Japan's Mikuru Suzuki beats Lorraine Winstanley to become first Japanese player to win a major darts title
Saturday 12 January 2019 23:39, UK
Glen Durrant and Scott Waites will face off in Sunday's BDO World Championship final, with both men chasing a third title at the event.
Durrant, who is widely expected to join the massed ranks entering PDC Q-School when it gets underway in Wigan on Thursday, maintained his dream of emulating Eric Bristow with a third-consecutive BDO crown by beating Jim Williams 6-3 in Saturday's second semi-final.
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The Crafty Cockney was the last man to win the tournament in three successive years (1984-86) and Middlesbrough man Duzza won the last three sets from 3-3 to see off the Welshman.
"Eric Bristow is such a hero for all of us and to go three each with him would be something special - but if I think like that, I'll lose tomorrow," Durrant told Eurosport.
Durrant will play Scott Waites in Sunday's final after the former two-time champion cruised past Germany's Michael Unterbuchner 6-1.
Making his second-consecutive semi-final appearance, Unterbuchner never got started against the favourite who took the first five sets before easing to one of his most convincing wins.
Earlier Mikuru Suzuki became the first Japanese player to win a major darts title with a sensational display to win the women's world crown with a 3-0 win over England's Winstanley whose husband Dean reached the Lakeside final in 2011.
Suzuki was in scintillating form as she checked out on 148 on her way to taking the first set, then hit two consecutive 180s to briefly raise hopes of a first nine-dart finish in the women's competition.
That never materialised but Suzuki powered on to the title averaging more than 90 and taking out 60% of her doubles in a superb performance.
