Scott is hot!

HUDDERSFIELD’S world champion Scott Waites got his defence of the BDO World Darts Championship title off to a flying start.

The defending champion saw off a spirited challenge from Dennis Harbour to win 3-1 and secure his place in the second round at Frimley Green’s Lakeside Country Club.

The 39-year-old, who is seeking a third BDO title having won his first in 2013, produced a composed display with a 3-1 win over Peterborough’s Harbour, who was a quarter-finalist last year.

Waites, the No6 seed for this year’s tournament, kept his cool under some early pressure, sealing the opening set with a 142 check-out before heading into the interval 2-0 ahead after Harbour, who had come through a preliminary round contest, failed to make the most of his chances.

The ‘Harbour Master,’ fought back on the return to the oche, taking the opening two legs before closing out the set 3-1.

However, Waites remained composed as he immediately regained control of the first round’s final match with two 15-dart legs before closing out victory on double 16.

Mark McGeeney saw off James Hurrell, the Gladiator coming through 3-1 and he will next play Waites tonight for a place in round three.

Lithuanian Darius Labanauskas beat Conan ‘The Barbarian’ Whitehead, also progressing by three sets to one.

Two Dutch players have sealed their places in the next round.

Debutant Danny Noppert beat Canadian David Cameron 3-1, averaging 98.07 and landing six maximums, while Richard Veenstra, last year’s semi-finalist, saw off Scotland’s Ross Montgomery by the same score to set up a second-round match against his countryman.

However, ninth-seeded Dutchman Wesley Harms went out after losing 3-0 to Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski, who moves into the second round of the World Championships for the first time.

In the women’s tournament, top seed Deta Hedman suffered shock first-round exit against Casey Gallagher, losing 2-1 as the 20-yearold secured six consecutive legs for her first World Championship victory and three-time world champion Anastasia Dobromyslova secured her place in the quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over Rhian Griffiths of Wales.