BDO World Darts Championship 2020 Draw: Bennett to face Mitchell in O2 opener

The draw for the 2020 BDO World Championship has been made, with Leighton Bennett marking his debut with a crunch clash against Scott Mitchell in Round One.

The 42nd staging of the BDO World Championship will take place from January 4-12 at Indigo at The O2 Arena in London for the first time after the BDO announced it was to leave Lakeside after 33 years.

The men’s tournament will feature 40 players competing for the BDO’s show-piece silverware and 16 women battling it out for the most prestigious prize in the ladies game.

 

Glen Durrant claimed the men’s title in 2019 by defeating Scott Waites 7-3 in the final but will not be on-hand to defend his title after joining the PDC just weeks later.

Japan’s Mikuru Suzuki made history by becoming the first Asian player to win the ladies title when she defeated Lorraine Winstanley in straight sets.

The stand-out tie in the men’s draw sees 2015 Lakeside Champion Mitchell take on 13-year-old reigning BDO Youth Champion Bennett – making his eagerly-anticipated debut in the senior competition.

Scott Waites, the 2013 and 2016 champion, has been drawn to face three-time champion Martin Adams – the oldest player in the field at 63.

World Trophy winner Jim Williams starts out against Scotland’s Gary Stone, while number one seed Wesley Harms awaits the winner of the Preliminary Round tie between World Masters champion John O’Shea and Andreas Harrysson.

Suzuki will begin the defence of her world title with a clash against Plymouth’s Maria O’Brien in a repeat of their Semi-Final clash at Lakeside, while number one seed and four-time World Champion Lisa Ashton plays Paula Jacklin.

Three-time champion Anastasia Dobromyslova meets Sharon Prins, as 15-year-old sensation Beau Greaves makes her debut against ten-time champion Trina Gulliver MBE.

Preliminary Round

Justin Thompson v Scott Williams

Andreas Harrysson v John O’Shea

Paul Hogan v Brian Raman

David Cameron v Nick Fullwell

Gabriel Pascaru v Justin Hood

Darren Herewini v Simon Stainton

Joe Chaney v Ben Hazel

Thibault Tricole v Ross Montgomery

First Round

Wesley Harms (1) v Harrysson/O’Shea

Scott Waites (16) v Martin Adams

Willem Mandigers (8) v Michael Unterbuchner

Scott Mitchell (9) v Leighton Bennett

Wayne Warren (5) v Thompson/Williams

Andy Hamilton (12) v Herewini/Stainton

Dave Parletti (4) v Chris Landman

Gary Robson (13) v Chaney/Hazel

Jim Williams (2) v Gary Stone 

Ryan Hogarth (15) v Tricole/Montgomery

Martijn Kleermaker (7) v Gino Vos

Adam Smith-Neale (10) v Hogan/Raman

Nick Kenny (6) v Dennie Olde Kalte

Mario Vandenbogaerde (11) v Sebastian Steyer

Richard Veenstra (3) v Pascaru/Hood

David Evans (14) v Cameron/Fullwell

First Round

Lisa Ashton (1) v Paula Jacklin

Lorraine Winstanley (8) v Casey Gallagher

Fallon Sherrock (4) v Corrine Hammond

Deta Hedman (5) v Laura Turner

Mikuru Suzuki (2) v Maria O’Brien

Anastasia Dobromyslova (7) v Sharon Prins

Aileen de Graaf (3) v Kirsty Hutchinson

Beau Greaves (6) v Trina Gulliver MBE

Youth World Championship Final

Leighton Bennett v Keane Barry