Deller's dark horses

Former world darts champion Keith Deller picks out the ones to watch at the 2011 tournament.

1983 world champion gives verdict on first-round draw

If there's anyone who knows about shock results at the World Darts Championship, it's Keith Deller. This was the man who was responsible for one of the sport's greatest upsets when he entered the 1983 tournament as a qualifier and went on to lift the trophy, famously beating Eric Bristow in the final. It was a surprise that has rarely been matched and Deller says he is hoping to see some unknown players make a name for themselves at this year's championship, which kicks off at Alexandra Palace on December 16. skysports.com caught up with him shortly after he'd performed the first-round draw for the 2011 event and he confessed he does not expect a shock winner this time around. The 15-time champion and number one seed Phil Taylor remains the man to beat and Deller says there is only a small band of players that could realistically topple The Power. He said: "Phil will have the odd game where he only averages 98, but the trouble is that Phil's bad game is better than a good game for a lot of the players. "In all honesty, I can only see Gary Anderson, Adrian Lewis, Mervyn King and James Wade troubling him - and also Raymond van Barneveld, if he can get off to a good start and get his head right. "I don't think anyone beyond them can win it, but people were saying that the year I won it. I wasn't expected to win it and I did it, so at the end of the day it can happen." "Kirk Shepherd nearly proved it in the 2008 World Championship when he got to the final, so it will be interesting to see who can handle the pressure. "It's always nice to see a few shocks - as long as it's not Adrian Lewis!"

Experience

As Lewis' manager, Deller is expecting good things from the number five seed. The Jackpot has risen to fifth in the world rankings following a strong season, which peaked with an epic semi-final win over Taylor at October's World Grand Prix in Dublin. Lewis went on to lose the final to James Wade the following day - and Deller believes that experience will help him at Alexandra Palace. He said: "To get into the final of the World Grand Prix, live on Sky Sports, was important because it showed he can do well in a major. He beat Taylor in the semi-final and he's the only one to have beaten him over a long distance this year. "If he'd had an extra day off he might have been ready for James Wade in the final. But now he knows what it's like and I think it's done him a lot of good. If he was to beat Phil at the World Championship, maybe he'd be prepared to go on and win the final. "He's the number five seed and that shows he's one of the players to beat."

Nerves

The players now know who they will face in the first week of the tournament after Deller and Rod Harrington made the first-round draw, live on Sky Sports News HD. And while the top 32 players have been kept apart by the seeding system, he believes the opening round is always nerve-racking both for qualifiers and established stars alike. "All the seeds are going to be very nervous in the first round," he explained. "You want to get into the tournament and you want to get down to the last 16 because that's when it all kicks in. It's only played over five sets, but the top players normally handle that. "Some of the lesser-known players have played on the big stage a few times now, so they're not going to be so worried and they know how to prepare. So what you want in the first round is someone who's not played in a big TV game before - and then you can jump on their nerves. "First-round nerves are the worst. You want to get through that first one, get to Christmas and know you're coming back. They all want to have their Christmas dinner thinking about still being in the Worlds. "For the ones who haven't, the dinner won't taste so nice!"

Keith Deller's Picks of the First Round:

Wes Newton v Darin Young

Darin Young from America is a very good player and played well in the World Championship last year. He's very confident, he's a good finisher and Wes is going to have to be on his top game to come through that. I think this is going to be one of the best games of the first round.

Mark Dudbridge v Alex Roy

Alex Roy will be buzzing to be playing Mark Dudbridge. Alex came through qualifying and that means he's playing really well. You want to miss Taylor, Wade, Lewis and top boys like that, but you'll feel confident against anybody else. Mark has been in the final before, but he's been quiet lately. Because of the money list, it's very important for the players like him who haven't done much over the last six months to do well. They need to pick up good prize money to keep their ranking.

Raymond van Barneveld v Steve Hine

Steve's a very quick thrower, but that will suit Raymond because he's quick as well. If Barney had been drawn against someone like Justin Pipe, who can slow the game down, it wouldn't be the same because he likes to get on with his darts. So although Steve Hine is a very good player, the tempo will suit Raymond.

Gary Anderson v Padgett/Hashimoto

I think Matt Padgett will qualify to play Anderson. The thing with Gary is his finishing lets him down. He's a heavy scorer, but he misses doubles and he'll tell you that. He'll be nervous, but there's always nerves. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

Alan Tabern v Richie Burnett

Richie Burnett has won the world title, so he knows what it's all about. I think Alan will be very wary of this one and would have hoped for a much easier draw because Richie is starting to come back to form. He's a very good scorer and if he gets his game going he'll give Alan a run for his money.

Paul Nicholson v Steve Farmer

Farmer is a good player, who has played in the BDO World Championship and has experience. But Paul Nicholson really needs a good tournament. He's got a great attitude and I love to see characters in the game, but I think he feels unsure about himself when he's doing that. He's not always comfortable being the bad boy. Peter Manley used to do it and laugh his head off and Paul needs to learn that side of it. When he does, his game will be better on TV. This is a tough game for him.

Andy Hamilton v Dennis Smith

I remember playing Dennis years ago in the first round of the World Championship at the Circus Tavern and I was two sets down and two legs down - but I came back and beat him. He still can't believe how I won that - and nor can I! Dennis will play his game and it should be a good match against Andy Hamilton.

Ronnie Baxter v Scholten/Viinikka

Roland Scholten has played in the Premier League before, but unfortunately has had trouble with his shoulder. Sadly, he's had a rough time lately, but if he beats Viinikka then Ronnie Baxter will be concerned. If Roland turns up then it will be a very tough game for Baxter.