Scott Waites heads to PDC World Championship with father’s words ringing in his ears

Waites, who won the rival British Darts Association (BDO) title in 2013 and 2016, is making a first attempt at the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) world championship, which begins in north London today.

The 43-year-old, who lives in Huddersfield, will face Canadian qualifier Matt Campbell in a first-round tie on Saturday afternoon, with the winner set to play sixth seed Nathan Aspinall four days later.

Waites’ pedigree in the BDO will ensure he is in the spotlight against a relatively unknown opponent.

Campbell, 31, plays mainly in North America, but is preparing for his second PDC worlds after a 3-1 first-round defeat by Mark McGeeney last year, when he averaged 88.33 on each visit to the oche.

Jeff Smith, who was runner-up to Waites in the 2016 BDO tournament, is a better known Canadian player, but the Yorkshireman has already been warned to take nothing for granted.

“My Dad, Clive, is an avid darts fan, he watches anything and everything that’s on tv,” said Waites.

“I was talking to him about it and he said ‘I have seen that Canadian lad, he is a better player than Jeff Smith. He is really good, you will have to be on top of your game’.

“That’s the only thing I actually know about him, but my Dad did turn it around and say ‘you’ll beat him’.”

Aspinall was a semi-finalist in each of the past two years, but Waites would go into that clash in confident mood, having missed five match darts to defeat him in a recent match at the Players’ Championship.

He recalled: “I should have beaten him then, it was my own fault.

“I couldn’t have been any closer to the double, but the darts just didn’t go in.

“There’s no reason why I can’t have a decent run in this, but you have got to understand this is the ultimate prize in darts now.

“Everybody, even those who don’t look like they’ve been playing well, have been on the practice board and they’ll be up for it on the day they play.

“Everybody will be stepping their game up, because there is so much to be had.”

Whatever happens, a first appearance at Alexandra Palace will be good experience for Waites at the end of his first year on the PDC circuit; one which has been disrupted badly by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It is really exciting; after the year we have had, to get to the world championships is a good achievement,” he stated.

“I am looking forward to it.”

That said, some of the edge was taken off the tournament by yesterday’s government announcement shifting London into tier three of coronavirus restrictions.

Organisers had planned to admit 1,000 fans to each of the world championship’s 28 sessions, spread over 16 days, but have now confirmed matches after today will be played behind closed doors until at least Wednesday next week, when the situation will be reviewed.

Today’s games, including an appearance by defending champion Peter Wright, will be the first staged in front of a crowd in this country since the pandemic began in the spring.

The ‘Ally Pally’ is famed for its raucous atmosphere and Waites fears the tournament will not be the same behind closed doors.

He admitted: “It is always better with some atmosphere.

“When it’s deadly silent anything can break your concentration.

“At least with a bit of an audience you can get on with your game.

“I like to play darts where it is vibrant and you can enjoy yourself with your mates.

“That’s what darts is to me. Playing behind closed doors, in dead silence, is not really darts to me.

“It is weird, it is more like a job than going out and enjoying yourself and doing something you love to do, though it is understandable because of the amount of money up for grabs.”

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