Lakeside 2012 Facts

MARTIN ADAMS is the reigning Men’s Champion and has now won the title three times: 2007, 2010 and 2011. He will set a new record as he makes his 19th consecutive Lakeside appearance. In addition to his World titles, his Lakeside record is: Runner-up 2005; Semi-Finalist 1995, 2002, 2006, 2008 and 2009; Quarter-Finalist 1994, 1996 and 1999.

TRINA GULLIVER will be going for the ‘perfect 10’ in 2012. She won her 9th Women’s World Championship title in 2011 and has played in every Women’s Final since the inaugural Women’s World Championship in 2001.

For the very first time there will be a Seeded Couple competing at in the Lakeside World Professional Darts Championships: DEAN WINSTANLEY, the No.3 Men’s Seed and 2011 runner-up, and LORRAINE FARLAM, the Women’s No.4 Seed. On and off the oche, Dean and Lorraine are the happiest (and most successful) couple in current world darts.

HUW WARE from Glamorgan will become the youngest ever referee at Lakeside when he makes his debut at the age of 18.

The youngest player at Lakeside 2012 is Benito van de Pas, who is just 18. He is the latest Dutch talent to be making his Lakeside debut.

The oldest player is reigning and three times World Champion MARTIN ADAMS, who is 55.

Once again, there are two brothers playing at Lakeside: STEVE WEST and TONY WEST.

BBC TV Sport will be celebrating its 35th consecutive year as host broadcaster in 2012.

Tony Green has commentated on every World Championship except 2011 when he was recovering from cancer. He has now been given the all clear and returns to the commentary box for the 2012 World Pro.

Lakeside will celebrate its 27th Year as host venue in 2012 and is recognised globally as ‘The Home of World Darts’.

Bob Potter, OBE, and his Lakeside Complex became main title sponsor in 2004 and, since Andy Fordham became the inaugural Lakeside World Champion, the cheque for the Men’s Singles Champion has increased from £50,000 in 2004 to £100,000 for the 2012 Lakeside World Professional Men’s Champion. Bob Potter's book 'One Man's Dream' will be available to order at Lakeside 2012.

Since the late LEIGHTON REES of Wales became the very first World Professional Champion in 1978, there has been a total of twenty different Men’s World Professional Champions and, since 2001, three different Women’s World Professional Champions.

Professions: DEAN WINSTANLEY restores cars; SCOTT WAITES & WILLY VAN DE WIEL are carpenters (as is Trina Gulliver – retired!). SCOTT MITCHELL has his own garden landscape business. ANDY BOULTON lives up to his X-Factor nickname as a singer; Paul Jennings is a scaffolder, Martin Phillips is a refuse collector, Martin Atkins is a master technician in the motor trade and Ross Montgomery is a retired American football player; Qualifier Gary Stone is a fencer (of the garden variety)!

Most unusual ambition: Scott Waites has a real passion for Yorkshire TV’s ‘Emmerdale’ and wants to play darts in the Woolpack!

Scott played in the 2011 Swedish Open to earn enough points to be seeded in the Winmau World Masters……he did that by winning the title and then went on to win the BDO British Open and WDF World Cup Singles title (England Men won the overall title). To complete his year of major titles he won the 2011 Zuiderduin Masters in December.

The Winmau Blade4 will be centre stage and has a wiring system that is 50% thinner to provide maximum scoring potential.

The only 9-dart 501 in the World Pro was achieved by Paul Lim in 1990.

Can it be done again? John Boy Walton recorded the only 9-darter in the history of the Winmau World Masters in 2007, and hit the only 9-darter ever recorded in an International tournament in the 2010 Six Nations Cup in Ireland. Tony O’Shea celebrated his 46th birthday at the 2007 International Darts League in Holland by hitting a 9-Darter and winning a car! Darryl Fitton hit the magic 9-darter when he won the 2009 Zuiderduin Masters.

The 2012 Quarter-Finals will conclude on Friday The 13th and perhaps the most superstitious player is Scotland’s Ross Montgomery who cannot play without two special photo’s in his shirt pocket. One is of his children and the other is of Eddie Buchanan, his first manager who died of cancer. He also has two badges on his shirt collar: Scotland on the right collar and a cancer fund raiser badge on the left-hand side. He never plays without them – especially at Lakeside.

The 2012 Women’s World Championship final will be played on Friday The 13th of January!

DETA HEDMAN is the No.1 Women’s Seed for the first time since returning to the BDO in January 2009. She wants to win Lakeside before she contemplates retiring from the sport. She returned to the England team in 2011 and won the Pairs title with Trina Gulliver. She was undisputed Women’s World No.1 from 1994 to 1997 and has now proudly reclaimed that status with an incredible seven titles in 2011 alone. This includes the Dutch Open and the last major of the year, the Zuiderduin Masters.

ANASTASIA DOBROMYSLOVA returns to the Lakeside stage for the first time since she won the title in 2008.

FRANCIS HOENSELAAR, is coming out of ‘retirement’ in January, but for the second successive year there will be no Dutch players in the Women’s World Championship. She was crowned 2009 World Champion after previously losing in five finals with Trina Gulliver (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007). Her goal is to be back on the Lakeside stage in 2013.