Friday at the Lakeside means it's men's quarters and women's semis. The men's last 8 could be a pivotal moment in the career of one BDO World Champion.
That person is Glen Durrant, who has set out an ultimatum: if he fails to beat Jim Williams this afternoon, he will go to Q-School. Make it through to Saturday and he will never play in the PDC. It's hard to see how Duzza will lose; he has averaged over 95 in both games so far, obliterating Darryl Fitton on Wednesday, while the Quiff barely got over the 90 mark against Conan Whitehead. The other quarter-final in the afternoon sees 2 time champ Scott Waites against Belgian debutant Andy Baetens; both men were impressive against Dean Reynolds and Scott Mitchell respectively, and this could be close if they play like that again.
The bottom half is an absolute mess. The highest average down there has been 95, from Wales' Wayne Warren who takes on BDO #1 Mark McGeeney. Warren scored well again against Willem Mandigers, while the Gladiator had Danny Noppert's Q-School surrender to thank for his first Worlds quarter-final. The other evening quarter-final sees Richard Veenstra against surprise package Michael Unterbuchner; Flyers was gifted a last 8 spot thanks to Geert de Vos not bothering, and the German outplayed Martin Phillips with scoring power that's sure to trouble Veenstra.
The ladies semis have finals from years gone by as Lisa Ashton takes on Deta Hedman (2014) and Anastasia Dobromyslova plays Trina Gulliver (2008).
Coverage starts at 12:05pm on Channel 4 before switching to BT Sport 1 at 6:45pm.
All matches are best of 9 sets except women's (best of 3 sets... still). Women's matches are in greentext.
>Today's matches (12:05pm - 5:00pm) Scott Waites v Andy Baetens (13) >Trina Gulliver (7) v Anastasia Dobromyslova (6) Glen Durrant (1) v Jim Williams (9)
>Tonight's matches (6:45pm - 11:45pm) >Deta Hedman (1) v Lisa Ashton (4) Richard Veenstra (11) v Michael Unterbuchner Mark McGeeney (2) v Wayne Warren
If Glen Durrant decides not to switch, this will prove just one thing: he does not have the mentality to be a professional darts player.
By surrendering to the utterly pathetic BDO "contract" to return to Lakeside next year (which any lawyer could rip to shreds in about a minute) and severing any chance at making it big, it will go to show how little ambition and bottle he truly has to compete with the big names. Yes, Duzza has admitted he would be swallowed up by the PDC before, but he's playing probably his best darts at the moment; does he really want to forego the opportunity to EVER go pro? Does he want his only big TV appearances to be at the Grand Slam (or UK Open if he tries to qualify for that)? It will be a huge shame if he decides to stay, but it's his choice at the end of the day. It'll make his Grand Slam interviews about wanting to switch look moronic though.
This sort of decision by a player is why the BDO is what it is today: a past-it shambles of an organisation that some players consider to be extinct. If you are so insecure about letting your star names go that you're tying them down to illegal contracts restricting them from plying their trade elsewhere, you really need to look at yourself in the mirror and accept that you're not the daddy of darts any more.
I know I've said this repeatedly over the week but someone outside of darts needs to take over the BDO and try and work with the PDC to get two organisations that can work with each other and recognise their places in darts: the BDO is the grassroots amateur game, and the PDC is the professional entertainment game. There should be no issues going from one to the other; if you're good enough in the BDO, you go to the PDC, and vice versa for those pros who have lost their Tour Cards, like what Andy Hamilton's going to do this year.
Jack Young
I hope the BDO finally crumbles. Because that would spell disaster fornthe PDC, with absolutely no new talent able to come through.
Henry Smith
It's a really strange situation where there is actually an incentive for people to either not play or to intentionally lose so that they can potentially advance their careers by going to Q School. It damages the integrity of their own tournament.
Austin Nguyen
Watching the BDO tournament and seeing how funny and terrible it is at times is as enjoyable as waching a PDC tournament with great darts.
Owen Young
What if Duzza just wants to be the big fish in the small pond?
Daniel Jackson
>The new Wolfie
Juan Campbell
The standard at Lakeside, certainly past the first round is honestly not that bad when you consider that most of these players have a job beside their darting careers. Whereas most of the top 32 players in the PDC are fulltime professionals these days, so it's no wonder the standard is considerably higher there.
Leo Hernandez
>£15
Ethan Mitchell
>9 Times PDC Major Finalist
Jaxson Cox
And we're on now.
Ethan Parker
Fallon must be raging at the picture they've been using for her
Anthony Powell
>Anastasia
Samuel Mitchell
>that British teeth banter from Nicho
Jayden White
>Geert de Vos montage >mfw I had money on him to win it
Joshua Martin
>that DUDE WEED suit
Brody Morales
...
James Gomez
>Scotty
Jackson Jenkins
...
Blake Thomas
The Belgian Chizzy?
Angel Gray
>Scotty 2 Hotty wins a leg
Grayson Price
>this leg
William Sanders
Ah yes, BDO finishing.
Colton Cruz
>BDO
Carson Howard
BDO board will be loving the foreigner's fuckups in that set
dont follow darts much. can someone tell me what the point of the BDO is at this stage? how does it sustain itself when the consensus seems to be that its utterly irrelevant and second class compared to the PDC?
Connor Williams
>I had less problems with Jamie Caven the other day
Unfortunately you're probably right.
Eli White
He's a cheeky cunt that MVG!
Aaron Williams
>that third attempt at D16
Jordan Moore
...
Jackson Murphy
>lelgium
Nathan Rogers
>Wafflemong
Ian Wright
>Channel 4 have had most of the best games and BT Sport the shite
Joseph Flores
[contract renewal intensifies]
Grayson Hall
We got a Lakeside classic on our hands now
Jose Gomez
>throwing away a 4-1 lead Baetens surely beaten now.
Lincoln Cruz
>the independent microstate of Belgium
Noah Bennett
THE DRAMA
Adam Johnson
>Baetens
Brayden Davis
Baetens bottling like fuck now.
Jayden Hall
kek
Parker Johnson
>literally me for the past 3 sets
Elijah Clark
Make some room Shitlock
Levi Morgan
>not putting duzza and waites on friday evening the bdo ladies and gentlemen
Noah Walker
AHAHAHAHAHAHA
[flops]
Kevin Johnson
>Lelgium
Dylan Thomas
At least that's over, now we can concentrate on the proper tournament
Adam Cook
Poor Baetens
Isaac Wilson
How do I get a darts slag gf?
Hunter Reed
>Baetens holding back the tears
Nathaniel Roberts
>Wafflejobbers
Juan Collins
Noice, saved.
Zachary Flores
Agadoo playing in the background
>The impoverished, disenfranchised 80's hovel that is the BDO
Kayden Wilson
>never noticed that Scotty has his tongue pierced
Easton White
Tears STREAMING down his face
Easton Morales
...
Bentley Myers
Get yourself into Q school lad.
Even if it doesn't work out it's better than returning to this shit hole.
Charles Hill
>You Sexy Thing
Leo Price
mfw
Colton Lopez
WAKE ME UP
Ryder Thompson
...
Levi Russell
WAKE ME UP
Hudson Long
>using the official JUST theme tune as your entrance music
She has lost before it has even started.
Lincoln Lee
>Joseph isn't a Russian name? Tell Stalin
bantz
Luis Sullivan
>Not a Russian name? Tell Stalin. >Stalin born in Georgia What did he mean by this?
Juan Sanders
This.
Unterbuchner surely has to go there too.
Noah Jackson
>D14
Kevin Foster
Beating a lesbian with the Mens
William Clark
:3
Wyatt Morales
Based Annie
Just need Deta to beat Ashton now
Parker Carter
...
Brayden Sanders
Someone post that pic of the 08 women's final with Trina SEETHING
Brandon Lopez
>Just need Deta to beat Ashton now Deta can't play, she's been called in to cover the late shift.
Dylan Myers
DERDERDER
GWAN DUZZA
Tyler Rogers
>Stealing Snackpot's Theme
Cheeky bastard.
Oliver Ward
>yfw Duzza throws the game
Angel Miller
DAT BULL 132
Aaron Wilson
Glen 4 sets away from Bazza.
Grayson Rogers
Best stream?
Brody Watson
>Amerilards
Brody Russell
This is hilarious
Eli Allen
Making us look bad, desu
David Brown
>they even started chanting USA USA USA at the end Adorable 2bh
Cooper Moore
Duzza doing his best to slyly job
Oliver Wood
Duzza's gone here, I can feel it.
Ethan Bailey
>tfw you get to go to the PDC
Julian Brooks
Why are women worse at darts than man if they aren't inherently inferior?
Brody Morris
He isn't good enough and I don't think he has the determination to put the extra graft in to make it.
