucky.

"He is playing Wayne Warren, who has been around for a very long time. He is a very tidy player but I think Alan will just have enough.

"That will be a really good game, they are both playing good darts and Alan has improved in the last couple of years."

Did you know? Englishman Norris currently lives in Scotland, but previously lived in Sweden, where he was the number one darts player for 2007 and 2008.

THE OUTSIDERS

PAUL JENNINGS

Bobby's view:"Paul's a good player. He is up against Ross Montgomery. He is very tidy and if he can get through that first round, he has a chance.

JAMES WILSON

Bobby's view:"He is very, very dangerous. He is one of the outsiders for me and if he did happen to beat Stephen Bunting in the first round he would go a fair way. He is a very tidy player."

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133 comments

Comment posted by U15072459, at 10:29 5 Jan 2013
As the years go by it feels more and more that the BDO is a poor man's version of the PDC. Its a shame as the Lakeside is the top venue and its nice to see darts that isn't commercial in the way PDC events are. Also who are the characters at the BDO? Only Martin Adams left really. Not even the sweaty Count.
Comment posted by U14908644, at 12:34 5 Jan 2013
Why are the BBC wasting countless hours televising this 3rd rate tournament, masquerading, ludicrously, as the "World Championship"? Each year the talent gets thinner and thinner as anyone who shows any ability defects to the PDC. Show the final and nothing else and be done with it.
Comment posted by bullseye50, at 11:37 5 Jan 2013
Its not the quality of player thats the problem...it's the politics. Most of the players In the PDC have come through the BDO at one stage or another. Outside the Lakeside the prizemoney is crap. Hence why last years champion is not even seeded as he probably made more doing exhibitions than traveling to tournaments where he might win £2,500. Some BDO players do not travel to competitions
Comment posted by U10438102, at 11:22 5 Jan 2013
As someone who was actively involved with county darts (both playing & organising) when the BDO/PDC split happened, I can only say the arrogant 'FA Wannabees' at the BDO only have themselves to blame for ending up with the poorer version. No wonder the majority of todays BDO players are non-professional - there's nowt left after the fat cats have taken their oh so well deserved cut!
Comment posted by U14601265, at 11:07 5 Jan 2013
I assume all those who are slagging off the BDO want to see every football club below the premiership closed down...in fact lets just keep Man U, Man C, Aresnal and Chelsea...the rest are an embarr\assment and not good enough...no...let's just watch the Harlem Globetrotters win at a canter against ateam of patsies. Let a bit of variety into your dull lives and enjoy competition for it's own sake.
Comment posted by U14398633, at 10:40 5 Jan 2013
@5 the BDO are not professional darts players, so they have to make a living elsewhere. Its quite impressive they can play darts better than your pub chuckers whilst having a normal working mans career.

Phil Taylor would be nowhere if he hadn't gone professional.
Comment posted by Andy P, at 11:24 5 Jan 2013
Great that the BBC do invest in Darts. Some good players in the BDO system, but getting fewer year on year. Much prefer watching the PDC but also enjoy this, shame the BBC don't bid for a PDC event.
Calling the BDO event a world championship de-values it, should just be called Lakeside Championship, it clearly isn't a "world Championship" event when most of the top players are in the PDC!
Comment posted by jarvish, at 16:05 5 Jan 2013
@54

We do have the right to complain about it as the BBC are spending our license money on it.
Comment posted by U15545887, at 13:32 5 Jan 2013
@ 29 - yes true every world champion been in BDO.

@ 31 - you're wrong unfortunately. Lewis's career started in 2003 at the BDO. Granted he only played in a few event before transferring to the PDC, but he still played as a BDO competitor prior to PDC
Comment posted by Stuart, at 13:30 5 Jan 2013
@31 actually it is yourself that is wrong, Lewis was in the BDO in 2003.
Comment posted by Mally, at 11:45 5 Jan 2013
Agreed with some of the comments on here, the BBC should stop wasting our licence fee on this sham of a world championship and use it to show a top PDC event. That way people who are not fortunate enough to have Sky Sports get to see top quality darts.
Comment posted by Big Stupots claw hammer, at 10:47 5 Jan 2013
Scott Waites has the talent to win this and I think he will.

Standard not as good as the PDC, however a decent standard and a decent watch.
Comment posted by U14908644, at 21:30 6 Jan 2013
My objection is not to the BDO. It's to all the coverage that the BBC is giving this 3rd rate rubbish and the public money spent. Can we have some club snooker as well as bar billiards please? And competitive dominoes for good measure?
Comment posted by U15281619, at 20:07 6 Jan 2013
@ 112.jarvish

As a licence payer you have every right to comment on what the BBC show but I do find it very strange you make comments on the quality of the darts when you havn't actually watched any of the coverage.

Very strange.
Comment posted by U14821909, at 19:27 6 Jan 2013
Congratulations to Hendriks on his fine victory. Not sure too many saw that coming but it highlights that at this level if you don't play well everybody can beat you.

Hence the argument about The Power being the greatest sportsman in the world bar none.
Comment posted by U14966550, at 07:49 6 Jan 2013
Bobby George seemed to have lost the plot yesterday during the Thompson/Robson match. He said it was a fast player vs a "very slow" player, yet they both played fast darts. He then said 'all' Robson had to do to stay in the match was hit a 140 or a 180, which indicates that he deliberately missed big numbers at the end when he was clearly just out of form and nervous. Strange, strange comments.
Comment posted by New chav on the block, at 01:42 6 Jan 2013
What do you idiots not understand. The PDC is basically owned by sky, the BBC can't buy the rights to PDC tournaments. Are you all really so thick? Do you honestly understand so little about the world in front of you. Have you learnt how to walk?
Comment posted by Jeff, at 20:10 5 Jan 2013
This is a big bag of 'whatever'

Darts is a ok game, but the BBC have the poor man's version, and I have not heard of any of the players

Sorry
Comment posted by kev27m, at 17:35 5 Jan 2013
To compare the BDO to a pub league would be unfair. Unfair to pub leagues.
Comment posted by U15517066, at 17:17 5 Jan 2013
@62

To be fair to Harrington, he has won the World Matchplay twice. Mardle was that "good", he decided to jack it all in so he could analyse instead.

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