Michael van Gerwen wrapped up his third PDC World Championship at Alexandra Palace on New Year’s Day and now it’s the turn of the BDO to showcase their premier event at Frimley Green. However, you’ll be disappointed if you are expecting the same level of intensity and quality at Lakeside.
The BDO World Championship, first contested more than 40 years ago, has become a sideshow to the big-money, big-scoring event at Ally Pally. It doesn’t attract anywhere near the same amount of media interest but the winner can still call himself a world champion and that winner in the last two years has been GLEN DURRANT, who is a hot favourite to complete the hat-trick.
BDO World Championship Final Results
Year – Champion Prize Money
1978 – Leighton Rees beat John Lowe 11 – 7 = £10,500
1979 – John Lowe beat Leighton Rees 5 – 0 =£13750
1980 – Eric Bristow beat Bobby George 5 – 3 =£15,000
1981 – Eric Bristow beat John Lowe 5 – 1 =£23,000
1982 – Jocky Wilson beat John Lowe 5 – 3 =£28,000
1983 – Keith Deller beat Eric Bristow 6 – 5 =£33,050
1984 – Eric Bristow beat Dave Whitcombe 7 – 1 =£36,500
1985 – Eric Bristow beat John Lowe 6 – 2 =£42,000
1986 – Eric Bristow beat Dave Whitcombe 6 – 0 =£50,800
1987 – John Lowe beat Eric Bristow 6 – 4 =£63,000
1988 – Bob Anderson beat John Lowe 6 – 4 =£70,600
1989 – Jocky Wilson beat Eric Bristow 6 – 4 =£85,800
1990 – Phil Taylor beat Eric Bristow 6 – 1 =£101,000
1991 – Dennis Priestley beat Eric Bristow 6 – 0 =£109,200
1992 – Phil Taylor beat Mike Gregory 6 – 5 =£117,900
1993 – John Lowe beat Alan Warriner 6 – 3 =£119,800
1994 – John Part beat Bobby George 6 – 0 =£131,400
1995 – Richie Burnett beat Raymond Van Barneveld 6 – 3 =£139,800
1996 – Steve Beaton beat Richie Burnett 6 – 3 =£146,800
1997 – Les Wallace beat Marshall James 6 – 3 =£154,000
1998 – Raymond Van Barneveld beat Richie Burnett 6 – 5 =£162,000
1999 – Raymond Van Barneveld beat Ronnie Baxter 6 – 5 =£169,200
2000 – Ted Hankey beat Ronnie Baxter 6 – 0 = £277,000
2001 – John Walton beat Ted Hankey 6 – 2 = £283,000
2002 – Tony David beat Mervyn King 6 – 4 = £291,000
2003 – Raymond Van Barneveld beat Richie Davies 6 – 3 = £201,000
2004 – Andy Fordham beat Mervyn King 6 – 3 = £201,000
2005 – Raymond Van Barnveld beat Martin Adams 6 – 2 = £201,000
2006 – Jelle Klaasen beat Raymond Van Barneveld 7 – 5 =£211,000
2007 – Martin Adams beat Phil Nixon 7 – 6 =£226,000
2008 – Mark Webster beat Simon Whitlock 7 – 5 =£246,000
2009 – Ted Hankey beat Tony O’Shea 7 – 6 =£256,000
2010 – Martin Adams beat Dave Chisnall 7 – 5 =£261,000
2011 – Martin Adams beat Dean Winstanley 7 – 5 =£261,000
2012 – Christian Kist beat Tony O’Shea 7 – 5 =£258,000
2013 – Scott Waites beat Tony O’Shea 7 – 1 =£261,000
2014 – Stephen Bunting beat Alan Norris 7 – 4 =£300,000
2015 – Scott Mitchell beat Martin Adams 7 – 6 =£300,000
2016 – Scott Waites beat Jeff Smith 7 – 1 =£300,000
2017 – Glen Durrant beat Danny Noppert 7 – 3 =£300,000
2018 – Glen Durrant beat Mark McGeeney 7 – 6 =£300,000
Bookmakers, however, have become wise to the fact that ‘Duzza’ is a cut above the rest in the BDO when he puts his mind to it. The 48-year-old from Middlesbrough may well be playing in his last World Championship under BDO jurisdiction as he intends to try and earn a qualifying card to compete on the PDC circuit this year, whatever his fate at Lakeside. As well as two World Championships, Durrant has also won two World Masters and is just a general 11/10 to end his BDO career with a victory which would probably further devalue the tournament he has done so much to promote over the last three years.
Surprisingly, Durrant isn’t top seed at Lakeside. That honour goes to Mark McGeeney, last year’s losing finalist. The ‘Gladiator’, an engineer by trade, has won titles in places as far afield as the Netherlands and Turkey but his final appearance last year was his best in four attempts in the World Chmapionship. He is 12/1 with Boylesports but there is more value elsewhere if you are determined to take on the favourite.
Two-times winner Scott Waites is 25/1 with Boylesports but doesn’t arrive in the best of form. He failed to make it through the group stages of the recent Finder Darts Masters having lost in the last 16 of the World Masters previously. He’d fared even worse in the World Trophy in June but did beat Welsh veteran Martin Phillips in the final of the Slovak Open just under a year ago.
Scott ‘Scotty Dog’ Mitchell lost narrowly to McGeeney in the quarter-finals of the Finder Darts Masters and was BDO world champion in 2015. But he also lost to McGeeney in the final of the Turkish Masters in October and the Dorset landscaper can be either brilliant or a write-off when he gets to the oche.
Germany’s Michael Unterbuchner is touted to be the biggest challenger to Durrant’s dominance but he’s not pulled up any trees himself either lately, though has reached two finals since winning the Swiss Masters in June and his defeat of James Wade in the Grand Slam of Darts in November will have boosted confidence. ‘T-Rex’ probably has decent claims if Durrant’s mind is elsewhere and he can be backed at 10/1 with most bookmakers.
BDO World Championship Men’s Current Best Odds
Glen Durrant 11/10
Michael Unterbuchner 10/1
Mark McGeeney 12/1
Scott Mitchell 16/1
Dave Parletti, Kyle McKinstry, Andy Hamilton and Scott Waites 25/1
Jim Williams and Wesley Harms 28/1
Richard Veenstra 33/1
Adam Smith-Neale and Paul Hogan 50/1
Gary Robson, Wes Newton, Dean Reynolds, Derk Telnekes and Wayne Warren 66/1
Scott Baker, Chris Landman, Martin Phillips, Nigel Heydon and Ross Montgomery 80/1
100/1 and Upwards Others
(Odds Correct at 12.45pm January 2)
