BDO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: Wolfie cruises into the last eight

Martin Adams on the Lakeside stage. Picture: David Gill

The 60 year-old Deeping legend breezed into the quarter-finals of the BDO World Championships to remain on track for his fourth title.

He beat Jeff Smith 4-1 to avenge the shock 3-0 first round defeat he suffered at the hands of the Canadian 12 months ago.

Number five seed Adams made the perfect start, taking the first set 3-1 with a cracking 11-dart leg.

Smith did briefly display the sort of form that got him to the final last year when clinching the second set 3-1, but from then on it was the Martin Adams show.

The fans’ favourite had the crowd howling with delight as he stormed through the third set 3-1 and then repeated the feat to move within a set of victory.

And, although he wobbled slightly on a couple of doubles, he held his nerve to complete the job on double one for a 3-2 win on legs.

Coming into the championships Wolfie admitted his 2016 battle with prostate cancer saw him lose his motivation to play darts. But having been given “as good as an all-clear as you can get” back in November, he’s now firmly got his sights set on a fourth world title.

He said: “I’m back and I’m loving it. I love it because it is never predictable, and once you get to the quarter-finals then any one of those eight players can go on to win it.”

Adams, who won £6,500 by reaching the last eight, will now meet either the highly-fancied Jamie Hughes or Jim Williams in the quarter-finals on Friday (January 13). Adams and Hughes are both 12-1 shots for the title with SkyBet and Williams is 33-1.