Scott Waites books another appearance in BDO World Darts Championship final
Saturday 9 January 2016 21:09, UK
Scott Waites will meet Canada's Jeff Smith in the BDO World Darts Championship final after a ruthless 6-1 win over Jamie Hughes.
The 2013 champion punished a lacklustre performance from Hughes as he stormed into a 5-0 lead before sealing his semi-final victory with double four at Lakeside.
Waites, 38, displayed his big-match experience from the start and hit a superb 120 checkout to take the opening set.
Hughes had inflicted a 5-1 hammering on Wesley Harms in the quarter-finals, but he was on the receiving end as Waites racked up a succession of legs.
The Tipton man cleared his head on the balcony during the break as he trailed by five sets and returned to the oche with more purpose, clawing back a set.
But Yorkshireman Waites soon wrapped up the win to book his place in Sunday's showpiece, where he could well feel a lot fresher than evening winner Smith.
The Canadian, who also reached the semi-finals last year had to fight back from 4-3 down to take a 6-5 win over Dutchman Richard Veenstra, finishing the game off in sensational fashion with a 10-darter.
He said: "I was almost ready to fall apart there. He didn't let me off. Every chance I thought I was going to get ahead my double didn't go in. I'm so relieved to survive that. You've got to give credit to Veenstra, he was amazing."
